Elena Colon-Marrero [0:01]
Go ahead
Alec Carrero [0:02]
It was another incident I had with the police when I was, uh, working, uh, at the homeless shelter a few years back, and all of us was sitting on the wall and they handcuffed all of us.
Elena [0:13]
Wow
Alec [0:14]
Yeah. They ended up taking one of the guys, but it was my birthday… but I had handcuffs on me for my 25th birthday.
Elena [0:23]
Did they give you a reason why they were handcuffing you, or to like –
Alec [0:27]
It wasn’t a reason, I wouldn’t think, cause I was eating a fruit salad. And we were just sitting right here on – what street is that, right here?
Elena [0:39]
It says 17th and Payne?
Alec [0:42]
So we was a block over, right – when this was the women’s shelter. That’s – that’s when that happened. And we were just sitting on the wall, and [they] just handcuffed everybody. Well, it was only like three of us. And they was like, “Well you look like you have some domestic issues. You kill any ex-boyfriends?” And I’m like “Are you serious?” I’ve never been in trouble, I’ve never been arrested. So it’s like… getting treated like that was kinda off. So, and then, with dealing with my husband – and him going through everything, you know, he’s told me different little stories about him, his involvement with the police. But, uh, I think…
Elena [1:28]
Can you share some of those?
Alec [1:30]
We were, uh, well, we – he – we had a car. And he was driving, and it was in my name. And he was only able to drive certain times of day for his job. And this particular day, it was a, you know, normal day. And he was dropping off one of his friends at the laundromat, of all places, which was just around the corner. But we felt it was racial profiling, because he was black and his friend was white. And, in the area that we lived in, it was a high drug whatever. So, he felt like that… he ended up going to jail and giving me a ticket, cause I let him drive during the time that he wasn’t able to drive. And I was like, wow. I wasn’t even home. But, ok. So, that was one, uh, issue. And then the probation officer not calling back was very stressful, because [we] just want him home. And we already know he’s gonna go to court and it’s just fine, that’s all it is with him anyway. We don’t have the money to pay the fine. So he wants to go to the workhouse and work off the money. And they keep throwing him back out here and then putting a warrant over his head. And it’s like, what’s the point of letting him out if you just gonna put a warrant over his head anyway. Over us not being able to pay $1200. Yeah.
Elena [3:15]
Thank you.
Alec [3:16]
No problem.