I Got Told to Get Out of My Truck at Gunpoint
'I had just witnessed friends of mine getting kicked and kneed and punched.'
Part 1: Jay, the Trucker Who Brought the Shed
In a recent interview, Jay talks about his arrest which took place on Saturday morning, the second day of the police crackdown. “I got told to get out of my truck at gunpoint,” he says. “And I did.”
He then spent a couple of hours in a paddy wagon. He remembers overhearing chatter between police officers during that time, as well as while he was waiting to be processed:
they're just casually talking about how they're making good money on the overtime. And, you know, maybe how they're gonna remodel their kitchen or the bathroom with all the extra money.
And it's just kinda like another day at the office for them. And meanwhile I had just witnessed friends of mine getting kicked and kneed and punched [while being arrested].
At one point the police asked him and the other chap in the paddy wagon a list of standard questions:
you know, ‘Do you have COVID? Do you have symptoms?’ Blah, blah, blah. And then they asked a question, ‘Are you suicidal?’
And the man beside me said, ‘You know I was suicidal for six months. Up until today, when I got into Ottawa.’ So he was there, just that morning. And he said, ‘I lost my job, I lost my girlfriend, I just wanted to die.’ And he said, ‘I came here and my hope in humanity was restored.’
So that was very touching for me just to hear that. We had heard that many times, from many people, while we sat in our trucks. Many people climbed up on our fuel tank and just said, 'Don't leave. You know, you've given us hope.’
I have so many stories of those beautiful things I was hearing right on my doorstep. We truckers never, we never expected that…
Jay was charged with four criminal offences, to which he pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, David Anber, reported that two of the charges were dismissed Monday - disobeying a lawful order and obstruction of an officer.
That left the two mischief charges. The trial went faster than expected, with the crown attorney/prosecutor taking less than a full day to present arguments. A number of witnesses testified in Jay’s defence beginning on Monday afternoon. The trial wrapped up yesterday.
In the words of Mr Anber, the “judge will deliberate and release a decision on or before March 19.”
During his recent interview, Jay said didn’t know what to expect in that courtroom. In his words, “It just seems that the system is pretty flawed and anything can happen.”
next installment: Plywood and 2x4s
It still plays out and most people are not paying attention to the shocking loss of liberties.
As I read Jay's description of his arrest I couldn't stop wondering what the police were thinking about their own actions. Seemingly undisturbed by what they were doing while discussing the monetary benefits of carrying out likely illegal orders. Have any of them written about their thoughts or reviewed their actions in light of the cases and testimony that have surfaced after the media lost interest and quit suppressing the truth of the protests?