I’m a law-abiding citizen who never thought I’d be of such interest that the U.S. government would use my tax dollars and yours to try to send me to prison, but there I was in Washington, D.C., at the end of July being manhandled by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent trying to remove my phone from my hand.
And there I was in court last month being tried — and quickly acquitted by a jury of my peers — on the false charge that I’d “forcefully pushed” an FBI agent’s hand against a cement wall and “caused lacerations.” All I’d done that night in July was stand outside the D.C. jail so the families of the men being detained for possible deportation would know what had happened to them. I wanted those men and their families to be treated fairly in this unjust time we are living in.
Observing and recording what my government does is my business.
But as he threw me against a wall and handcuffed me, the agent who arrested me said, “If you just minded your own f—ing business, this wouldn’t happen.”
If I had minded my own business. Observing and recording what my government does — which is what I was doing when I got arrested — is my business.
Here’s what sticks out about my experience: being put in the back of an unmarked SUV and with handcuffs that were put on so tight, I have permanently lost feeling in my thumb; not being read my rights or being told what I was being charged with beyond not minding my business.
Shortly before my arrest, I had just gotten a new job working at an animal hospital and moved into a new apartment in a part of the city I’ve always wanted to live in. Things were going great. But would I even have a job to go back to now?
I’m glad I did. My supervisor actually thanked me for doing what I did, for standing up for a group of people being targeted in this country. And I cried. I believe that filming what federal agents were doing that day counted as basic human decency.
After days of not knowing why I was being held, my public defender, Tezira Abe, told me the government wanted to charge me with felony assault of a federal agent, a crime that carried up to eight years in prison. I was dumbfounded.
Three grand juries refused to indict me after the government presented its case against me. That should have been the end of it. But then U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office decided to charge me with a misdemeanor, which doesn’t require a grand jury. I don’t know which was greater, my fear or my disbelief. I was still facing a year in the county jail.
But I’m grateful that on Oct. 16, jurors saw through what our government was trying to do to me and quickly acquitted me.
Wow. Sidney Reid, the DC woman just found not guilty of assaulting an FBI agent, issues a withering and gutsy statement on Trump through her attorneys."I feel sorry for the prosecutors really, who must be burdened by Trump's irrational and unfounded hatred for his fellow man."It's a must-read: As I said in a statement that day, “Knowing that I can stand in front of 12 of my fellow citizens and be found not guilty for standing up for basic human rights makes me feel like, despite the scary times we live in, we have hope for the future.” My attorneys, Tezira Abe and Eugene Ohm, added, “We are pleased with the verdict but this is a trial that should never have happened. Twelve D.C. residents, numerous taxpayer-paid court staff and public defenders had to spend time and resources on trying a case that has no place in a free democracy.” They also said: “The Department of Justice can continue to take these cases to trial to suppress dissent and to try and intimidate the people. But in the end, as long as we have a jury system, our citizens will continue to rebuke the DOJ through speedy acquittals.” Though I was ultimately acquitted, I should never have been arrested and should never have been charged. The government’s unfair prosecution of me caused my life to be at a standstill for three months. I stopped unpacking my apartment and closed myself off from everything. Why would I keep on unpacking my apartment if I would have to empty it back out? How could I overcome the sadness I felt toward my country and enjoy my life? I kept my head down and worked. That was the only escape I had. I was taught that you don’t have to make a scene or shout to be heard and that sometimes the quiet actions speak for themselves. This is not one of those times. We should all be screaming. We should all be taking action. This is our country. We are greater and stronger than this administration.
Sidney Reid
Sidney Reid is a Washington, D.C., resident who was booked with federal charges in July and acquitted in October. 
