I'm wondering if anyone has any insight on what the potential problems would be with getting hired, or even doing student clinicals in a hospital, if you've been arrested during a non-violent protest. I am considering joining in the attempt to shut down the NY Stock Exchange on Thursday, to honor the 2-month anniversary of the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and it is at least somewhat likely that many people will be arrested during this action.
Likely charges for this kind of arrest would be something like "disorderly conduct" (impeding of traffic, failure to disperse after being given an order to do so, creating annoyance or alarm in public, loitering, etc). I don't think most people arrested during an Occupy protest have spent even one night in jail, but charges are being pressed so people are ending up with criminal records on misdemeanor charges.
I'm not even a nursing student yet - I'm hoping to enter an Accelerated BSN/MSN program in the spring. But I am wondering if anyone knows what kind of issues there might be for me as a student and as a future nurse if I'm arrested during a protest, just so I go into this with my eyes open.
It's a little contradictory when you want to be involved in a protest that basically is about middle-class people unable to get jobs..... then ask if it will keep you from getting a job.
Really, think about that for a second. If the goal is to obtain employment here, why don't you try not to endanger that before you are even job hunting.
Those Occupiers will be out of Zucotti park as soon as the weather actually turns cold. Their Ipods and laptops will freeze, and so will they. These people will be back in their middle class homes as soon as it drops to freezing.
Wear sunglasses to conceal your face wear a trench coat, a hat, just anything to keep you from being identified. If you spot trouble, get out of dodge. Don't give out your real name, give out a pseudonym. If you want to donate to your local Occupy group, use a money order, with a fake name of course. Do your best to not tie yourself to the Occupy movement, for Lord knows the feds are spying on you.[/quote']
in the Psychiatric community...we would call posts such as this "job security"
Love your protest story, GrnTea...maybe others will pipe in with their tales of dodging rubber bullets...
Here's my protest story: there were many protests, we chanted a lot, were cold and crowded and it was always uplifting to be around others with your same goals, thousands of people there... and nothing changed. Everyone was so optimistic about the movement but it was depressing to invest so much energy in something and see nothing come of it. I went on a news blackout and took a "break" from activism, realized I'm a much happier person without it, and have never gone back.
More power to the new crop of protesters, I'd love my cynicism to be proven wrong, but in the meantime, I do not regret stepping away from politics one bit.
Because it's a movement that I believe in deeply, and it's one that I think needs a shot in the arm at this point.
I'm just asking if anyone has any experience or insight with having being arrested during a protest and its effect on your school/work life. Surely people must have faced this after the widespread anti-war protests in 2002/03?
I understand that you want to protest for what you believe in but weigh the pro and cons. Is it really worth it to have an arrest record for anything these days. This is completely preventable. What is your priority for your life? Arrest records can keep you from getting jobs and It may destroy your chance of becoming a nurse. Surely there must be a better way for your voice to be heard. Wish you the best:nurse:
in the Psychiatric community...we would call posts such as this "job security"
In this day and age where employers can search Facebook and Google to check out a potential applicant, it's very much a valid concern. And in this day and age with increased surveillance powers given to Homeland Security and the FBI, it's a valid concern to stay anonymous. Masks unfortunately are illegal in many jurisdictions so that's why I suggested sunglasses, coat and hat. Bandanas are also not allowed in many places.
It's not paranoia when they really are out to get you, as the old saying goes.
"surely people must have faced this after the widespread anti-war protests in 2002/03?"
...and don't forget us old folks who spent our late adolescence getting beat up and tear-gassed for peace en masse in 1968-74. one of my favorite memories of those years was being beneath a balcony at the justice (?) department in dc and seeing nixon's atty general john mitchell get a good snootful of tear gas when the wind changed. he went from just about cackling in pleasure at seeing us getting gassed to disappearing inside in the blink of an eye. you never saw a fat man move so fast.
(i just never told them i got arrested in dc. worst that happened was i got corneal burns from the pepper spray and couldn't read them old glass thermometers for a week or so until my vision cleared. oh, and lack of basic sanitation and increase in stress made my yeast infection bloom, but that went away when i got home to my nystatin stash:d. memories, memories.)
ahhh..the memories
we actually brought down a presidency..grntea was that you with the bell bottoms and the flower in your hair? i was the guy with the long hair and jeans and a guitar over my shoulder do you remember???
I find myself saying this a lot here for some reason,but : life is about choices and consequences. You make your choices, and you live with the consequences. I am not really impressed with anyone who claims to be all passionate about a subject...but only if I don't have to suffer for it!
Even if you could get through school and NCLEX, OWS has a negative connotation to many people (sorry to be the one to say it) so when you explain that to a future employer, you'll always run the risk that they project their own beliefs and judgments upon you.
That being said, I agree that it is a tragic miscarriage of our consitution that you have to worry about the consequences of expressing your own right to freedom of speech.
Our Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, however, it does not guarantee freedom from consequences of said speech. With freedom comes responsibility. (I feel like that's a quote from something, but can't think what.) You should be held accountable for what you say and do. I have the constitutional right go into my boss's office and tell her she is an out of touch idiot with an obsession for the minutiae that borders on maniacal (this applies to my former boss, btw, not current one, but you get my point), but I better be ready to accept whatever the consequences are for saying this.
Personally, if I were a hiring manager and I had someone up before me who had been arrested because he/she was part of the Westboro group that was protesting the funeral of a servicemember who had been killed in action, I would absolutely hold that against them. Fair? Maybe not, but that's how I feel, and that may be how potential employers feel about OWS or any arrest record.
Before anyone gets upset, no, I am not saying that OWS and Westboro are the same thing. The first group I don't necessarily agree with but am not at all bothered by and recognize they may have a few valid points. The second, I find disgusting to the core and feel they have no redeeming value. However, both have a constitutional right to express what they believe, but both have to accept the social and legal ramifications for the expression and perhaps subsequent illegal aspects of protest (disturbing the peace, trespassing, etc.)
Here's my protest story: there were many protests, we chanted a lot, were cold and crowded and it was always uplifting to be around others with your same goals, thousands of people there... and nothing changed. Everyone was so optimistic about the movement but it was depressing to invest so much energy in something and see nothing come of it. I went on a news blackout and took a "break" from activism, realized I'm a much happier person without it, and have never gone back.
More power to the new crop of protesters, I'd love my cynicism to be proven wrong, but in the meantime, I do not regret stepping away from politics one bit.
my story exactly.
i do however plan on volunteering for a local group of healthcare workers who provide first aid at protests (for injuries, mace, etc. cops love to mace in phoenix), as soon as i graduate. but, that's as close as i'll get back to it.
I definitely don't think its worth the risk, but I know for a fact, that when you apply to nursing school, they do a background check, and any arrest may come up. Disorderly conduct is considered a violation, and in most cases not a misdemeanor or felony; When you apply for your license and take your boards in NY they only ask if you've been convicted of a crime(misdemeanor or felony), You do not have to list disorderly conduct, tickets, or any other violations. You should be alright, but if you want more information, call the NY state office of professions and ask to speak to someone there; They know all the rules and regulations and can tell you.
MomRN0913
1,131 Posts
It's a little contradictory when you want to be involved in a protest that basically is about middle-class people unable to get jobs..... then ask if it will keep you from getting a job.
Really, think about that for a second. If the goal is to obtain employment here, why don't you try not to endanger that before you are even job hunting.
Those Occupiers will be out of Zucotti park as soon as the weather actually turns cold. Their Ipods and laptops will freeze, and so will they. These people will be back in their middle class homes as soon as it drops to freezing.