Arrested while Occupying Wall Street - Will I Be Hireable?

[LookingAhead]

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.

Anyone have any experience with this?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

moved to our nursing licensure with a criminal history forum...take a look at sticky threads top of forum and read other posters stories.

[mjishernameo]

When did the word "corporation" become such a target for the financial woes of the world? Do younger people NOT understand that the roofer that lives next door is likely a corporation? The landscaper cutting your lawn is a corporation? The horse farm in the country may also be a corporation? What dont they understand about free market economies? We have built an economy that has done MORE good for the WORLD than any other in history ! Its based on competition (ie PROFITS are GOOD), freedom and ingenuity.....The US has invented more medicines and made them available to the WORLD and it only happens in this FREE market country. It irks me to see these dumb kids from the burbs taking a crap on a corner stores front step.....all in the name of revolution.....My advice is stop listening to your college economics teacher and go try to start a business. Try working 14-16 hrs a day for years for beans, just to be taxed out of business because the kids think you are a mean ole corporation. We have equality of OPPORTUNITY in the country...that is not the same as equality of RESULTS.

[mjishernameo]

alrighty then

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

"i'm wondering if any of the people who protested the viet nam war and got arrested for d&d ever got to be nurses later in life."

::waving hand in the air:: and i had a lot of company in my nursing school and among med students.

fwiw, one of the most useful things i learned was that tear gas is meant to scare you but if you just let it make your eyes tear and don't panic, you can stand your ground.

[mazy]

The Occupy movement in this country has taken off along the same trajectory of the movement of the "Indignados" in Europe, which has been going on in numerous countries across that continent for several months now. This is becoming a global movement.

At the moment it seems that what we've got is a lot of young, idealistic people driven to unite over a common frustration with wealth and corruption in this country; they do not have a concrete plan or list of goals right now, but they are just starting out.

Eventually, I hope things will settle down, they will get their act together and the movement will sort it's goals out with some clarity.

People will object or support. For my part, I am inspired by all of this. I don't know how it is all going to play out in the future, but right now I support the spirit of a movement that is demanding change. We need change in this country and it is not going to just happen without a lot of introspection, extrospection, mistakes, missteps, and persistence in stating that there is a problem and we need to start doing something about it.

So much has been said about this current generation and their sense of entitlement, their unwillingness to get down and dirty and struggle the way us olds have to make their way in the world. Now they are out there in the cold and experiencing what it feels like to have to claw their way to some sense of accomplishment. And I support that. At least in spirit.

As for the constant refrain of "why don't they just get jobs?" the fact is that there are no jobs. I'd much rather see people out in the street demanding change then to see them in their parents' basements drinking beer, playing video games, and scratching their parts.

As an aside, one of the Westboro idiots is in nursing school right now. Horrifying to think that we are looking for work and possibly may end up working side by side with that hideous individual.

[beast master RN]

ahhhh i lost 20 points for replying neg to this topic , and some body said i have barely legible post , it been a bad topic lol jk

[DoGoodThenGo]

I would not chance it. An arrest record does not look good to either a nursing school or the State Board of Nursing. A little food for thought though:

Once you get a job as a nurse, you will have to contribute your money to a retirement plan. Retirement plans are typically a mutual fund which originate from Wall Street. Many other individuals had to contribute for their retirement plans as well. If you wish to retire you will have contribute to a mutual fund because money in a savings account only accrue less than 1% per year. As much as I would like to sympathize with the Occupy Wall Street campaign I would feel that I would be a hypocrite since I contributed to a 401k which is essentially a mutual fund.

Getting a job as a nurse is hard enough without any arrest records and besides from what I read on these Occupy movements, the basic demographic is younger individuals who owe more on their student loans than what they ever could afford to pay. I attribute this to poor planning. As a former student myself I had to determine if the degree was valuable enough to both land a job and to pay off loans. To me it sounds like these individuals went to college to cruise through and land a job at the end. Times have changed and the new economy only allows so many individuals to land a job with a philosophy degree that might have cost $80,000. It's only my .

Just to be clear about something, being arrested is not the same thing as having a criminal record. The latter regards criminal convictions.

Because so many outlets exsist these days for obtaining arrest/court/criminal information on persons and it *sounds* more damning to say someone has an "arrest record" and or was "arrested for..." that is what the media and others often run with. However legally, and it varies by state it is criminal convictions that matter.

LE can arrest anyone (and often they do), it is up to the courts to decide guilt or innocence. To deny someone employment and or education simply because they were arrested is against most state laws IIRC. In NYS employers legally may only deny employment based upon criminal history if the charges one was convicted of/plead guilty to directly relate to the job in question. This does not mean employers won't try to find other reasons to look elsewhere...

Most OWS people one has read about in local NYC news media (for the record one lives in Manhattan) were arrested for Disorderly Conduct which in this state is a violation/offense, not a crime. Even then most all were offered ACD (adjournment in contemplation of dismissal), which some have refused and are choosing to go to trial. Had they taken the plea offer and remained out of trouble for six months the charges would be dropped, case closed/dismissed and records sealed.

Generally one would agree that those seeking and or in possession of a state professional license avoid doing *anything* that would involve contact with LE and or a potential record. However over the past ten or so years we have seen an increase of that threat (being arrested and the record it will generate) to keep people in line.

It started here in NYC with then Mayor Guliani's "Safe Streets" program where everyone arrested for even the most minor violation is now taken into LE custody and "processed" through the system. This means being taken to jail, booked, fingerprinted and so forth. What this has done is to generate thousands of arrest and criminal/court records that can be used against someone.

Did you know that the first thing news media, employers and so many others probably including someone you may have a date with is enter names into one of those www.wefindoutaboutanyone.com websites? These vast databases are made up of public information downloaded daily from federal, state and local courts. As mentioned above this is why news reporters will say so and so has "been arrested for..." if they cannot find an actual criminal conviction in their past.

The point I'm trying to make is that once a population is that scared of stepping out of line for fear of public shame and or similar reasons then "Big Daddy" has won. While not as drastic as what is going on in Syria, a government can achieve similar affects all the same.

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

Ah, the psychology of economics.:) If you don't know what you're doing, or have an end-point, and if you don't fully understand what you're protesting against, simply on the basis of social responsibility, you should abstain.

Is making 200(or more) secretaries(and dishwashers, firemen, policemen, CPAs, streetsweepers, etc..) 2 hours late to their jobs, and decreasing their economic capability doing anything other than harming the secretaries et al.?

The BON may or may not take issue, and NY State's BON may have a different perspective than OK's, so...

In any event, I view this as a competing needs issue- will you do more positive for your society with an unencumbered nursing license, or by sitting in the street in emotional self-gratification?

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

Ah, the psychology of economics.:) "I really feel for what I'm doing so it is worth the cost..."

This is an arousal bias issue- it really feels good, even though the practical effects are more harmful to the average citizen, trying to get to/from work, than any "Evil Corporate Warlord".

Your state BON may or may not take issue, and what the OK BON says/feels may be very different than NY State's BON, so...

Ultimately, will you be of more benefit to your society delivering care with an unencumbered license, or playing in the street, and dithering away an extra two semesters of financial aid/loans because you may not be able to finish your intended pathway?

[AJPV]

"Even then most all were offered ACD (adjournment in contemplation of dismissal), which some have refused and are choosing to go to trial. Had they taken the plea offer and remained out of trouble for six months the charges would be dropped, case closed/dismissed and records sealed."

Beware that the type of arrangement you describe is perfectly visible to state boards of nursing ("case closed/dismissed/sealed" does NOT mean sealed from the BON). Also, the BON IS allowed to make favorable or unfavorable decisions based on these types of scenarios.

[LookingAhead]

I just want to thank you all again for your great advice and information. My quick update is that I did go to OWS-related activities all day today, tried hard not to get arrested, and managed not to. :)

It was a great day.