
Ask HN: I gave myself to a movement and now I'm facing the consequences. Advice? - jessehorne
In June of 2017, three friends and I gathered at the Iowa Air National Guard base to protest the use of drones. I had recently viewed a video showing the aftermath of a drone attack, sanctioned by the President. I was furious. There were kids screaming, adults desperately trying to pull people from the wreckage; No one looked like they deserved what they had just received. I knew I could never unsee that. So, we filled a few barrels with cement and locked our arms inside them causing traffic to be blocked on the road next to the base where drones were being piloted. I knew I had to act.<p>Hours later, they &quot;freed&quot; us and we were charged. That was fair. Later, it was ordered that we were to pay $3,200 apiece because of what it costed the State to handle that situation. I didn&#x27;t hear about it for nearly a year after the fact because I was going through deep financial struggles (https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17936860). I began to get my life together (thanks to HN). Your advice helped a lot. Even the most brutal comments were meant well.<p>A couple of weeks ago I received a letter in the mail stating that I had until the end of this month to pay my fines or I&#x27;d be held in contempt. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this could mean jail-time, taking my license, etc. I&#x27;m not going to sit here and act like I&#x27;m being treated unfairly. I know for a fact that we were treated far better by the police than many of our brothers and sisters of color, historically (and today), for instance.<p>The reason I am seeking advice is mainly because I&#x27;m nearly in tears and very stressed. I can&#x27;t setup a payment plan because of Covid (they can only do it in person) and everywhere I call says it&#x27;s impossible. If anything, I&#x27;m just using this to cope with the stress.<p>Thanks, HN.<p>p.s excuse the quality, max char count is 2k<p>Proof<p>Des Moines Register - shorturl.at&#x2F;jsL17<p>Medium - shorturl.at&#x2F;nxLQ6
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throooowaway_ac
Here's some advice:

Don't participate in activism if you aren't in a position to weather the
problems it brings.

It can often seem like a good idea, but especially with how things are now
it'll likely only fuck you over. Be safe out there.

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Twixes
Well, this is sound, but then again this is also exactly what groups content
with status quo (say, a government that continues to kill innocent people)
would like you to do – nothing

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jessehorne
You both said exactly what's been on my mind lately. I keep thinking, "There's
got to be a better way.", in regards to fighting these issues.

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iammru
Do you have a lawyer that can help?

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jessehorne
Unfortunately I do not at this time. There were several lawyers that
volunteered their time for us during the anti-DAPL movement, but I haven't
reached out because this was a separate action and I really don't like asking
people to volunteer on my behalf. I also am not familiar enough with the
system to even know what options I have. I am still not in a position to feel
comfortable consulting a lawyer, financially.

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auslegung
I had the opinion about lawyers that I couldn’t afford one and I was
intimidated to even talk to one. This went on for over 4 months, then I
continued to drag my feet throughout the process. Long story short it only
cost about $500 for a couple of meetings in person, a few phone calls, and
several emails. By the end I felt very confident in my position and only
wished I had done it months ago. I strongly encourage you to reach out to a
lawyer and let them help. Good luck!

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sharemywin
have you looked into a loan?

[https://www.top10personalloans.com/](https://www.top10personalloans.com/)

maybe setup a go fund me account.

