This One Hurts

These stories were written by men and women who participated in the Woman’s Opportunity Rehabilitation Center (WORC).  The women participated as an alternative to an incarceration program and the men participated in a vocational and educational component to the program.  The workshop took place over three days with support and guidance to help formulate their page one moments.

I wake up to do my normal routine and decided to go do my laundry early on a Thursday morning. It to me seemed like everything was ok... As I'm packing my laundry to leave a detective walked through the laundromat and I'm not thinking anything from that so I continue to walk out the back door. The detective walks to his partner who’s in the car blocking the entrance so I finally get to the entrance and the detective says to me I have to come with them and I'm just so lost and confused at this second because I didn't understand why I had to go with them. I asked why I had to go, and he said I had a warrant from my mother calling them in April and making a false report but it stuck cause it was an order of protection, he said, which was up now six months later, he also said, which still didn't make sense to me at all. I was more confused than mad sitting in a cell handcuffed to a bench, couldn't grasp why or when and for what still. I wasn't scared but I was scared being pregnant in a jail cell or any cell at that. I know they could have done that different it just doesn't make sense how the system is at all. I never understand cause the system isn't designed for what it really supposed to be for and I look at it all like this. It’s no help cause the system fails us in so many ways and it’s not ok. Me and handcuffs and gates don't get along, this one honestly hurt.