Story Arrested for murmuring wrongthink

[cait_sith]

Can't forget what happened to me years ago. Just when I was meeting a friend outside of my door to go to the pool with him a police car pulls up in front of us. Turns out while was at the gym I murmured, probably loudly, "I don't want to live anymore" while exercising. The gym staff heard it and instead of shrugging it off as something people with back problems doing exercises say (they all know why I was there) or talking to me directly they apparently debated what to do for a long while and when I was already out the gym they called the cops on me. The police treated me like was a psycho who is about to pull knife out my pocket and slit my throat at any second when I tried to explain that that was just something I said to myself while training, some of them getting ready to overpower me if I was to make a wrong move. it was awkward as my friend was around, I told him to go to the pool without me. 3 police man were cornering me and every flinch I did was inspected while one of them called an ambulance to drive me to psych ward. Luckily I knew the doctor who was there and I was able to talk myself out of it and I actually got to go to the pool where I told my friend that it was a misunderstanding and it was fine. While the outcome wasn't all that bad I still got a bit traumatised as I can't forget how I was treated like a criminal. Why would a guy who was about to kill himself the same day go to a gym at all? I didn't even say that I'm gonna kill myself, just said that I don't want to live anymore. I had old relative who constantly talked about wanting to be with her death husband and nobody called the cops, to me it's just something people say to themselves. Japanese people say "shinitai" all the time too. I wasn't even actively suicidal back then, sure I had ideation but even accidentally voicing this was enough for people to call the cops. Because of autistic tendencies I was known in the gym for being a bit weird which they apparently also told the cops, if I was normal they would have shrugged it off I think. The reason I make this thread is to remind people that they are in danger of getting the police called if you slip out in public. If you are prone to talking to yourself because you live alone and you often say that you want to die to yourself be careful and try to keep that internal even when alone so it doesn't become an habit, try avoiding listening to music with earphones in public as you might trick your brain that you are alone and things could slip out. Being drunk in public is also risky.

 

[dolemitedrums]

Pretty extreme reaction but they meant well I am sure.

 

[FuneralCry]

That truly is so horrible, I despise how we exist in this society where wanting to die is literally treated like a crime.

 

[Apathy79]

The talking to yourself in public because you forget you're not alone is so relatable, especially with headphones! I do that all the time. Fortunately never with a result like this yet!

 

[Timothy7dff]

In the United States, the laws need to be pushed back. Free speech and the first amendment should ALWAYS preventing the government from taking control of your life.

It all seemed to start with "yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater". Now, they think they can censor any speech. Once the government gets their foot in a door, in never closes again.

 

[Raindancer]

We are living in very perilous times. Our rights, at least in the US, are less and less. I watched a video the other day of a gang of drug cops pulled over a father and 17 year old daughter picking up her mother after work and because they took a bit too long to pull over they were felony stopped, dragged out of the car, arrested and the car towed even though the mother was there to drive it home. In another, a father was driving home his handicapp 17 year old daughter after a weekend visit and a cop made a mistake on the license and it came back stolen erroneously. Another felony stop at gun point with the guy screaming his daughter had seizures and the cops could have cared less. I cannot even imagine the trauma that would cause.