<\/p>\n
Jessica Plichta was arrested on 3 January after a live interview with a local news station about a Grand Rapids, Michigan protest against the Trump administration\u2019s<\/a> seizing of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, Venezuela\u2019s president, in an attack with a reported death toll of 100<\/a>. The clip went immediately viral, racking up millions of views across social media. While the headlines<\/a> focused on Plichta\u2019s age (22) and that she\u2019s a pre-school teacher, Plichta believes the reason for her arrest \u2013 seemingly the only one among roughly 200 protesters \u2013 went beyond the day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n Plichta, who recently co-founded local group Grand Rapids Opponents of War, an organizer of Saturday\u2019s protest, had visited the Venezuelan capital of Caracas just last month, amid the Trump administration\u2019s blockade. She was a part of a delegation to the International People\u2019s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas. Activists from dozens of groups planned to attend. But after Trump ordered that Venezuelan airspace be \u201cclosed in its entirety\u201d on 29 November,<\/a> many canceled their trips.<\/p>\n Plichta still attended,<\/a> visiting communes and meeting with activists there, and claims she even spoke with Maduro.<\/p>\n \u201cI came back to the US, and I\u2019ve done report-backs<\/a>. I had spoken at that rally. I gave an interview, and immediately, during the interview, I get shut down and arrested out of 200 people. So what else can you say about that?\u201d Plichta said.<\/p>\n Plichta is now facing misdemeanor charges of \u201cobstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command from a police officer\u201d, according to local outlet 13 On Your Side. Emerson Wolf, co-director of Grand Rapids\u2019 Institute for Global Education<\/a> and chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, said this is an established tactic of Grand Rapids police to suppress local protests and protesters.<\/p>\n Last March, Wolf spoke at a local International Women\u2019s Day event; the next month, as they were preparing to lead the local Hands Off! protest, they were arrested with the same charge as Plichta over the previous action.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s truly about the safety of people executing their sacred free speech rights in the streets of Grand Rapids, then why doesn\u2019t GRPD arrest protesters right away, or do more to help encourage the safety of protesters downtown? Instead, they issue citations months later in order to criminalize dissent,\u201d said Wolf.<\/p>\n