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Linda Leaks is a community organizer. In order to protect the District of Columbia’s remaining public housing stock, Leaks travels throughout the city, in her car. At least she did.
On the afternoon of Friday, August 8th, Leaks was pulled over by D.C. police for driving an unregistered vehicle. Rather than simply giving Leaks a ticket, she was handcuffed, arrested and not released until 2:30 AM, without her wallet, ID or money.
Yesterday, the charges against her were dismissed. Leaks, however, is not satisfied. She questions why she was pulled over in the first place. While Leaks’ expired registration is on her front windshield, the arresting police approached her vehicle from behind. This leads Leaks to question whether she was placed on a list to be targeted for retaliation because of an incident that took place two weeks earlier.
July 24th was a day of record-breaking heat. Because of the weather, Leaks was concerned for the individual she came across lying at the bus stop at 14th and W St, NW. Leaks asked the man if he needed help. He replied that he was diabetic and was afraid that he might go into shock, said Leaks.
Leaks then walked over to a police car parked at the corner and knocked on the window to ask for help. When the female police officer – who was eating her lunch – rolled down her window, the officer expressed outrage at having been interrupted, Leaks said. After waiting and waiting for the police to call for assistance, Leaks said she went to her car to get a camera and started taking pictures.
Finally, assistance arrived and the man was treated. Leaks, who returned to the area later that evening, was told by others that the cops were questioning others in the area about why Leaks had been taking photographs of them. Two weeks later, she was arrested. Leaks said, “I was arrested in an act of retaliation for disrupting the police officer’s lunch and taking pictures.”