On August 20th, 2011 at 12:31pm on the Capitol lawn in Washington DC, Kathryn Dill, William Duffield, and I were arrested for selling 10cent cups of lemonade. The events leading up to our arrest, along with our capture and kidnapping were beautifully documented by several activists who came armed with cameras (see high quality video below); therefore, I feel no need to cover those details. However, once we were taken away, there were no more cameras to share our experience.
First, we were placed in a cage in the back of a van and taken to the police station. Upon arriving, police took Will inside, leaving Kathryn and I in the sweltering cage. The men in blue guarding our cage continually taunted us; making jokes and expressing their enjoyment of “locking us away for the weekend”, and how our arrests were “marvelous”. When it was my turn to enter booking, I was taken to a room where I was photographed, forced to remove my jewelry and shoes, then cuffed to a bar while an officer rubbed every part of my body, including my breasts and vagina. I was then led down the hall to a small room where I would spend the next 4 hours chained to the wall.
Officer Weatherbee was assigned to my room. He began a standard line of questioning, failing to read me my rights in advance. I was continually told I would be caged if I failed to give them every detail they requested, which included the names, phone numbers, addresses, ages, etc… of my friends and family. I constantly asked “Who was the victim of my supposed crime?”, to which they continually answered, “society”. When I pointed out that the majority of the crowd had been supportive of our cause, and that ‘society’ was not a person whom I could confront in a court (therefore eliminating my right to face my accuser); I was laughed at and taunted. I was also told that my friends would be arrested should they attempt to protest our capture at the police station. One officer smirked, “I can do this [booking prisoners] all day. Arrest as many as you want.”
After a couple of hours, a man in jeans and a blue shirt came into my room with a notepad and paper. While I don’t remember the name of his job title (Capitol Criminal Investigator or something like that), he basically explained that he investigated organizations that the government believed to be potential terrorist, and the “Lemonade Liberation” had become their newest big threat. Although friendly and very light hearted, he seemed aggravated with the lack of information I was giving him. He wanted to know who the leaders of the organization were [none]; where we held our meetings [we never had any]; where we are based out of [everywhere]; what other plans we had [none]; and a whole line of ridiculous questions that were geared towards finding dangerous, violent, angry people. Thats not us. After several hours of friendly, yet inappropriate questioning, I finally asked, “Where is your line in the sand? At what point do you say, ‘No. That goes too far, and I’m not willing to do that to peaceful people’? Because if you don’t know where that line is, you’re gonna blindly cross it one day, and regret it for the rest of your life.” It was at that point he fell silent, then left without saying another word.
Eventually I was able to call my mom from one of the officer’s cell phones (because their landlines were all busy), and she was able to contact Nathan Cox, who was able to bring my ID and the names, addresses, and phone numbers the police were demanding they get before releasing me. I was taken to a room where all my tattoos were photographed, and multiple versions of my fingerprints were scanned; after which, I was promptly returned to my room and re-chained to the wall. Finally I was taken down a hallway, forced to put an ink thumb print on a stack of paper work, handed my copy, then given back my property, and told I was free to go.
It wasn’t until after we were out that we heard about all the support that had poured in for us immediately after our arrest. We discovered there had been a massive call flood to the police station, which we realized had been the direct reason our captors became more and more friendly as our detention progressed. I also discovered that the police had attempted to discourage Kathryn and Will with lies like, “Those people with the cameras were just using you for their own agenda” or “they didn’t give you a Lemonade Liberation tshirt (some shirts a few of us had made for the event), because they are not your friends.” Luckily these tactics failed; however, I found it encouraging that they didn’t even attempt this with me. I knew better, and the cops were aware of that.
Our charges were:
- Vending without a permit
- Unlawful conduct
- Failure to obey
We have all been scheduled to appear in court on October 4th, and we are hoping that people will come out and show their support; be it for us, our cause, or the children who wish to create their own lemonade stand without being harassed or threatened by men with guns. Details about this event can be found .
While being arrested is not something I enjoy, I am honored I had the opportunity to participate in such a beautiful demonstration of innocence and peace; and shine light on how it is under attack by the very people sworn to protect it. But the real heros of the day were those who ignored the threats of arrest and made their way around the police to purchase a cup of lemonade. To see a child shrug at a cops threat, then defiantly disobey it… it was inspirational, and gave me hope for the inevitable positive change that will come from all this.
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21 comments
7 pings
Hannah Hoffman says:
August 22, 2011 at 4:23 am (UTC -5)
Wow, Meg. I’m so sorry to hear you were treated this way, but I’m extremely inspired by how you dealt with the abuse. I can’t imagine what could possibly cause someone to derive pleasure out of kidnapping, taunting, and lying to peaceful people. These cops must have gone through a lot of trauma and abuse as kids, and I really hope they make the decision to deal with their control issues and examine their actions to figure out how to get their needs met without using violence.
Also, I really enjoy your gritty, down-to-earth style of writing.
You’re a good storyteller.
-Hannah
Kelly James says:
August 22, 2011 at 9:50 am (UTC -5)
Lemonade Liberation is their latest big threat??? LMAO!! what a joke is that. My question to them is if they consider lemonade a bigger threat than the fact that this country is under rule of the Gestapo?
Lemonade…Gestapo…Lemonade…Gestapo……..hmmmmm definitely a tough call.
To the ridiculous claim that “society” can be a victim: What is society? According to Webster’s Dictionary,
1
: companionship or association with one’s fellows : friendly or intimate intercourse : company
2
: a voluntary association of individuals for common ends; especially : an organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession
3
: an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another b : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests
Society itself is a conceptual zero. You cannot touch society, you cannot even look at society. Society is not an absolute; it is nothing more than the group of individuals of which it is comprised. Thus, the only rights a society can possibly have are the rights of each individual within. It is not possible to ensure one individual’s rights by violating those of another. The two acts combined negate both and then all you’re left with a “society” which ultimately promotes nothing but unspeakable horror and destruction.
And so here we are. Guess it’s up to each individual to choose for themselves, isn’t it?
Gary says:
August 22, 2011 at 10:21 am (UTC -5)
I had a funny thought after I read that of the goons taking that same line of questioning with a six-year-old, dark room, bright light, good cop/bad cop, all that. Then it wasn’t that funny anymore because we are almost there. I used to think it was funny to joke about ‘what are they going to do next, ban fatty food?’, but that’s not funny anymore either because it is no longer absurd, its real.
Great job!
konrad says:
August 22, 2011 at 1:56 pm (UTC -5)
sure getting arrested and causing a scene is fun and all, even more so with a cause but megan what exactly are you protesting? police? government? corporate law? i like your style girl you have potential
Erica says:
August 22, 2011 at 4:02 pm (UTC -5)
We need a Lemonade Revolution and ‘give away’ lemonade on publicly owned property all over the country. Let’s set a date! We can get enough lemons or fake lemonade pretty cheap.
George Donnelly says:
August 22, 2011 at 4:54 pm (UTC -5)
Kudos Meg. Great writeup. Keep up the great work.
btw, in addition to attending the court appearance, how else can people help you guys?
Kelly W. Patterson says:
August 22, 2011 at 5:16 pm (UTC -5)
“…he basically explained that he investigated organizations that the government believed to be potential terrorist, and the “Lemonade Liberation” had become their newest big threat…”
That goes beyond words, that someone could even say that and be serious.
That female cop really looked like she didn’t want any cameras recording what she was doing. I wonder if any of those cops were able to look their own children in the eye and tell them what they did that day.
Daniel G. says:
August 22, 2011 at 5:57 pm (UTC -5)
Thank you for your service defending the cause of liberty.
revbryan says:
August 22, 2011 at 6:55 pm (UTC -5)
But it IS illegal for vendors to sell on the grounds. I understand why that is. These idiots are trying to make a point by forcing a stupid issue. They want to do something illegal and not be arrested for it. With them, the grounds would be littered with booths selling drinks and used clothes and day old bake goods and all the other stuff you see at the Market. THAT is why its illegal.
Its easy to ambush the cops like that. The problem is that there are SO many REAL cases of abuse by Police going on all the time, there is no need to create one with you as the Star.
Morons. Wannabees.
iawai says:
August 23, 2011 at 12:33 pm (UTC -5)
Certainly if the govt allowed vending on its property the result would be a dirty, crowded, disorderly, corporate-sponsored, elitist market. The govt can’t manage a small market effectively, yet you trust them to manage the entire economy, multitudes of wars, and even your own life?
And so what if people are selling “drinks and used clothes and day old bake goods and all the other stuff”? If you don’t want to buy it, who’s forcing you to? Obviously someone would be buying, or else they wouldn’t waste time selling there.
Your analysis is confused and backward. These people weren’t just protesting not being able to vend in the Capitol Parks areas, they were protesting the massive regulatory state that shuts down little kids’ lemonade stands around the country. They were charging a nominal 10 cents per glass to ensure that the stazi knew that they were indeed selling something – but it also showed that they weren’t out for monetary profit. They were out to confuse people like you, who blindly think that every law passed by every govt that claims authority over you must be followed.
These protestors didn’t “ambush” the cops – they engaged in a peaceful activity, to which the cops responded with brute force, intimidation, and ridicule. The cops could have focused their energies on protecting the weak and poor from predation by criminals, small and large, but instead they bullied little kids into not getting a refreshing drink, and caged peaceful people for not obeying.
Jeff Prager says:
August 23, 2011 at 9:43 pm (UTC -5)
The only moron is YOU.
Damian says:
August 22, 2011 at 7:09 pm (UTC -5)
I can’t believe it!Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves!In my country – Poland- I’ve never seen anthing like this. People are selling everything. When they don’t have permission they pay a fine, but arrest them?Why?Are you land of the freedom or…serfdom?Change the law!
“If we lose freedom here there’s no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth”.
R.R.
JL says:
August 22, 2011 at 7:46 pm (UTC -5)
These are the people that we have elected. We have demanded that they get permits from people to operate as a “vendor” in the name of “we need to be protected”. While this sounds fine on the surface, government does not distiquish between your lemonade stand and a true “vendor”. Just like government does not distinguish between regulating corporate farmers and small family farmers. What we have created is a cookie cutter scenario that does not bode well with people that want to sell lemonade. Unfortunately, you can’t sell your lemonade because you don’t have the permit that the official you elected says you have to have. As far as your treatment from the police, they treat everyone that way. I challenge you to take the entire day that you’re in court and watch the process. It is riddled with over zealous prosecutors that want nothing more than to ruin peoples lives, much like the one that you will face. This is the system that we have asked for and elected. Like it or not.
Please don’t take is as a jab at your cause. I hope that more people get angry over things like this because until more do, we will be beaten into submission. I did notice that the police kept hitting the camera and telling the people that were filming that they could not film. When I visited the freedom lemonade site, I noticed that there was a disclaimer that said to check with the authorities in your area to see if you can film. I want people to be aware that you can film anthing, anywhere in public. When you are in public, there is no expectation of privacy. If anyone is interested in people that are molested by the government for filming, check this website out http://www.photographyisntacrime.com/
There is also a “raw milk” movement that might interest people. http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/08/the-latest-raw-milk-raid-an-attack-on-food-freedom/243635/ —– I encourage people to check this out on youtube as well. You will see them raiding stores that sell raw milk with guns.
These are only a few of the atrocities that are done to us by government. I’m sure there are countless more out there that I am not aware of, but I am becoming more and more enlightened about government and its role as I do.
John Sawyer says:
August 22, 2011 at 7:53 pm (UTC -5)
revbryan: all the cops involved, told the Lemon Liberation Three that they were being held on suspicion of terrorism, violence, etc.–not simply for violating laws regarding vending. The LL3 were being deliberately harassed because they were “copping an attitude” in public regarding abuse of authority. The so-called authorities lived up to that billing, demonstrating that the LL3 were making a valuable statement. This had nothing to do with mere violation of food vending regulations–if that’s all that the “authorities” were concerned about, there would have been no demands for the names of other “potential terrorists”, etc.
George Donnelly says:
August 22, 2011 at 8:17 pm (UTC -5)
revbryan, it is easy to call people names but hard to stand up for what you believe in.
I suppose Rosa Parks just wanted “to do something illegal and not be arrested for it” too? I’m certain there were plenty of people claiming that, without segregation laws, that all kinds of terrible things would occur. She was just a moron and a wannabe. Wannabe what? No idea. What a load of nonsense.
There are bad laws. There are good people with the courage to disobey them. I salute them.
Fred Franter says:
August 22, 2011 at 9:10 pm (UTC -5)
I am in no way Defending Cops Or Lemonaders, But what was Your expectation on your way to sell the lemonade?” give me a break. this waste of my tax dollars. find a better solution. i would recommend the maximum penalty. if i was judging this case. shame on you guys.
Meg McLain says:
August 22, 2011 at 10:38 pm (UTC -5)
Shame on you for thinking that because some bullies stole your money and wasted it on harassing peaceful people, those who were agressed against should be treated with even more inhumane abuse (which you will also pay for). Dont like your money wasted on arresting us? Stop paying.
iawai says:
August 23, 2011 at 12:37 pm (UTC -5)
What do you suppose a better solution is? It’s easy to criticize from the sidelines, but where are your ideas for limiting tyranny and expanding freedom?
And I like Meg’s response: you don’t like “your tax money” being wasted? Stop paying them. Once the money’s left your hands, its not yours anymore. It belongs to the agency known as “the govt”, and they will spend it in ways that won’t, can’t, and will never satisfy you. Demand that you keep it, and spend it how you see fit. Demand that the Parks be privatized, so that you can buy a share and have more of a say in how the grounds are used than you do now under the bureaucratic rule that exists now.
Christopher di Armani says:
August 24, 2011 at 8:03 am (UTC -5)
Fred Franter, have you lost all capacity to reason?
How do you propose we stop government thuggery if we do nothing but submit to it? Did the American Revolution teach you nothing? Tyrants never give up power willingly. It must be torn from their greedy little paws by people like Meg, Kathryn and William… and, of course, the many people who bought lemonade from them!
You have fallen into the trap of believing the mindless bureaucrat’s Rules are More Important than People.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but they are not.
Kudos to Meg McLain and the rest of the Lemonade Liberation martyrs. You give me hope for the future.
DrReaper says:
August 22, 2011 at 11:01 pm (UTC -5)
If you have to get permission to trade it isn’t a free market. Don’t let anyone tell you there is a free market in the USA. Also it isn’t a capitalist market either because your breaking the law to trade without permission from your servants.
I think we have more of a tribute trade policy in effect in where you have to pay tribute to your servants in order to trade. I am not sure if there is a comparative system at anytime in history.
Jeff Prager says:
August 23, 2011 at 9:48 pm (UTC -5)
I think we should set up 10s of 1000s of lemonade stands across the US and refuse to stop vending until 911 is properly investigated.
Global Murderers
http://www.box.net/shared/4vbu1tkq32
Vast Financial Fraud
http://www.box.net/shared/yghazdjnmd
The Physics, Mathematics & Chemistry
http://www.box.net/shared/hf1eev4jvv
Meg McLain Tells Fox News About Her Arrest for Selling Lemonade - Free Keene says:
August 22, 2011 at 4:46 pm (UTC -5)
[...] Meg wasn’t given much time to discuss the abuse she faced at the hands of the U.S. Capitol Police Department but she did post the unfortunate details to her new blog, MegMclain.com. [...]
Lemonade Freedom Day Founder to Fox News: “the biggest thing that I’d like to achieve here is to get good people to disobey bad laws” says:
August 22, 2011 at 5:34 pm (UTC -5)
[...] The Fox Host asks Meg what she had to endure, which you can find more on at MegMcLain.com. [...]
Lemonade Freedom Day a Success Despite DC Arrests | Arm your Mind for Liberty says:
August 22, 2011 at 5:56 pm (UTC -5)
[...] lemonade with their kids. One stand, near the capitol in Washington, DC ended with the arrests of Meg McLain, Kathryn Dill and Will Duffield. See the excellent video above for the whole story. Their [...]
Watch People Get Arrested For Selling Lemonade | Libertarian News says:
August 22, 2011 at 6:26 pm (UTC -5)
[...] If you would like to see more videos and stories like this one, check out this post. For a more detailed account of what happened, check out Meg McClain’s blog. [...]
Lemonade Freedom Day Founder on Fox News: “Jurors need to be more informed and need to make decisions based on their conscience” says:
August 22, 2011 at 7:09 pm (UTC -5)
[...] The Fox Host asks Meg what she had to endure, which you can find more on at MegMcLain.com. [...]
“Lemonade Liberation” and Lemonade Freedom Martyrs are... get this: Top of the Terrorist Threat List! | Christopher di Armani.com says:
August 24, 2011 at 10:39 am (UTC -5)
[...] am incredibly grateful to Kathryn Dill, William Duffield and Meg McLain for so vividly pointing out that the federal monster has lost all sense of reason, decency and [...]
Black DC Cop Would Enforce Segregation | George Donnelly's Arm your Mind for Liberty says:
August 24, 2011 at 1:45 pm (UTC -5)
[...] said. The words of politicians can not arrest you. They can’t beat you. They don’t taunt you for hours while in jail. They can hardly frame you. Only cops can do that. Is this the origin of [...]