Bio
When I got a $200 traffic ticket, I knew I wouldn鈥檛 be able to pay it. I made a payment or two from my disability checks, but I was living on so little, I couldn鈥檛 pay any more. The Biloxi police issued a warrant on me, but I didn鈥檛 know. The police knocked on my door, reached inside and grabbed me.
My stepson was there and it felt embarrassing. I felt ashamed because I was always preaching to him about staying out of trouble and here is this police officer who knocks on my door, handcuffs me and arrests me.
When he put handcuffs on me, it really hurt. My health was really bad. Just a few years before, I had multiple heart attacks and a stroke in just a couple of months.
When Biloxi police arrested me for fines and fees, I wasn鈥檛 well. After the heart attacks and stroke, I became physically disabled. I can鈥檛 work because my mobility and strength are not what they used to be. Before, I was working at Best Western doing maintenance and mechanic work.聽 Now I鈥檓 just living one day at a time.聽
I get my Social Security check and pay my bills, and what I have left of that I try to buy gas. It鈥檚 hard making ends meet.
When the police took me to jail, they said I could pay $220 in cash for my release. I felt bad because I didn鈥檛 have anyone to call who could lend or give me the money. I had just gotten off walking on my crutch, and I really wasn鈥檛 functioning right. The food was disgusting; there was a blanket with holes in. They kept me in jail for seven nights.
Do I want to help other people by suing Biloxi? Heck yeah. It鈥檚 terrible here. I鈥檓 not afraid to go public with how the city is trying to get money from people who just don鈥檛 have it.
I hope this lawsuit will help make the system better. I hope people don鈥檛 get arrested and jailed for back fines like I did.聽
