That decision may be hard to understand, but it must be seen in the context of our lives and beliefs as activists. For approximately six years, I have been a social justice activist. The activities I have undertaken have been many and varied. I have written letters of protest to various public officials, I have participated in organizing events and protests, I have carried picket signs, I have marched in the streets, and I have engaged in civil disobedience. I have been arrested many times while engaged in civil disobedience and have always been fully willing to follow through on the consequences of those arrests.
Civil disobedience is an important tool in the struggle for justice.
There have been many times in the history of the United States when civil disobedience has been instrumental in effecting change, notably the civil rights movement and the movement to stop the war in Vietnam. If I were to be placed on probation for an extended period of time, the option of civil disobedience would be denied to me. I would also be forced to not participate in legal demonstrations, since occasionally in San Francisco legal demonstrations are broken up by the police and result in arrests. In such situations, charges are generally dropped, but if I were on probation and inadvertently arrested, I would be accused of the crime of violating probation even if the original charges were dropped. This curtailment of my activities is unacceptable to me.