Kicked Out

Another Tuesday night rolled around and I knew it was my last two days in. I thought I was going to be released early Thursday morning. The weather had turned very cold and I was not looking forward to being in the tents for that. I had already started to get really sick.

In anticipation of release, I parked my car at Lower Buckeye Jail where I would be released. I had a friend meet me and drive me to Tent City. Lots of people do that so that they can just get in their car and take off when the final boot out occurs.

I had a sore throat and what felt like the beginning of an earache. As fate would have it, the guards left us standing out there in the biting wind for the better part of an hour before they let us in. I thought if whatever bitch from hell we got to frisk us tries to make us take off our shoes AND socks, I was going to protest. The night before, Robles, a particularly nasty, ugly short fat bitch, made us take off our shoes and sock so we would freeze more.

To my surprise I had only lay down for about a half hour after getting in and they called my name to be “kicked out”! I was so excited because I was not looking forward to spending the night and the next day and part of the night out there in the horrible cold.

They called my name about 10:30 right after I got myself all piled in under the covers trying to keep warm. Then they made us stand outside in the wind for about an hour before taking us to Estrella jail. The wind was so biting cold I felt like we were at the Gulag on Rura Penthe from Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country. I fished one of my blankets back out of the sack I had put them in and wrapped up like an Afghani woman in a burqua. I was with three others from the tents.  We stood out there for nearly an hour before the foot safari over to Estrella jail. I never thought I would be happy to see the inside of that cesspool again, but I was. To get out of that biting wind and into some warmth was a little slice of heaven. We stayed in the same cell we were all in when coming into the jail and I was so sluggish from the four Tylenol PM’s I took before checking in that I lay on the floor and fell asleep. We were there for about an hour when they came to get us. Then they shackled us (in case we finally decided to make our big break for it…) and bussed us to Lower Buckeye. Then we were put in with a bunch of rough characters in stripes that had been brought there right after arrest. They were all being processed out as well. I didn’t ask what their charges were, I didn’t really want to know but of course now I do! I know two of them were undocumented aliens being deported back to Mexico. One had been here for 14 years, lived in California, worked, came to Nazi-Occupied Arizona and whammo, back to Old Mexico.

We were in there for a good 6 hours. These women live on an entirely different planet from me. I mostly listened to their banter and stories. After a few hours they were given the clothes that they came in there with and they all changed. That looked promising for getting out soon. The women were all talking about how they were going to get home, most of them did not have rides, or money, or cars, or very warm clothes. There was one woman not too much older than me who looked like she was pushing 80. I’ll call her “B”. She had long straggly hair, no teeth, was skinny and illiterate. She lived a very rough life and was in for domestic violence. She fought with her “old man” and she punched him in the face and drew blood. The neighbors called the police and I guess the rule is whoever caused the other to bleed goes to jail. She had a lot of bruises on her arm from him grabbing her, but she punched him, he bled and therefore she got to go to jail. She didn’t have money for the bus to get to her mother’s house near downtown so I gave her $1.75 and my Columbia Sportswear fleece jacket as she was only in a t shirt and pajama pants and flip flops (what she was wearing at arrest). I was in a heavy undershirt and sweatshirt, had gloves, socks, fur lined shoes, two layers of sweats and a warm car to drive home so I thought she needed it more than me. I had an extra pair of Ugg sheepskin slippers in the trunk of the car I thought about offering, but thought she might feel like a charity case.

I felt kind of privileged as I knew most of them were making their way back to some ghetto, and would most likely be returning to jail at some point and I was going to my luxury North Scottsdale apartment in my own car to snuggle in to a queen size bed with 700 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and down comforter. I have lots to be grateful for.

They let us go around 5:30am and I eagerly bolted the scene. B asked me if I could drop her at a bus stop but I ended up taking her all the way to her mother’s place. It wasn’t far and it was about 33 degrees out. So a little side trip and I headed home!

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