A Michigan woman's viral TV interview sparked her arrest, but not for the reason you might think. Jessica Plichta, a 22-year-old preschool teacher and founder of Grand Rapids Opponents of War, was detained after sharing her story about attending a protest against President Trump's actions in Venezuela.
The footage of Plichta's live interview went viral, with millions of views on social media. The headlines focused on her age and profession, but she believes the real reason for her arrest was her involvement in international activism. Just last month, she had visited Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of a delegation to the International People's Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas.
Plichta claims that during her trip, she even met with President Maduro and witnessed firsthand the blockade imposed by the US on Venezuela's airspace. When she returned to the US, she gave an interview about her experiences, in which she expressed her opposition to Trump's actions and called for peace.
But instead of commending her bravery, Plichta was arrested immediately after the interview, along with just one other protester out of a crowd of 200. She is now facing misdemeanor charges of obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command from a police officer.
Critics say this is not an isolated incident, but rather a pattern of behavior by the Grand Rapids Police Department to suppress local protests and protesters. Emerson Wolfe, co-director of the Institute for Global Education and chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, has spoken out about the department's tactics, saying that if the safety of protesters was truly the concern, they would arrest them immediately or take steps to ensure their safety.
Instead, Wolfe notes, the police wait months to issue citations, effectively criminalizing dissent. "First, they arrest us on camera, and then they shoot us in the streets," Wolfe said, referring to the recent ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. This sentiment is echoed by Plichta, who says that she will not be silenced: "I've seen a comment saying 'there's now going to be 1,000 Jessicas with this'. It's not about me or my name... So many people are going to be coming out more and more. When you try to suppress the movement, all it does is radicalize those who stand against needless war."
As protests continue across the US under the Trump administration, Plichta remains undeterred. "If they don't want us marching in the streets, how else do they expect us to voice our opinions?" she asks.
The footage of Plichta's live interview went viral, with millions of views on social media. The headlines focused on her age and profession, but she believes the real reason for her arrest was her involvement in international activism. Just last month, she had visited Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of a delegation to the International People's Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas.
Plichta claims that during her trip, she even met with President Maduro and witnessed firsthand the blockade imposed by the US on Venezuela's airspace. When she returned to the US, she gave an interview about her experiences, in which she expressed her opposition to Trump's actions and called for peace.
But instead of commending her bravery, Plichta was arrested immediately after the interview, along with just one other protester out of a crowd of 200. She is now facing misdemeanor charges of obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command from a police officer.
Critics say this is not an isolated incident, but rather a pattern of behavior by the Grand Rapids Police Department to suppress local protests and protesters. Emerson Wolfe, co-director of the Institute for Global Education and chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, has spoken out about the department's tactics, saying that if the safety of protesters was truly the concern, they would arrest them immediately or take steps to ensure their safety.
Instead, Wolfe notes, the police wait months to issue citations, effectively criminalizing dissent. "First, they arrest us on camera, and then they shoot us in the streets," Wolfe said, referring to the recent ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. This sentiment is echoed by Plichta, who says that she will not be silenced: "I've seen a comment saying 'there's now going to be 1,000 Jessicas with this'. It's not about me or my name... So many people are going to be coming out more and more. When you try to suppress the movement, all it does is radicalize those who stand against needless war."
As protests continue across the US under the Trump administration, Plichta remains undeterred. "If they don't want us marching in the streets, how else do they expect us to voice our opinions?" she asks.
This is getting out of hand! If a 22-yr-old teacher can be arrested for speaking her mind about protesting against Trump's actions in Venezuela, what does that say about our society? 
We need to stand up for ppl like Jessica Plichta who are willing to take risks & challenge the status quo. It's not about her personal courage, but about creating a culture where ppl feel empowered to speak truth to power 
#JusticeForJessica
. I mean, 22 years old and already speaking truth to power? That's some real courage right there 
. I'm all about peaceful protests, but when you're trying to shut down dissent, you've got to know that it's only gonna make people more passionate about what they believe in 
. And let's be real, if President Trump can't handle a young teacher talking out against his actions, then maybe he shouldn't be in office 
. Anyway, I'm rooting for Jessica all the way! 
so like Jessica Plichta got arrested after a live tv interview and it's not because of anything crazy or violent she did but bc she talked about protesting against Trump's actions in Venezuela 
i mean what even is the point of arresting her for that??? 
i feel so bad for her and all the other protesters who are getting silenced by the cops... like, if they really care about safety, why not take steps to ensure it?? instead they just wait months to issue citations and it's basically criminalizing dissent 
anyway i'm totally inspired by Jessica's bravery and determination she's like "if you want us to shut up, how else are we gonna voice our opinions???" 
1k Jessicas coming out is a beautiful thing 
i'm low-key scared about the direction our protests r headed in... what's next? silencing dissent on social media too? 
we need more voices like Jessica, not less.
and the comment made about arresting people on camera only to shoot them in the streets is a clear example of police brutality 
. but what's even more disturbing is that this kind of behavior is being seen as acceptable by our institutions and law enforcement agencies.
. if the safety of protesters was truly the concern, then arrests should be made immediately, not after months have passed, and police should take steps to ensure the safety of everyone involved 
. we need to support these movements and ensure that our voices are heard, even if it means standing up to those in power 
.
Jessica Plichta getting arrested for speaking out against Trump's actions in Venezuela? That's not cool at all 
. As a teacher and activist, she's just trying to raise awareness about important issues and promote peace. But instead of being praised for her courage, she gets thrown into cuffs 
.
And if critics like Emerson Wolfe are right, it sounds like the police department is more interested in suppressing dissent than keeping people safe 
.
this is crazy! a young teacher gets arrested for speaking out against trump's actions 
. the cops are trying to silence people who want change 
️
, but people like emerson wolfe are speaking truth to power 
.
. it's time for us to take a stand and make our voices heard