Local US Protester Arrested After TV Interview Suggests She Was Targeted Due to Her Trip to Venezuela
A young woman who recently visited Venezuela and spoke out against President Trump's seizure of Nicolás Maduro was arrested on live television after giving an interview about a protest in her hometown. Jessica Plichta, 22, is a preschool teacher and founder of the local group Grand Rapids Opponents of War, which helped organize Saturday's demonstration.
Plichta had traveled to Caracas last month as part of a delegation to the International People's Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas, where she met with activists and visited communes. She claims to have even spoken with Maduro himself. Despite this, Plichta was the only protester arrested among over 200 who attended the rally.
Plichta believes she was targeted because of her trip to Venezuela, which has been a focal point for many anti-war protesters. "I came back to the US, and I've done report-backs," Plichta said in an interview. "I had spoken at that rally. I gave an interview, and immediately, during the interview, I get shut down and arrested out of 200 people."
This is not the first time a protester has been targeted by local authorities. Emerson Wolfe, co-director of Grand Rapids' Institute for Global Education and chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, points to similar tactics used in the past. "If it's truly about the safety of people executing their sacred free speech rights in the streets of Grand Rapids, then why doesn't [the Grand Rapids police department] arrest protesters right away, or do more to help encourage the safety of protesters downtown?" Wolfe asked.
For many activists, including Plichta and Wolfe, the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela are seen as a five-alarm fire for international politics. "We do not want war," Plichta said. "We do not want the US to escalate its attacks on Venezuela."
Despite the attempted suppression of protests, both Plichta and Wolfe remain undeterred. "If they don't want us marching in the streets, how else do they expect us to voice our opinions?" Wolfe asked.
Plichta's arrest has sparked widespread outrage online, with many calling for her release. As she noted, "it's not about me or my name," but rather a call to action against unnecessary war and violence.
A young woman who recently visited Venezuela and spoke out against President Trump's seizure of Nicolás Maduro was arrested on live television after giving an interview about a protest in her hometown. Jessica Plichta, 22, is a preschool teacher and founder of the local group Grand Rapids Opponents of War, which helped organize Saturday's demonstration.
Plichta had traveled to Caracas last month as part of a delegation to the International People's Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas, where she met with activists and visited communes. She claims to have even spoken with Maduro himself. Despite this, Plichta was the only protester arrested among over 200 who attended the rally.
Plichta believes she was targeted because of her trip to Venezuela, which has been a focal point for many anti-war protesters. "I came back to the US, and I've done report-backs," Plichta said in an interview. "I had spoken at that rally. I gave an interview, and immediately, during the interview, I get shut down and arrested out of 200 people."
This is not the first time a protester has been targeted by local authorities. Emerson Wolfe, co-director of Grand Rapids' Institute for Global Education and chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, points to similar tactics used in the past. "If it's truly about the safety of people executing their sacred free speech rights in the streets of Grand Rapids, then why doesn't [the Grand Rapids police department] arrest protesters right away, or do more to help encourage the safety of protesters downtown?" Wolfe asked.
For many activists, including Plichta and Wolfe, the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela are seen as a five-alarm fire for international politics. "We do not want war," Plichta said. "We do not want the US to escalate its attacks on Venezuela."
Despite the attempted suppression of protests, both Plichta and Wolfe remain undeterred. "If they don't want us marching in the streets, how else do they expect us to voice our opinions?" Wolfe asked.
Plichta's arrest has sparked widespread outrage online, with many calling for her release. As she noted, "it's not about me or my name," but rather a call to action against unnecessary war and violence.
this girl Jessica Plichta was just doing her thing, giving an interview about a protest and then gets shut down by the police right there on tv 
and now she's saying she thinks it's because of her trip to venezuela which is pretty crazy considering like millions of people visit that country every year without issues 
it's like, isn't free speech supposed to protect us from the government's tyranny? 
we should be able to march in the streets and express our opinions without fear of arrest or intimidation 
I'm telling you, it's like they're trying to silence these young people who are passionate about making a change. Jessica Plichta's story is just so crazy - she goes to Venezuela, meets with Maduro, comes back, gives an interview... and then gets arrested for speaking out against Trump? That's just not right 
. I mean, what's next? Arresting people who tweet about social justice? 
But you know what? I have no doubt that Plichta and Wolfe will keep speaking out, even in the face of adversity. They're not going to let this silence them 
.
.
I was thinking the same thing, Jessica's trip to Venezuela is like, super relevant right now, especially with all these protests going on, you'd think her arrest would be more of an exception than the rule...like what else did she do wrong? 
. And can we talk about how Plichta was actually targeted because of her trip to Venezuela? Like, what even is going on here? 
. It's like they're trying to silence her and others who are speaking out against Trump's actions. I don't get why people can't express their opinions without getting arrested or threatened 
. This is super concerning and I'm keeping an eye on this situation 
just another example of how our freedom to speak out isn't as safe as we think 
. It's time for us to stand together and demand our rights be respected 