Every once in a while, I repost my mugshot on social media.
The charge was felony inciting a riot, and I was about to spend a night in jail in Sarasota, Florida, where I was in college.
At the time, I was pretty sure I had screwed up any future career — I was also pretty sure that I had not, in fact, incited a riot. My error was in trying to negotiate with angry police officers over what they considered a riot and my classmates considered a protest. In the end, the charges were reduced and I was given “withheld adjudication,” which meant that the charges disappeared after I behaved for a while.
What seemed like a disaster at the time is now a funny story — especially since I previewed my future journalism career by getting my mugshot through a public records request. And the way people respond to that photo reminds me that sometimes the most interesting people are the folks who have had things go sideways, and then come back from it.
So here are some tales of redemption from locals and former locals. Got a tale of your own? Send it in, Letters@EugeneWeekly.com.