Nicholas B. Jackson

Sheila over at Gawker was arrested yesterday and spent 24 hours in jail for drinking a beer from a paper bag while waiting for a train in the subway system of New York — I’m getting to the point. While I was reading her column about it just now, I found some political nuggets buried inside.

When she was waiting in a holding cell with other females to go before the judge, Sheila found herself deep in discussion about MySpace and Barack Obama; she claims that inmates prefer him 10 to 1. I immediately tried to dig up any information on this but, alas, I was without success. Let me know if you find any numbers.

Christy, a 44-year-old black woman arrested for having two screens for a pipe in her backpack, was a jail veteran and the unofficial leader of the group. “It’s an election year,” she said, standing up to deliver a speech. “They sweepin’ the streets of us degenerates, of the black folk. We got to band together….”

• Originally published: Texas Monthly 208.03.06