A former colleague summarized this as "you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride".
Meaning, your exit via means of reciting legal code matters in a court room or in front of a prosecutor, but it won't get you out of the ride to the police station -- or in this case: a trip to the coercion back room.
I listened to a legal symposium once that was held by lawyers who specialize in self defense/use of force. Think "I have a concealed weapon and I killed someone in self defense - now what?"
They all agreed that their clients worry far too much about being arrested. Their legal advice was unanimous: you just took someone's life, you are absolutely going to be arrested, nothing you could possibly say will change that. But if you say the wrong thing to the arresting or investigating officer, you are at risk of derailing your legal strategy.
A night or two in jail won't change your life, but what you say to the police absolutely can. So shut the fuck up until your lawyer gets there, and then stay shut up until your lawyer tells you otherwise.
A night or two in jail absolutely can change your life.
A night or two in jail means not being able to pick your kid up from daycare or take care of pets/family, A night or two in jail means missing work without any notice. Hope your boss is understanding, because if you lose your job you're on your way to losing everything.
A night or two in jail means you now need enough in savings to get your car out of the impound lot, pay bail if needed, pay for a lawyer, and have a couple of years to spend on defending yourself in court or you might actually go away for a longer time.
A night or two in jail means having an arrest record, if you live in a state with "sunshine laws" you'll forever get extortion calls about how they'll remove your mugshot and information from their website for $500. That makes getting future jobs harder, or you need to spend even more time and money getting the records sealed/removed.
And that's not even touching on the physical toll that being arrested and treated like sub-human has on you. Being shoved to the ground, physically thrown into a cell, fearing for your life while multiple guns are pointed at your head knowing you are one misunderstanding away from dying, getting tazed while multiple cops laugh and yell for you to stop resisting.
now, in addition to that, imagine not shutting up, saying the wrong thing, and getting thrown in prison for 5-10 years. Relatively speaking, all of what you mention is a "walk in the park". It doesn't make it ok, it doesn't make to fun. It doesn't mean we don't need reform.
My takeaway from the post you were replying to is that these individuals - the ones who have not just lawyers but self-defense lawyers, prepared in advance - are the type of persons who can weather the storms you describe that would be absolutely debilitating for the typical person/family.
Meaning, your exit via means of reciting legal code matters in a court room or in front of a prosecutor, but it won't get you out of the ride to the police station -- or in this case: a trip to the coercion back room.