Occupy Protester Apologies, May Go to Rehab

De-Occupied: A protester arrested in an Occupy Des Moines rally against banks has apologized but not for protesting. David Goodner,according to this story in the Des Moines Register, faced drug charges after his appearance at the event.

Here is his email to members of the Occupy movement:

Dear Occupy Des Moines community and supporters,

I'm writing to you all to apologize. My reckless, selfish, and
irresponsible behavior jeopardized the integrity and credibility of
the Occupy Des Moines movement and put at risk everything we have
fought so hard to achieve. My choices were inexcusable and
indefensible. I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart.

I want to make amends to my community, and in consultation with my
friends, family, spiritual advisors, and movement mentors, I have
decided to:

· Issue a public apology, which states, I take full
responsibility for my bad choices and I apologize to all of our
supporters for my poor decision-making that allowed the focus to be
taken off the real criminals on Wall Street. My mistakes are my own
and should not negatively reflect on any group or movement that I am
associated with.

· Remove myself as a public face of the organization –my
personal credibility has been damaged and for the good of the
movement, I am distancing myself from Occupy Des Moines effective
immediately. I will not attend General Assembly meetings or publicly
participate in any actions or events until after the New Year.

· Enter an Alcoholics Anonymous program under the wing of an
AA sponsor. I am voluntarily entering a drug treatment program to
evaluate whether I have a substance abuse problem and if so, what
steps are needed to remedy it.

If there are other steps or actions I need to take in order to regain
the trust and respect of my community, I will eagerly comply with
them.