In June of 2017, three friends and I gathered at the Iowa Air National Guard base to protest the use of drones. I had recently viewed a video showing the aftermath of a drone attack, sanctioned by the President. I was furious. There were kids screaming, adults desperately trying to pull people from the wreckage; No one looked like they deserved what they had just received. I knew I could never unsee that. So, we filled a few barrels with cement and locked our arms inside them causing traffic to be blocked on the road next to the base where drones were being piloted. I knew I had to act.<p>Hours later, they "freed" us and we were charged. That was fair. Later, it was ordered that we were to pay $3,200 apiece because of what it costed the State to handle that situation. I didn't hear about it for nearly a year after the fact because I was going through deep financial struggles (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936860). I began to get my life together (thanks to HN). Your advice helped a lot. Even the most brutal comments were meant well.<p>A couple of weeks ago I received a letter in the mail stating that I had until the end of this month to pay my fines or I'd be held in contempt. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this could mean jail-time, taking my license, etc. I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm being treated unfairly. I know for a fact that we were treated far better by the police than many of our brothers and sisters of color, historically (and today), for instance.<p>The reason I am seeking advice is mainly because I'm nearly in tears and very stressed. I can't setup a payment plan because of Covid (they can only do it in person) and everywhere I call says it's impossible. If anything, I'm just using this to cope with the stress.<p>Thanks, HN.<p>p.s excuse the quality, max char count is 2k<p>Proof<p>Des Moines Register - shorturl.at/jsL17<p>Medium - shorturl.at/nxLQ6