Facing Canadian Justice

Mike reports from Concordia University in Montreal an hour before reporting to a nearby police station, mentally preparing for his unknown fate and explaining the recent criminal charges of harassment and death threats being pressed by his former employer CEATI International.

Good afternoon, this is Mike George coming at you from Concordia University in downtown Montreal. I am about a block away from the police station where I have to show up in about an hour — around 15:00 EST. I’m using this time to focus my thoughts and talk to you all.

I love doing these interactive livestreams, but I have to be quick because I’m using my data plan, and up here in Canada, we don’t have unlimited plans like Verizon in the US. This broadcast is probably costing me about 10 cents a second, so I’m budgeting about 10 minutes max for this conversation.

It’s a beautiful spring day here; everybody is out milling around like a Richard Scarry book. As for me, I’ve been trying to stay focused all day. I’ll admit, I smoked a bowl this morning because I was hungover after some "shenanigans" last night. I figure that’s natural when you’re facing a potentially undefined jail stay.

Strangely, I feel great. I’m actually looking forward to going to the station and having a real man-to-man conversation with the police. I want to do a better job of listening this time. Of course, that’s assuming they don’t just throw me straight in jail; I really have no idea what I’m walking into, which makes it kind of exciting.

Charges of Harassment and “Death Threats”

This is a lesson for everyone on what to expect from our Western democratic legal system when it comes to disputes over what you put on social media. To be clear, I am being criminally charged with harassment and/or death threats.

These charges seem to stem from things I posted on Facebook, though there might have been some "erratic incidents" in person as well. Honestly, I crafted those posts to be ironic, but now the whole situation has unfolded in a very ironic way. I have nothing to hide because everything being used against me is public record.

People in the comments are telling me to "lawyer up". I do have a public defender on standby, but he hasn’t called me back yet. He’s defended me before in cases involving my hospital treatment, so I’m hoping he picks up when I call from jail.

Someone asked how many times I’ve been arrested. This will be my second. The first was in Iowa in December 2017 for marijuana possession. I worked out a plea agreement, so it's technically not on my record, though I’m admitting it now on this Open Mike LIVE broadcast, so the police will probably find out anyway. I’m not proud of it, but I’m not ashamed either because I felt it was a bullshit charge.

I consider this whole situation a project—a creative endeavor. I’m actually adding this experience to my music album as "Act 3, Track 1". I like to think there is a creative genius behind this, or at least that the Lord is the ultimate genius behind how this unfolds.

I’m just trying to tell my story, even if it requires a "song and dance" for the cops. You can find more info on my website, where I have my blog and other cool projects.

I’m going to take one last look at the beautiful city of Montreal before I’m behind a concrete wall for a while. I’m enjoying the fresh air while I can.

I’m being public about my struggles because I want to help other people navigate their own stories. Mental health can feel like a maze, and sometimes we can help each other find the keys to get out. Thank you for the support, and I'll update you when I get my phone back.