Dr. Peter Watts, marine biologist and science fiction writer, was arrested in Michigan on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting DHS border guards on his way home to Canada, according to published reports. According to one newspaper account, he got out of his car to question the search of his vehicle and was maced and handcuffed when he did not immediately comply with requests to get back in.

Peter is a friend of mine, a brilliant writer, and an absolutely unthreatening guy. I have been workshopping with him every summer for years. Can I imagine him saying something smartassed? Sure. But he is too acute a student of Darwin to get physical with people carrying guns. The good news is that Cory Doctorow helped get legal representation, and Peter is home and safe now, but facing what looks like an expensive legal battle.

Bottom line: He's going to need money. So if you're a fan of his writing, dig deep. And if you're not, yet, go check out his stories and novels. There's a PayPal donate link there. It's very convenient.

Here's some context. From the story on BoingBoing

Peter, a Canadian citizen, was on his way back to Canada after helping a friend move house to Nebraska over the weekend. He was stopped at the border crossing at Port Huron, Michigan by U.S. border police for a search of his rental vehicle. When Peter got out of the car and questioned the nature of the search, the gang of border guards subjected him to a beating, restrained him and pepper sprayed him. At the end of it, local police laid a felony charge of assault against a federal officer against Peter. On Wednesday, he posted bond and[...] was released by Port Huron officials with his car and possessions locked in impound, into a winter storm that evening). He's home safe. For now. But he has to go back to Michigan to face the charge brought against him.
— David Nickle, via BoingBoing

Here's how Watts describes the incident on his web site:

Along some other timeline, I did not get out of the car to ask what was going on. I did not repeat that question when refused an answer and told to get back into the vehicle. In that other timeline I was not punched in the face, pepper-sprayed, [...]-kicked, handcuffed, thrown wet and half-naked into a holding cell for three [...] hours, thrown into an even colder jail cell overnight, arraigned, and charged with assaulting a federal officer, all without access to legal representation (although they did try to get me to waive my Miranda rights. Twice.).
— Rifters.com

A recently posted story in the Port Huron Times Herald has a bit of the police report, alleging that Peter exited the car "angrily" and "became aggressive toward officers" when being handcuffed. According to the Times Herald, the police refused to provide a copy of the report, instead reading it to the reporter.

David Nickle, a Toronto newspaper reporter and friend of Peter's, is also following the story. So is the brilliant sf writer and blogger John Scalzi.

Donate to Peter Watts via PayPal

Update: Making Light on the case. And an update from Watts challenging details in the Times Herald story.

Update 2: Slashdot picks up the story. Thanks @pixelfish.

Update 3: Saturday night, AP finally picks up the story. Noted sf writer Elizabeth Bear posted her letter to her congressional delegation. The #peterwatts hashtag on Twitter is pretty active. For those with the stomach for it, the Fark thread is pretty rich too, with a good mix of "anyone who talks back to cops deserves what they get" going mano-a-mano with the "what is this, a police state" contingent.

If you'd just like a peek into the mind of Watts, here's an old interview at SFRevu. Or maybe read some of his fiction here. Did I mention there's a "donate" link?