Punishment Day Protest

Hi everyone! I'm so glad to finally get another story out. In this story, Kelsey is back leading a protest against a public punishment. I think this story stands on its own but if you want to learn more about Kelsey and see more punishments then check out my Gracie's Three Punishments series and Kelsey Pays For Her Crimes series. There is a lot of content with her.

As always please favorite, comment, rate, and private message me if you like the story. Hearing from readers is what makes writing these stories worth it.

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In the year and a half since the first protest of public judicial punishments, Kelsey had learned many lessons. The first one, where she had marched naked on her college campus, had led to a bunch of arrests and many of the founding members of her club being punished together at the basketball stadium and she suffered a much worse private punishment after that. Now she was much more careful and more responsible with the members of her club, University Students Surviving Judicial Punishments, willing to protest with her.

Kelsey had on her serious leadership face (as her girlfriend AJ coined it) on as she stood in front of about ten members of the USSJP all of them wearing matching neon yellow shirts with the full club named plastered in big letters on the front and the initials across their shoulder blades. They stood on the far end of blacktop parking lot of one of the many public parks in the city. A few hundred yards away there was already a big crowd out on the big green around a temporary stage where soon there would be poor victims of judicial punishments. More onlookers were walking through the lot occasionally giving the brightly clothed group a sidelong glance. The club president checked her note app on her phone to remind herself of her talking points and held her hand up to get everyone's attention.

The group's eyes all went to her and she started, "Hi everyone! Thank you for coming out for the USSJP today and to support our friend Trinity. Who here has been to one of our protests before?"

Kelsey raised her hand and so did AJ next to her. Five other hands went up, meaning there were four newbies among them today.

"Who has seen a punishment live before?"

One more hand went up so for three this is the first time they've been to a punishment like this.

"Who has been punished before?"

Kelsey and AJ kept their hands up and four hands went down and a shy looking guy in the back raised his. Kelsey made sure to meet the eyes of the three who had been punished and share an empathetic look. This was particularly brave of them, she thought. After her punishment and then her time falling for AJ and supporting her friend Gracie, she had been struck by revolutionary zeal and need to protest, but not everyone was the same and it might be a lot harder for others.

"Ok, so for a few of us this is your first time. I know I've already sent all of this to you in the chat group but I'm going to go over the advice again.

"You should leave everything except your ID, cash, the club lawyer's business card, and prescription medication in the car. We don't want there to be any complications with the authorities but if there is something that is all you want to have on you. If you must have a phone, it should be password protected with more than four digits but no Face ID. No purses, no backpacks, nothing that could be used as an excuse to stop and search you. We want the public to notice us but don't give the police any reason to talk to you. They will probably talk to us anyway but we don't want to give them an excuse. If you need to leave stuff somewhere safe, AJ is going to be staying in the car."

She paused and saw a couple pull out their phones. One handed theirs to AJ and a couple she could see changing the settings on their phone. "If you're keeping your phone, please be cognizant that you might have info about the rest of us. It really is best if you don't have it on you at all."

That led to one more club member handing her phone to AJ and then Kelsey continued. "In an emergency, we will be meeting as a group here at my car. If that isn't possible, there are public buses that meet at the park entrance. Unfortunately our shirts make it hard to blend in. I have spare sweatshirts and t shirts in the car if you feel the need to change."

After some nodding, she continued, "I would prefer that we stay as a group. If you must go off on your own please stay with at least one other person in the group. If we do get split up, we will be meeting here and we will stay and wait for an hour until all of us have checked in after the events conclude. After that we will be contacting the lawyer and assuming that you have been detained for some reason. That's to be safe rather than sorry. And what do you do if you get detained?"

The half of the group that had done this before answered quickly, "Shut up!"

"Exactly. Do not say anything to the police until you talk to the lawyer, which will probably be Molly Robertson or whoever Molly sends to help you. Give them your ID, tell them you want a lawyer and you have her number, and don't answer any questions. Definitely don't give them access to your phone, no matter what they say! Now everyone, what do you do if you get detained?"

"Shut up!" again it was mostly the more experienced protesters who answered her but hopefully it got into the heads of everyone in front of her.

Kelsey was aware that this speech was intimidating but it was for their own good and vetted by Molly and a former police officer who had become an anti-punishment activist. She gave everyone a minute to digest the chance that they might be detained before continuing. "The one exception to the one big group thing is that Trinity asked if we could check on her. This big a group will be stopped if we go to the holding fence, so only," she looked at two people who she knew to be Trinity's roommate and boyfriend as she spoke, "Raquelle and Liam are going to try to go up to the fence. The rest of us will keep our distance and you two will meet up with us as soon as you can. Watch out for each other."

Everyone nodded so she continued, "There's going to be a bottleneck when we enter and there will be lots of officers. Do not look at them. Don't antagonize them. If they ask about our shirts I will try to do the talking. If they separate us, tell them that you it's just a shirt, it isn't offensive, and you have the right to free expression. If you are a little braver, you can ask to see their supervisor. That might get you through the cordon. If you don't want to speak to them, it is no shame to turn around and come back to the car. You can change shirts and try to re-enter or just wait with AJ.

"After we are in, we will just mill around. If members of the public ask we can tell them who we are and what we believe. Focus on the severity, the humiliation, and the spectacle rather than if anyone is guilty or innocent. Ask them how they would feel if this happened to them or their relatives. If you are comfortable, you can share your personal experiences. We are not allowed to share literature inside the security line but you can verbally tell them to check out the club's website for more information and that we have brochures if they see us in the parking lot at the end." Behind her, AJ held up a stack of flyers and brochures.

Kelsey paused again, knowing this was a long spiel and it need to sink in. Her eyes went around the group and was glad to see that everyone seemed committed. She could imagine them rehearsing their speeches and daydreaming how they would convince people that this whole enterprise was just plain wrong. She took a deep breath and continued, "Obviously we don't have signs because that is no longer allowed in the event. We also are not allowed to coordinate chants or slogans or anything that might be construed as quote-unquote disruptive. I, on my own, plan to raise my fist in the air while there are victims on stage, however you have to decide on your own if you want to take on that risk. I don't think that's disruptive but who knows what the police think about that. I know just being here is a risk and all of you are very brave for being here with USSJP and to support Trinity."

As she spoke her fellow club member's name she made eye contact with the two that knew her best. While Trinity's roommate Raquelle had been to protests before, this was Liam's first time and seeing his girlfriend up there was going to be especially hard. She hoped he would be ok, but her next statement was for everyone, "If anyone is overwhelmed by the event, it is no shame. Find one of us to leave with you and come back to the car and check in with AJ."

After more nodding from her audience, Kelsey finished up, "This is hard and I'm very thankful to have you with me. Are there any questions?"

"Ok, if that's all, this is your last chance to leave things with AJ," Kelsey said.

"And get the lawyer's card!" AJ added.

"Yeah that, too," Kelsey agreed, glad to have her girlfriend to remind her.

She gave everyone a minute to send texts to significant others and friends and turned to her girlfriend. AJ always had the same look at these protests, fear. Not so much for herself, but for what she was concerned Kelsey might do on her crusade. "I'll be safe," she said stepping closer to the larger girl.

"You better," AJ answered. She tried to crack a smile, "Don't get in trouble, please."

"I know, not like the first time. Good trouble only," Kelsey answered.

"How 'bout just no trouble," the blonde answered.

"I'll try," Kelsey said and went up on tip toes to be eye level with her taller partner. The couple kissed gently, AJ hands on Kelsey's hips.

"I love you," AJ added.

"I love you too," Kelsey responded and with a sigh went off her toes and turned toward the group. "Everyone ready?"

With no objections the eleven of them, all in their neon shirts, walked as a group toward the clearly labeled entrance to the security cordon, leaving AJ behind. She was glad to hear there was some small talk among her group. Half of them had been there before so hopefully that helped with nerves. They joined the line of onlookers waiting to get past security.

The crowd pushed in close and Kelsey tried keep her group together. It was always hard because she was so short. One of the men in her group, Jaxon, was looking over the group and gestured with his dark hand to stick with him. She knew him well and of the whole group it was Kelsey, AJ, and Jaxon who were the biggest true believers in abolition of the punishments. She wanted the club to be a big tent but she knew a lot of them would support reform or came to protests only when people they knew were being punished. He put his hand his hand on her shoulder and kept her close.

After a couple minutes, Jaxon leaned down closer to her ear and spoke loudly enough for her to hear, though with a conspiratorial whispery edge, "Mona and Leigha got stuck behind us."

"Just keep an eye on them. Do you know why?" Kelsey answered, basically blind in the claustrophobic press of bodies.

"No idea, but I got 'em," Jaxon answered, "We will find them on the other side."

This wasn't a great start but it was never going to go perfect. They never did. Still she hated being pressed so tight, touching knees with a stranger on one side and just barely seeing other neon shirts opposite Jaxon. The crowd moved forward slowly and the width got narrower and narrower as they were funneled between temporary metal barriers. She could feel anxiety and imagined it coming from her club mates. She squeezed closer to Jaxon trying to not let the group get even more dispersed.

Kelsey felt eyes on her too. They were probably innocent, just other normal people coming to watch the punishments. She tried not to judge them. The judicial codes were popular and it was hard to be outside the mainstream. Still she found it hard to not assume the worst. The same kind of person who comes to gawk at the punishments might not like their protest shirts and try to cause a problem or just be the type of creep that leers at college girls.

Even worse than the eyes of the masses, she was very aware of the eyes of the authorities. She couldn't prove it but she was certain there were undercover police in the crowd, and they were certain to be drawn to the group in neon protest t shirts. It would be easy enough for them to figure out it was her. Even though she had no plans today to disrupt anything and had gotten the whole plan approved by an attorney, that wouldn't stop the police from hassling them if they wanted. Having a bullshit rioting charge on her record made that even easier for them, too. The law wasn't fair in that way which was only one of many reasons these punishments weren't either.

She knew that better than most. With help from her therapist and her friends she'd gotten over a lot of anxiety after what had happened more than a year ago now. The public punishments and the dilations weren't something she thought about much and it wasn't even being a punishment that brought it up but it was the feeling of the officers around her and their eyes. She hated the amount of power they had, unexamined and overwhelming and able to do so much damage before she would ever actually get to talk to her lawyer or a judge.

After at least ten minutes of shuffling, Jaxon was still with her and had reported that the group had split in two. A couple others had retreated to Mona and Leigha to try to collect them but Kelsey was at least glad to hear that nobody was off on their own. The crowd started moving quicker and she got more air as they crossed the checkpoint.

Her eyes surveyed as best she could and she saw at least six uniformed police, one holding a German Shepard's leash. She was careful not to catch their eye but her heart picked up as she rehearsed how she would respond: only yes sir and no sir, stating a preference to not speak to officers and merely wanting entrance, the shirts were just so the group stayed together, etc.

She knew she was flushed and that made her feel guilty because it made her look guilty and more likely to be stopped and that made her feel more guilty and the loop went on and on. Her ears rang and she focused on keeping her serious face on so she didn't scowl or glare at the police. Luckily Jaxon stayed near her and she wasn't ever the closest club member to any police officer. Hopefully, no one even noticed her.

When finally they got out of the choke point and into the park she took a deep breath. She was embarrassed of her bit of panic but it happened every time at these events, and at the airport too, and she did her best to hide it. "Do we have everybody?"

"I see the other group," Jaxon answered, "Are you ok?"

A surge of embarrassment shot through Kelsey that she hadn't hidden her stress and she shrugged.

"Crowds are stressful," he lamented, misidentifying the cause.

"Yeah," Kelsey agreed quietly.

Jaxon stayed alert as Kelsey recovered. "Ok here they come," he said, but sounded concerned.

Kelsey went up on her tip toes to see the best she could. "We lost someone," she said, heart rate rising again.

In a minute, the two groups were able to reconcile. "We lost Raquelle," Liam said, "And Leon took her back to the car."

Kelsey's heart sank. Raquelle was Trinity's friend but that only made it more likely for this to be overwhelming.

"What happened?" Jaxon asked.

"Some guy said hi and then she got really nervous," Liam started.

"It was a cop," Mona cut in, talking in a bit of a whisper, "Shiny shoes, buzz cut."

"What?" Liam asked, confused as alarm spread across the faces of the rest of the group as they huddled together.

"It was an undercover but not very good. She just got nervous when she made him after she mentioned the USSJP," Mona continued, talking mostly to Jaxon and Kelsey.

"It's ok. Our shirts have the club on it," Kelsey said, "It happens." She looked at Liam, "Are you ok?"

Liam still looked shocked and Kelsey remembered that it was his first time doing this. She wished the cop had approached her or Jaxon but they do smell weakness. Raquelle had been at a protest before but that one had been smaller and in one of the auditoriums at the Punishment Center. This was much more chaotic. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered.

"It's ok, man," Jaxon said, putting his hand out and slapping Liam on the shoulder in support, "It happens to everyone, the pigs are sneaky."

"Uh, yeah..." Liam continued to mutter.

"Come on we have to get you over to the holding area to say hi to Trinity, buck up," Jaxon said.

Mona broke in, "Yeah she'll need you to be strong for her."

"Someone needs to go with him," Jaxon said, more to remind Kelsey rather than the group, "It was going to be Raquelle.

It didn't surprise Kelsey that Jaxon was looking to her make a decision. She didn't really feel like she could give orders but she knew she was the leader. She shook here head, trying to shake out the cobwebs after walking past all the officers, "I'll go with him... unless he wants someone else."

"Doesn't matter," Liam grunted, clearly shaken from not identifying the undercover officer.

"Ok," Kelsey started, trying to get her leader face back on, "We need to go now to make sure you can talk to her." She looked at the group, but particularly at Jaxon, "Keep an eye out. We know they're onto us now."

"We got it," Jaxon said, understanding that he was the next in line of responsibility because of his experience. Everyone else nodded along. "We will stay in sight of you too."

"Yeah, um, try to make small talk," Kelsey said, using the euphemism the club had developed to mean spreading their platform.

"We know what to do," Jaxon said.

Kelsey nodded, "Yeah... right. Come on Liam, let's go."

The two of them started off deeper into the park. The holding area was easy to pick out. Kelsey had been in one before, actually the same day she met AJ, and she knew it should really be called a cage. She only stuck to the term holding area to be nice to Liam. It would be hard to think of AJ being caged; being in a holding area was much easier to digest. As they put some distance from the remaining club members, she knew they would follow along to keep in sight but they didn't want to be too suspicious for the authorities with a bunch of protesters making a beeline to where the offenders were kept. That was just too suspicious. They took a more circuitous route toward the white tarp roof of the cage.

"Try to smile for her. I'm sure she's had it rough this morning," Kelsey quietly advised. She remembered her first punishment where she'd been cavity searched and endured a rough van ride even before getting to the park.

"Yeah, I know. I'm trying," he stopped moving and took a deep breath and then shook his arms and shoulders like he was trying to get out all the stress in his muscles.

"You're going to be fine. Just tell her it's going to be ok, it will be over soon, and you'll be here for her when it's over," Kelsey told him.

Liam sighed, "It doesn't sound like much."

"I know," Kelsey agreed, "But it's all you can do."

"What if it's not enough?" he continued, frowning.

"Just try your best to make it enough. It's hard, I know," Kelsey said. She had watched her friend Gracie be punished and had even driven her to a punishment, plus the many times she'd went to punishments for other members of the USSJP, sometimes protesting and sometimes just for support. This was just her life now but she could never forget how hard it was.

"Yeah, I don't know," Liam continued.

"Hey," Kelsey said, touching his arm, "We asked her if she wanted visitors and she said yes. No matter what you're making a shitty situation suck just a little bit less. Just don't talk about what they're going to do and be nice. Now come on, before we run out of time."

"Yeah, would never mention that," Liam replied as he nodded, "I don't want to think about it either."

Trinity had a J31, a breast punishment, ahead of her. Kelsey had received the same punishment back in the basketball arena where a technician and squeezed and pinched and hit her boobs so it definitely wasn't something she wanted to think about either. "You should try not to. It will be over quick. Just be there for her."

Liam didn't answer as he was lost in thought and the two of them kept walking toward his caged girlfriend. As they got closer to the tent there was a bit of a crowd. From experience, Kelsey knew most of them were voyeurs wanting to get a look at the offenders but Liam wouldn't be the only person checking on a friend. They pushed through the crowd and Kelsey again tried to ignore the eyes being drawn to her in their neon yellow. Eventually they got to the ring of metal barriers that prevented the public from getting within touching distance of the temporary chain link fence that made up the holding area.

Kelsey was embarrassed to gaze into the cage. There were a bunch of people, men and women, naked and waiting. She counted at least eight, some huddled into little groups, just like her and AJ and Gracie did when they were in the same situation, and some standing alone avoiding the others. It took her longer than she'd thought to recognize Trinity, who had her back to the fence where Liam and Kelsey stood.

"Hey, hey, Trin!" Liam said breathily in a stage whisper.

Liam attracted eyes from the men lined up and leaning against the barricades. Kelsey looked around and scanned if any had the tell tale markers of undercover officers like the one who had scared Raquelle away. Luckily, none of them set off any of her alarm bells and she let her face turn into a scowl of disapproval at the peeping toms.

"Trin! Trinity! Trin!" Liam continued, getting louder.

Kelsey could hear feet coming up behind and around her as Liam brought on more and more attention. Kelsey had never actually came up to the cage like this before and she wondered if this always happened and filed away that there might be a better way of doing this. She continued to scowl just as she saw Trinity stand up straighter and turn her head.

The look on Trinity's face, transforming from confusion to fear to recognition at seeing Liam, made Kelsey feel much better. Trinity turned, her hands going over her naked chest and bits, and walked tentatively toward the fence line. The noise of the onlookers changed and Kelsey decided to try her best to get some privacy for her. "Hey! Hey! She's a friend of ours! Don't stare!" she called out sternly, trying her best to sound authoritative, "Give us some space! Please!"

The please at the end might not have been the tone she was going for but it seemed to at least ignite some guilt in some of the onlookers. Some backed off completely and moved away from the barricade and others slid down so at least Liam had some space.

It still must have been hard for Trinity, though. She had to get closer to the fence and all the eyes from the spectators and she had the misfortune that most members of the USSJP had. They were mostly college age and that made them much more likely to be attractive and thus the focus of the ogling. Kelsey wished she could bury this thought at the moment but Trinity was definitely attractive.

Trinity had thick bleach blonde hair down to her shoulders with severe flat cut bangs that framed her face. She had round, rosy cheeks that stood out as she was otherwise particularly pale and a slightly upturned nose that Kelsey thought was very cute. She was quite petite with a subtle hourglass and a flat stomach that made Kelsey a bit jealous. The naked girl shuffled over barefoot through the grass until she got to the chain link fence. She looked small and scared, her full lips struggling to curl into a smile with her boyfriend in front of her.

"Hey, Trin..." Liam said, "Are you ok?"

The blonde shook her head.

"I know this must be so hard... Um, Kelsey is here. Raquelle couldn't make it," he continued.

Kelsey tried to erase her scowl for the voyeurs around them and replace it with a sympathetic smile. She waved across the empty strip of grass between them, "Hey, girl. We're here for you."

"Th-th-thank you," Trinity finally spoke, "It's good to see you."

"You too," Liam said. He reached out over the barricade but there is no way for him to reach all the way to the fence. "Are they treating you ok?"

Trinity shrugged, "I guess."

"Tell us if they don't," Kelsey said, an eye toward documenting that with the lawyer. From experience, the punishment center staff ranged from cold and professional to polite and helpful and rarely strayed into meanness but in this situation that didn't help much. They were still making you strip and putting fingers where they shouldn't be and cuffing you too tightly.

Trinity nodded, "It's been... Fine, I guess."

"It will be over soon," Liam said, "And I'll be here for you to pick you up back at the center."

"I know," Trinity said, smiling shyly for the first time. She had deep dimples and her front teeth were a bit oversized. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I know this is so hard but I'm here no matter what and so is the club and..." Liam trailed off.

Kelsey could tell this was hard on him and touched his arm. She picked up where he left off. "You look like you're ok. I know you can make it through it. Have you met anyone nice in there?"

Trinity shook her head.

"If anyone looks lonely or scared go say hi. It will help both of you," Kelsey suggested, "And if you need water or sunscreen ask a guard. They're required to give it to you."

Trinity nodded, "I will."

Kelsey didn't know the girl that well so she focused on practicalities. "Have they told you when they're starting?"

The girl shook her head, "One of them just said soon."

"Awesome!" one of the voyeurs who was eavesdropping exclaimed.

Kelsey gasped and turned toward the voice, her face angry again, "Shut up, asshole! We're talking to our friend! Go be a creep somewhere else!"

"Fuck off, bitch!" the man, a twenty something with a backward ball cap and polo responded, aggressively.

Kelsey felt her cheeks flush and narrowed her eyes but before she could respond one of the man's friends grabbed him. "Sorry about him," the friend said and started to pull him away.

Kelsey glared for a minute and was fearful that that could attract attention from the wrong people but she didn't see any uniforms coming her way. She turned back to Trinity, whose slight smile was gone, and she had stepped back from the fence. "Th-thank you but maybe I should go back..." Trinity mumbled, looking back to the group of her fellow offenders behind her.

"It's ok. He's gone," Liam said, "You can stay."

"Th-they said soon there was something..." Trinity said, clearly spooked by the outburst.

Kelsey felt guilty but couldn't have helped herself. Jerks who like this stuff just make her blood boil. She couldn't look at her phone since it was back in the car but she did think it must be close to starting time and she knew that the guards made all the offenders watch during preparations like how everyone had gathered around to watch her receive a buttplug or AJ have her breasts bound. She touched Liam again, "She might be right."

"Fuck," Liam said under his breath before speaking loud enough for Trinity to hear, "You're going to be ok. It won't be that bad and... And I love you."

Trinity smiled again, "I... I... Yeah, I love you too." She bit her lip and turned on her heel to walk away. She uncovered her privates and out that hand over her butt, self conscious of what she was now pointing toward the crowd and returned to the jumble of other naked bodies. Kelsey was glad to see she went to stand next to another woman standing alone.

"Come on," Kelsey said to Liam, "Let's find everyone."

"Y-yeah," Liam stuttered as they turned.

Kelsey knew there was always a toll on loved ones too. She always felt terrible for AJ and Gracie watching her be punished and she saw it constantly at the protests. She also wondered if this was the first time they'd ever said I love you to each other. She didn't know him well enough to ask but it seemed like that might be the case. "I'm sorry," she said quietly as they walked.

"I hate seeing her like that," he admitted.

"Yeah..." Kelsey answered, knowing there were really no words. She didn't really know how Liam and Trinity treated sex and nudity. It would surprise her but it wasn't impossible that was the first time he saw his girlfriend naked and with a name like Trinity there was a chance she was religious. She was definitely embarrassed but she wasn't a puddle of tears so Kelsey decided it was unlikely.

"Thanks for coming with me. I would have punched that guy."

Kelsey chuckled, "He deserved it but it's a bad idea. I'm sorry I escalated. I'm afraid I scared Trinity."

Liam shrugged, "Better you than me."

Kelsey laughed softly again. "Probably. She'll be ok."

"I hope so... She will be."

The two of them quickly found the big group of seven USSJP members. Jaxon, and his black, flat top haircut, standing well above just about everyone else made it easy. Kelsey was glad to see that they were speaking in little groups to other onlookers and she hoped that some of the club's arguments were getting through.

They waited to the side and when Jaxon's conversation ended with two guys he came over. "How is she?"

"Y'know, been better," Liam answered.

"Seems like it is going good here," Kelsey said.

"Yeah, a few takers to the good word," Jaxon joked, "One officer came over and Mona talked to him. She said it was just the normal warning to behave."

"I hope she told him that's the plan. I think it's time to head toward the stage," Kelsey suggested.

"Yeah, twelve minutes," Jaxon said looking at his wrist watch. Kelsey filed away that she should add a watch to her list of protest clothes, since she didn't carry a phone.

Kelsey and Jaxon spent a couple minutes catching club member's eyes and getting them out of their spiels to the public. When they were all together she spoke. "Hi everyone! We have ten minutes to get up toward the stage. Try to stay in one big group. Definitely don't go out alone. Keep an eye on each other."

Everyone nodded and she continued. "This is the toughest part. If watching is too much, face away or look down and it's always ok to go back to the car but take someone with you. Mona can you be Liam's buddy for this."

"I got him," she answered.

"Me too," Leigha said. Kelsey knew that Leigha had planned to be Raquelle's emotional support so with her already gone Leigha had the extra attention to give.

"Great, everyone else just support each other. We are in this together. Any questions?... No? Let's go."

Kelsey started to lead her gang toward the thickest part of the crowd that surrounded the makeshift stage. Like the entrance, it quickly became thick with bodies and once the crush started, she relied on Jaxon to be able to see over the crowd and keep the club together. The goal wasn't to be in the very front but they wanted to be close enough to the center that people would see their raised fists and the offenders would know that at least someone thought this was unjust and hopefully would spark more chances for conversion when this was all over.

Being in the center means that had to push. Jaxon and a couple of the other guys tried to help the girls get through the crowd but that didn't mean that Kelsey didn't feel hands on her from strangers. She knew that ninety nine per cent of the light brushes of fingers were incidental to being in large groups but, since they were the type to come to a public punishment, she suspected some of the guys who touched her on her jean shorts were taking advantage of plausible deniability. One protest last fall she was certain an older man had reached under her shirt to touch her stomach. He probably meant to reach a little higher. The memory made her skin crawl and the fact that those people never had any consequences and girls getting traffic tickets would be up on stage in a few minutes just made it worse.

The group weren't quite where they wanted to be when the crowd took on the auspicious hush that meant the line of offenders, chained together from wrist to wrist had begun the walk toward the stage. Kelsey knew they still had some time to move as there would be some on the coffle that would be put on display at different locations within the crowd. Kelsey was one of those her first time, bent over in stocks for everyone to see the plug that has been forced into her ass. From where they were it was impossible to see so they kept trying to get closer to the stage. There was more resistance now though. With everyone trying to see the line of prisoners, no one wanted to let them through. Jaxon was able to push through some but eventually he stopped and declared, "This is the best we can do."

Kelsey was a bit disappointed but was happy that it seemed like everybody was able to stay together. The group shuffled around so Kelsey and the other shorter women had the best views they could and the taller members looked out over them. They were close to the front, less than twenty yards from the barricades, but were pretty far to the right. She just hoped that Trinity would be able to find them. The neon shirts would definitely help though she still suspected the first strategy the USSJP used, protesting naked, worked much better to separate them from the crowd. There were good reasons they abandoned that, like avoiding even more police attention and attracting more protesters, but in moments like this Kelsey had second thoughts.

She looked up and the stage always gave her goosebumps. Metal barricades created a strip of grass around it, like the holding area, setting it apart and above the crowd. If she stood next to it, the platform would tower almost three feet over her head, much taller than even Jaxon could stand. The back edge and sides of the stage had a railing and in the middle there was a single tall pole with a cord hanging down from the top that was used for restraint. Kelsey had actually never been on one of these outdoor stages but she could only imagine how alone you would feel when it was your turn, tied all alone at center stage with all these people's eyes on your naked body and knowing what was about to happen. It was terrifyingly imposing.

Kelsey spent the last few minutes checking in on everybody. Jaxon was his always serious self, filled with righteous indignation much like Kelsey. Liam was clearly nervous and kept touching his face which seemed paler than before. Mona and Leigha stood near him trying their best to support him. The rest all said they were ok, and she trusted the ones who had been there before but you never know with someone's first time.

Finally, all she could do was look up at the stage. During her punishments, she felt angry and even guilty but watching punishments added a new feeling of hopelessness. She was confident in herself and her resilience but what about Trinity? She knew Trinity had support from Liam and Raquelle and the rest but who knows how it would go? And what about the others? Were they all alone? She could only hope they would be ok.

Then there was movement on the stage. Two officers walked up the stairs and you could feel the focus of the crowd move in their direction. One, wearing a dress uniform, stood in the front and started adjusting a microphone pack on his belt and the other took up a post at the back corner of a stage near the railing. Kelsey looked back and shared a glance with Jaxon. It was time.

Kelsey went up on her tiptoes to see the head of a third officer ascend to the stage. Immediately behind him were the prisoners, first a middle aged man with short dark hair. His penis, probably pharmaceutically enhanced by the technician, stood up toward the sky. Behind him, a balding man was in a similarly aroused state. He walked awkwardly and Kelsey realized he was trying not to let his erection touch the man in front of him. At least, they arranged the line so he wasn't right behind a woman. That would just be cruel and unusual.

Behind the two men was Trinity. Kelsey thought that wasn't the worst position to be. In the middle of the line, there at least was some bodies between her and the crowd even though the cuffs prevented her from covering herself like she did in the holding area. She was much shorter than the guy in front of her so no one could really see much besides her pale skin and blonde hair.

After Trinity, and the last of the four, was a woman with tan skin and black hair long down her back. She was taller than Trinity and even from here Kelsey could tell she was breathing hard and was terrified. Behind the last offender, two more guards brought up the rear.

When the whole line was on the stage, an officer in the back released the 2nd woman and led her toward the center of the stage. Beside her, Kelsey heard Mona whisper to Liam, "That means Trinity is probably last."

Kelsey suspected Mona was right. It was increasingly a pattern that women would go first and last at public punishments. It was more entertaining that way and kept the crowd here until the end. Just one more piece of evidence of the barbarity. It was so bread and circuses.

On the stage, the tan woman was being secured to the pole with her butt toward the front of the stage. She was being made to hug the pole and one of the guards was using belts to hold her in place. Kelsey thought that this must be one of the least embarrassing positions but it still must be terrifying to be tied up and helpless like that.

Behind the pole, the other three were being tied along the back railing to wait their turn. The first man was the furthest from Kelsey in the back left corner of the stage, then the balding man in the center back, who looked a lot like the first now that she could see their faces better. She wondered if they were brothers or cousins as they definitely had the same chin and jawline and even hairy chest. Then closest to the USSJP they tied Trinity to the back right corner of the stage with her hands behind her back. Now that she couldn't cover, her breasts, B cups that looked bigger on her small body, were visible to everyone. Luckily, could at least cross her legs and Kelsey hoped she was as well covered down there from in front as she was from this tight angle.

"Trin! Trin!" Liam called out, though it might have been drowned out by the cheers and whistles from the crowd. "Trin! Trin-i-tyy!"

Supporting Liam, Mona and Leigha screamed her name too and then some of the others in the group. "Trinity! Trinity!"

On the stage, Trinity kept her head down at first as guards kept securing the first victim. The clicking of the sound system indicated they were about to start but finally, after many attempts, or maybe just good luck and the neon shirts, the naked blonde finally looked in their direction.

Liam put his fist up and yelled, "We're here! Trinity! We're here!"

It was clear Trinity saw Liam as she gazed down at them. Kelsey was relieved after being worried their angle was too oblique and knew it was just lucky that she had been secured on this side of the stage. They had to take the small miracles. They all held up their fists like Liam and she would like to imagine it made Trinity feel less afraid to have the support.

Then the guard in the formal uniform finally started speaking. His voice boomed out over speakers that must be incomprehensible to those in the far back of the crowd, "Hello, attention please." The man waited a few seconds and the crowd went slightly quieter. Kelsey kept her fist up, and so did many but not all of her comrades. "Welcome and thank you for attending today's Public Punishments at Arthur Street Park. Five offenders have already been placed in their exposure positions and I urge you to view them before you leave today."

Kelsey held her breath, expecting him to call out their names, humiliating them even further but mercifully he spared them. "There will be four corporal punishments on stage today, all taking no more than 15 minutes. The first will be Hosanna Kealoha," the officer said, putting an accent on the Hawaiian last name like he must have practiced. "She is guilty of failing to appear for a previously scheduled judicial punishment appointment and today she is sentenced to twenty blows from the cane to her buttocks and thighs. Mr technician, you may begin."

There were cheers from the crowd and Kelsey only resisted booing because she was certain undercover officers would just love to get her for creating a disturbance. Instead she glared silently at the master of ceremonies with her fist clenched.

From ground level, a punishment technician wearing dark blue scrubs, gloves, and a surgical mask walked up the steps, holding a long stick. He approached Hosanna and leaned in. After a few seconds he pulled a blindfold from his pocket and put it over her eyes. Kelsey could feel her heart rate increase as the crowd grew quieter. She bit her lower lip and held her breath. There was a whoosh, a CRACK, a high pitched yelp, and then the cheers from the mass of people around the stage made Kelsey's stomach turn.

Then the scourging just continued as blows rained down on Hosanna. Kelsey focused on keeping her face a practiced disapproving glower and her arm still and unshaking. The crowd overwhelmed the sound of the whoosh but not the crack of the wood on her shuddering flesh.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. It was rhythmic and terrible and brought back terrible memories of of her time under the technicians hand, though Hosanna had it much worse with the cane.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. And the poor girl was only here because she was scared. Too scared to show up to her first punishment. It must have been less severe, either in private or maybe an exposure. Now this was happening in front of everyone and she knew that she might have even spent the night in jail to make sure she showed up for this one. Poor girl.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. Kelsey had lost count as she squeezed her fist tighter. Hosanna had tucked her chin down toward her shoulder, one ear resting against the side of the wooden pole. It was impossible to know if she was screaming with the crowd noise but she looked like she was exhausted and defeated as the cane struck over and over.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. Kelsey glanced beside her. One of the other club members, a stoutly built freshman with streaks of purple in her hair, had their face down with both hands over her eyes. "Hey..." Kelsey whispered, hesitating as she couldn't bring the girl's name to mind but knowing it was her first time at a protest. Her own heart beating too fast. She brought her fist down and touched the girl's shoulder, "Are you ok? Are you sure you want to stay?"

She uncovered her face, revealing red, wet eyes but shook her head. "I'll stay for Trinity... I'm ok."

"You don't have to," Kelsey told her, "This is hard."

The freshman shook her head, "I can make it... I knew it would be hard." She wiped her eyes and looked back at the stage. Her lips quivered but she put her fist up, setting her face to try not to break again.

"OK, for Trinity," Kelsey repeated as she turned her face back to Hosanna too. The poor woman was still slumped against the pole but the technician struck her upper thighs again. CRACK. But then the good news happened. The technician didn't swing again and the sound of the crowd changed as the punishment ended. The officers moved toward Hosanna and began to untie the belts holding her to the pole.

Kelsey looked around again checking on the rest of the group. The freshman next to her had been the worst so far and everyone reported they were fine. Kelsey caught Mona's eyes and she vouched for Liam as well. As much as Kelsey wanted as many people as she could get to the protest, she didn't want anybody to be doing more than they could handle either.

On the stage, Hosanna was suffering the indignity of her wrists being cuffed when she could barely stand. She stumbled as she walked but at least she was sent back down the stairs and away from the eyes of the crowd. At the same time, other officers were approaching one of the men. The man who had been at the front of the coffle with the short, dark hair and the still very hard penis was brought to the pole. The eye contact he gave to the other man was even more evidence to Kelsey that they must be related. Unlike Hosanna, he was made to face the crowd. A belt went around his midsection and his hands were secured to the rope hanging down from the top of the pole so from Kelsey's angle his arms obscured much of his face. Then one of the guards knelt down and did... something down near his ankles that Kelsey couldn't quite figure out. She guessed there might be a leg spreader between his ankles because she'd seen that before, but she couldn't be certain through the mass of heads between her and the stage.

Then the guard in the dress uniform began again, "The second punishment today is Nathaniel Fisher. He was found guilty of eight counts of wire fraud. He has been sentenced to having his penis and testicles tightly bound and to receive blows from the crop to his penis and testicles."

There was a groan from the crowd, it's deeper pitch indicating it come from mostly men. Kelsey put her fist up. Instinctively, she had much less sympathy for this guy than Hosanna. Part of that was sorority with another woman and his crime, in theory, was more worthy of punishment, but she was universalist that the punishment codes were unjust for everyone and no one deserved this attention. On the stage, the same technician had replaced the cane with a black riding crop and was in the process of slipping a blindfold over Nathaniel's eyes.

The MC said the magic words, "Mr. Technician, you may begin." The wind up was much shorter with the crop and there was no dramatic crack but the cry, high pitched and ragged, as the crop hit the man's balls made Kelsey's stomach drop. She'd led mixed gender discussions and heard men try to describe it. The visceral fear and the instinct to get out of the way and fighting the restraint. They always had trouble describing it. The pain didn't start immediately, first it was shock and then the pain spread up until it was everywhere in their stomach and back and legs not just where they were struck. Then not just the pain, but also the deep feeling of disgust and nausea and not being able to breathe. It wasn't something that Kelsey had ever felt. Her experience at least was that the pain stayed where the technician's were touching her.

With each blow, Nathaniel's head and shoulders recoiled bending forward and then leaning back against the post. She could tell he was trying and failing to move his hips but his member hinged back and forth. Kelsey had only been with AJ for almost two years but she'd been with men and could appreciate the form. The way they moved was always a bit spellbinding, just so different than anything that she had. It was a shame that this had to happen.

All Kelsey could do was watch, fighting the urge to look away from the horror. She believed it was her responsibility (really of anyone with a conscience) to bare witness to injustice and call it out. And she was willing to be here and watch the barbarity. It was the right thing to do.

The noise of the crowd often ebbed during these kinds of punishments. There was the obvious point that the crowd enjoyed watching women more, misogyny being part and parcel to the punishment codes. But also, Kelsey had some kernel of a theory that some punishments were simply less dramatic. A crop was much smaller than a cane and a butt or a back or breasts were much larger and easier to see red and bruised than penises or vaginas. This was true especially outside where the crowds were bigger and further away and there weren't screens and close ups like when Kelsey had been punished at the basketball stadium. She would be interested to know if judges ever figure that out and give out different punishments in summer during outdoor season versus the colder months.

Nathaniel's punishment continued for a few minutes, the technician changing angles occasionally to hit the targets differently. The crowd jeered in rhythm with each blow as the prisoner sunk lower and lower, his knees getting weaker until the technician stepped away. Kelsey put her fist down and rolled it in it's socket as it had grown a bit sore and they were only halfway done. Again all the members of the USSJP checked in on each other. Kelsey knew that Jaxon had once been punished similarly and that was how he got involved with this activism but he reported that he was feeling ok. The purple haired freshman also seemed to be doing better and Kelsey assumed it was because she didn't have the visceral empathy with a man like she did with Hosanna.

Soon Nathaniel was removed from the stage and guards were moving the next man into position. The MC continued his announcements, "The next punishment today is Timothy Fisher."

That clinched it for Kelsey; they were definitely brothers. Sure that wasn't a guarantee, but it was enough evidence for her. She now had the image of a family plot to scam poor old ladies. That thought, though, made her feel bad. She wasn't here to judge them and she didn't really think these punishments protected little old ladies from phone scams, despite any of the evidence that they reduced recidivism. It just didn't feel right.

"He was also found guilty of eight counts of wire fraud. He has been sentenced to binding of his penis and testicles as well as application of the crop to his penis and testicles. Mr. Technician, you may begin," the leader concluded.

Kelsey rolled her shoulder again and massaged it with her left hand before lifting her fist in the air to be soon joined by some others from the USSJP. The masked technician applied the blindfold and Timothy started to breathe hard, his chest moving up and down. The drugs and binding that he had been given previously didn't seem to have the same strong effect as his brother. His member was only half-hard and hung more down only partially lifted from his testicles and she wondered if that was because he was older than Nathaniel, as his receding hairline made him seem.

Then the first blow came, looking to Kelsey like it landed square on top of his penis in a downward blow. He drooped his head down, his teeth pressed together and his lips pulled back. The crowd groaned and cheered and the punishment began. The first couple blows repeated the same angle of assault. Then the blows began to come from underneath towards his testicles which she understood to be much worse and where the nausea stems. She felt so bad as she imagined what he must be going through. At the group discussions, sometimes girls who had their vulvas hit would talk about how it felt different when it was higher closer to their mounds or lower near their vaginas and sometimes the men would say it might be like that. The men though always described much more pain. There might be a joke that women were more used to monthly pain or that they were more accustomed to the feeling of vulnerability and weakness but Kelsey didn't want to discount the men's experience. No matter whether it was worse than what the Punishment Center did to vulva owners, Timothy was being tortured and it was wrong. She gripped her fist harder.

As the punishment continued, the technician continued changing the direction of his blows coming from the sides in short blows and backhand blows. Timothy twitched and moved the best he could in his bonds always with his teeth gritted closed and, at least at this distance, silent in his suffering. Kelsey also noticed something peculiar. During the punishment, his penis had actually grown. It was longer and pointed more straight out in front of him than his brother, rather than up toward his chest. She knew it wasn't because he was enjoying it and it was just blood rushing to the place he was being struck. She'd heard of it before but hadn't ever seen it. Her stomach turned, knowing that it only multiplied his humiliation. As the punishment came to an end, she could only think about how much she hated the entire institution.

After the last strike of the crop, guards approached Timothy and started releasing him from the pole and cuffing him before taking him back to the holding area. Kelsey knew from experience that they would leave the bindings on his privates until he got back to the cage and he might even have to wait for a technician to take them off. She knew she had been sternly warned to not take out her plug on her own when she was uncuffed and she'd had to wait an extra few minutes with it in her bottom hole even after the hour she spent in the stocks.

Kelsey looked toward the rest of her compatriots. While the club was here to protest everyone's punishment, she knew that for lots of people supporting Trinity was the only reason they were here and the main event was about to start. She trusted Mona and Leigha to take care of Liam but she checked in with Jaxon after he had just seen two others go through what he had more than a year ago. She looked over her shoulder and caught his eyes. He knew what she doing and he shrugged his shoulders and answered her question without her having to say it, "I'm ok. Just makes them hurt a little." He smirked.

Kelsey realized he was joking and smiled, "I hope not as bad as them."

"Definitely not," Jaxon answered and then his eyes went to the stage.

Kelsey's attention followed Jaxon's. The only female officer had taken Trinity from the back railing and was releasing her wrists from behind her back. The blonde reflexively held her breasts, soon to be the target of punishment, in her palms as the guard pushed her back against the pole. Hesitantly, she followed orders and lifted her arms up above her head. Being shorter than the two brothers, her arms were held up straighter in order to get her wrists to the rope so her face, red and quivering, was easy to see from where the USSJP stood. A taller officer came to tie her hands and Trinity leaned away from him as the female guard went behind the pole and wrapped a wide leather belt around her flat stomach below the lines of her ribcage and then another strap just above her knees so she couldn't move or lash out with her feet. A final belt went around her shoulders, over her arms, so she couldn't move her upper body from the pole or shake too much side to side, perhaps a necessity with a J31.

The formal guard started speaking again, "The fourth and last punishment today is of Trinity Sledge. She has been found guilty of reckless driving, more than fifteen above the limit."

Kelsey frowned and lifted her fist, ignoring her sore shoulder. She didn't know Trinity's story exactly but this seemed so unfair. Out on the highway, fifteen over was nothing and now all this was going to happen to her. She watched as the technician stood in front of her and put the blindfold over her blonde hair and over her eyes as the MC read out the second half of his statement, "Miss Sledge has been sentenced to have her breasts, nipples, and areolas punished. Mr. Technician you may begin."

The crop was gone now, but Kelsey was very surprised to see another tool. She couldn't see much detail but from the technician's actions and Trinity's face transforming for fear to pain, it seemed almost like pliers that gripped onto her right nipple. Kelsey looked down across the line of club members and Leigha, who had become the club's unofficial newshound was looking at her. Whatever the man was using seemed like new technology that she didn't know about either. A sharp intake of breath and a high pitched whine took Kelsey's eyes back to the stage and the crowd cheered loudly as Trinity's torture began.

With only the handle of the 'pliers' in his hand, the technician didn't even have to touch her to have her screaming in agony. The man moved the handle down, twisting her nipple one way and then up, twisting it the other. Kelsey bit her lip as she heard gasps from other members of the USSJP. The technician continued pulling and yanking her boob, up and down and away from her body when not twisting her nipple in circles. Only occasionally did Trinity's yelps pierce through the crowd noise but that meant she must be in agony for Kelsey to hear.

Kelsey could only imagine what the addition of the pliers were doing. During her own breast punishment, Kelsey's technicians had used her hands to squeeze and press and twist her tits. She could only hope the teeth of the pliers weren't metal. Later, when it was easier to reason, Kelsey might decide it was almost certainly rubber tipped nubs gripping Trinity's little pink nipple and there was the benefit of not having a strange man physically grope her breast but right now she could only imagine the rough metal ridged tip of the huge wrenches she could picture in her dad's garage.

"Fuuuckk." Behind her Liam hissed disgustedly at the site of his girlfriend's breast being tortured. Kelsey looked back and, bravely, Liam was still watching but his face was a mix of fear and effort to not turn away.

For at least a minute, maybe more, the technician twisted and yanked on the same breast until there was a pause. He leaned forward and must have unattached the tool from her right breast and moved to attach it to her left nipple. From experience, Kelsey knew that having the tight bite released from her nipple only changed the pain. Even as he started twisting her second nipple, the fire in the first was only getting worse.

Beside her, Kelsey noticed the purple haired girl instinctively cradling her own breasts, self soothingly, and Kelsey was also especially aware of how her own breasts rested in her bra. This was so fucking cruel. Meanwhile, the crowd cheered and gasped along with Trinity's shrieks and wines when the man seemed to try to yank her boob off her chest.

The sound of crowds was always different during impact punishments than during punishments that were more freeform like this. During impact punishments, crowds had a cue from the technician: an intake of breath during the backswing and a cheer when the hand or cane or strap slammed down on the victim. During punishments like this it was more staccato. There was always a background hum but especially loud cheers always matched when the victim screamed the loudest. Back when Kelsey was suffering during her punishment, she had tried to stay quiet but it was impossible. Eventually she had squeaked and squealed and groaned just like everyone else. It just hurt too bad to hold back the cries.

After another minute or so, the man concluded his punishment of her left breast with a twist of his tool, and Kelsey could only imagine her nipple turning nearly 180 degrees. She really hoped it was over, for both Trinity's sake and everyone watching. Of course, she knew deep down it wasn't. The man set aside the gripping device and returned with a crop. This, Kelsey, was very familiar with having received the same treatment. The technician stood to the left of the blindfolded girl and began striking Trinity's modest breasts. At first he went back and forth focusing on the top of her breast tissue above her sizzling nipples.

Trinity groaned with each one, her hands fighting against the rope, but unable to protect herself. The crowd, now with the easy cue of an impact punishment cheered with each strike and rebound of her breasts. Beside her, one of the other women in the group who Kelsey didn't personally know started whispering to the purple haired freshman. She heard the freshman respond, "It's almost over. Just don't look. We should leave as a group."

Kelsey felt a tear come to her eye as the guilt of bringing people to the protests washed over her. This was bad for everybody and who was she to lead them here? Then she looked at Trinity, clearly crying under her blindfold, and she remembered they were all here to support her just as much as they were to protest. This was important.

Now the technician was carefully striking her breasts on the sides, turning them red and fiery to match her cheeks. Her breasts swayed and rebound as he hit the tissue that approached her armpits and the inside edges between her breasts.

Kelsey looked to the side. Liam had his head down but his fist up. Mona, Leigha, and Jaxon all had their hands on his back. As a tear ran down her cheek, Kelsey knew that she would be here for Trinity and everyone else subject to the Punishment Codes. She reached out to touch the freshman, whose name she didn't know. The girl smiled at her. This was her life, now. No matter what, she would never quit. She would never give up. It was going to be hard every time but together they were going to fight this injustice forever.