4/16- When Pulled Over...

...and asked if you know why you were pulled over while driving a bus that can't exceed 60Mph, is it fair to say because we're in a '60s bus in Tennessee? An unlikely answer might be that the license plate was dirty and therefore a tad difficult to read. The only reason you couldn't, or more aptly shouldn't, answer the former is because you'll undoubtedly spend at least one night in jail with some of your own blood on you for back talk. I approach here an interesting topic, not because of its content which I presume all of you already have a decent idea of, but because of its reception.

It makes a good bar stool story to tell, for about five minutes, that we were driving along through Tennessee in a veggie bus when the sirens flashed us. That they didn't even let Devin finish saying "Oh, I didn't realize. I'll go wipe it clean" before they asked him to step outside, promptly collecting our IDs in the process and seeing if we'd been arrested. I know few who haven't been through a scenario like that, and few who wouldn't say "well, they're just checking since they have you pulled over anyway." I had never been pulled off the bus, as the backup rolled in with the dogs, while watching Devin sign the search warrant. Apparently they thought Leif stammered too much for the wellfare of the state of Tennessee and the Union on a whole.

Like I was saying, this makes a decent bar stool story before the next person promptly tells their version of something similar that happened to them in Massachusetts, Washington, or some other state. This is what I find interesting about the story. Its like when my, then, girlfriend, Margo, and I walked down the Bowery in New York around 10pm to see a completely stark naked guy strolling down the avenue. I wasn't shocked in anyway seeing it. It took me a few seconds before I was shocked to realize that I wasn't shocked, nor were any of the other by passers who maybe gave him a brief "hmm" glance as we had.

I think its visible where I'm going with this. Cops have abused their authority on a whole so much through out history that its disregarded as a crime socially. I'll take a risk for a moment of sounding like Todd, but why have we, on a whole, ordained this behavior as merely behavior to frown at. To delve into a smidge of ancient history, some of the ideas behind the Revolution and Constitution was to be able to pursue happiness as you saw fit and without judgment. The restrictions for this freedom were, in essence, not to infringe on anyone else's happiness. If I paraphrased too simply, or you feel inaccurately, please comment below. This seems like a non-partisan issue that should get resolved. I wasn't doing anything wrong and I am finding myself fearful and a little ticked off.

I once trained for a day going door to door to raise money for a rape crisis center. I really fucking hated it, hence only trained, but I learned something interesting. A rape victim is standardly asked why they were dressed scantily, that they were asking to be raped going to a bar like that. Take a moment to identify with that. Some one who is robbed is not asked why they were wearing a nice watch or driving a nice car. Take a moment to identify with that as well. Hearing my story of being pulled over tonight I can hear the chorus of "what did you expect driving across country in a hippie bus?" To give the lame honest answer I'd say I expected to be treated like a citizen. Lame.

To take the realistic approach, that of those questioners of the above paragraph who say "fuck the law, those are people out there with beliefs and you should be wary of them." This I do actually believe, as do most whether consciously or not, but in actions most believe that I'd say. But to define what a crime is I would venture to say the harassment of others would certainly be one of them. Invasion of privacy another. Abuse of authority, a grave sin here in the Land of the Free. If pulling some one over for a dirty license plate is, 1) an offense policed by the Tennessee Drug Trafficking Enforcement Agency, and 2) an offense that merits separating a party of travelers before any stories can be corroborated isn't an intimidation tactic based on loose appearance profiling I can't think of what would be. It also is curious that it wasn't until after Devin had been hauled out that they spoke with the rest of us, but somehow their probable cause (the reasoning for said sudden appearance of dog squad) was Leif's unfortunate nervous personality. I could play Matlock on this for a while, but it'd just be me venting because I still feel violated and pissed of... and this was a mild offense. Like getting a jaywalking ticket because some council member was hit by a car for not looking both ways (long story and completely irrelevant to this one).

My point, after all this, is that whether you read this and could give a shit because you can't relate, or worse, you could; or you read it and were enthralled, disgusted, and pissed off yourself about such things the end game is that nothing whatsoever of hard consequences for the offenders will come of this. I too will be to blame for this complacency because I have no idea what to do and I also want to go on with my life despite knowing, quite likely, that same band of merry men will harangue another band of weary travelers for a broken tail light or what ever else they decide is wrong at the time.

To conclude my rant I'd like to specifically respond to my friend Jane's comment when she came to visit from England last November. Some friends of our friend Loreli were arrested for shouting "fucking pigs" at some cops as they passed by. I agreed with them and she did not. She agreed being arrested was a bit harsh, but also felt it was unwise to yell that at some one who could arrest you for it. She of course wasn't speaking legally, but again from that realism stand point of consequences. I was unable articulate my response well at the time, but my agreement has more to do with bullshit like tonight that I whole heartedly support that action of yelling. There is little other response that doesn't require a lifestyle commitment and we should at least be granted a valve to blow of some of that feeling.

Wrapping this up I will concede that the search today was not fruitless. They found two or three empty bags of marijuana somewhere in the back under the bunks I believe. Right now I smell something funny in the air, though. Probably because they missed the bit sitting out in the open in a jar by the front.

Click here for Todd's perspective.