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February 22, 2005
That Night Pt 1
I got out of the van in an alley of sorts. It was dark, but I could tell there were buildings on boths sides of the van -- I guess that's what made it seem like an alley. There were no windows in the back of the van, so I couldn't tell exactly what we had driven into. Not when we were driving at least, but when I got out the back I saw a chain-link fence closing behind us. Two of them, I think -- I didn't really have time to get a good look, I had to hurry inside.
The driver hurried ahead of us through the sliding metal and glass door, through the waiting room. I lost him as he went through the second set of doors; I stayed in the waiting room. The guard there urged us all to sit down.
Two walls of the waiting room were taken up by the doors, both of the other walls had a long bench against them. Even though the benches were long they didn't fit all of us. Still, sitting or standing, we tried to get comfortable. From what I remember the benches weren't all that comfortable. Or maybe it was the flexi-cuffs cutting into my wrists. Anyway, it was something. Something was uncomfortable.
As I sat I looked over the crowd, my new peers. They looked me over too. "Ain't that some shit. We gots a white boy with us."
"Whachu do white boy?" It was more ribbing than harrassment, than serious inquiry either. Still, my neighbor spoke up for me, "He cool. He whid me."
"Shit, nigga. You be up by Midway?"
"I use ta stay up there. Now I stay whid my lady in Highlandtown."
"Yeah. Yeah. I seen you up 'round there. What they got you fo?"
"Disorderly."
"They be picking up everyone tonight, givin' 'em that shit."
The conversation was interrupted when the door opened. An officer stood in the open doorway and read names off a sheet of paper on his clipboard. Four
or five guys -- and they were all guys, the girl that came in with us went a different direction out of van -- left the room. The guard standing in the room again told us all to sit. We all had seats, but that only lasted until another bunch came in. New loads of black men in their late teens and twenties came in with about as much regularity as they left the waiting room. About 20 minutes after entering the waiting room the four or five names called out included mine.
"Turn left, get up against the right wall and go up to the door, but do not go through the door. Take your shoes off and wait." We did as told. We stood in the wide, windowless hallway with our shoes in our hands.
After they called me in I entered the small room. Two officers stood on the right side of the room. One of them approached me. He cut the plastic cuffs and pointed to the left side, to three stalls without doors. "Get in one a them and take off everything but your drawers and hand them to me."
I did as I was told. I stripped down to my underwear and handed the officer my clothes. "Stick your thumbs under your waistband, pull out and go like this," he made a motion from the front backwards until his hands touched again. After that me turned his attention to my pants pockets only giving me half his attention as I performed my underwear maneuver for him.
"One wallet. Seven dollars. Visa card. Throw this in here." He handed me a condom that for some reason was in one of my pockets. I don't think I really planned to use it that night -- I didn't plan on going to jail either. He motioned for me to throw the condom into a basket, already bright with the different colors of wrappers. Then he handed me a plastic bag with the contents of my pockets and said, "Put your clothes back on, then go outside. Turn to the right. Get in line against the wall and wait for a cashier."
A cashier? "OK."
When it was my turn to see the cashier a guard walked me over ot the free window and handcuffed me to the counter. The cashier had me sign some papers and took my plastic baggy away. I asked the cashier what I was being charged with. She looked up from writing "Have a blessed day. :)" on my paperwork in order to glance at the screen and said, "Say here, 'failure to obey.'"
"What's that?"
"Don't know, hon. Just what it say. Now you go to the first door on the right after the lobby."
The lobby? Who are they trying to kid?
I passed the lobby and entered the mugshot/fingerprinting room. I sat on the cold bench made of sheet metal. It was summer, but the women taking mugshots were all wearing sweaters because of the air conditioning. The rest of us sat on the cold metal bench while they tried to figure out how to work the
electronic finger-printing machine one of them had broken a few minutes before.
The guys I came in with, both arrested for disorderly conduct, came in seperately. We waited until the machines were rebooted. I waited cold, but well-mannered, unlike my neighbor. "What the fuck takin' so long bitch?"
"Sorry. What's your name."
He told her his name.
"Oh. Here you are." She moved him to the back of the list. She did the same for someone uncooperative during picture taking.
So, when it was my turn I cooperated. I smiled. And I heard about it from the other guys. "Look at whitey all grinnin' for his fuckin' mug shot. -- You like this white boy?"
Posted by calculatoronfire at February 22, 2005 09:28 PM