I was at a Bowling Alley on a Friday Night. The Bowling Alley was located in the industrial area of town. I showed up with about 20 bicycle riders. Our goal was to drink at the bar and sing Karaoke.
But little did we know, the place was packed and ghetto as fuck.
I say ghetto only because two police officers worked at the bowling alley.
When we rolled up on our bicycles, the officer immediately asked me: “What are you all doing here?”
“We are going to bowl.”
“ALL OF YOU? Where are you going to lock your bikes?”
“Yes, all of us, we will find a place.”
And the Officer walked away.
The Bowling Alley bar was amazing. It was a mix of people of all cultures and all ages. Old white guys trying to shake their bootys with larger latina women made me laugh all night. I thought it was amazing. I had never seen a bar like this! Many of my friends were not amused.
The general crowd appeared to be friendly, but I just found it odd and eerie that the police officers were working at a bowling alley. The officers went behind the bar and got coffee. The officers checked people’s IDs, the officers walked around outside.
These were not Rent-A-Cops. These were official San Jose Police Officers working at a bowling alley.
I can only imagine what has happened at this bowling alley to bring two officers.
At 1 am, the 5 of us who were left, decided to leave the bar.
As we are unlocking our bicycles, a drunk African American man was being kicked out of the bar and then yelling at the Police Officers. The Officers were telling him to go home. “Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”
The drunk man’s friend came outside and was practically holding the drunk away from the Police. The drunk man was threatening to attack the police. He was both physically aggressive in his movements and aggressive in his words.
The police did not remove the man from the bar, they just told him to go home. (They were not the source of his anger)
I did not see it, but my roommate informed me that the police maced the drunk man. The drunk man then walked home with his friend, still violently yelling at the officers.
Now to me, I was actually impressed by the police officers.
I have read, heard, and seen nothing but horrible abuse of power and violence when the Police are involved.
I was shocked because I expected the police to arrest the man, I expected to see him in handcuffs and thrown against a car JUST FOR VERBAL THREATENING, let alone being physically held back by his friend.
But to my roommate, who is from a rich suburb of Boston, thought that the macing was a horrible act. She thought they acted inappropriately. “The friend was taking care of the guy, they did not need to do that.”
And that made me think of our expectations and the idea of relativity.
Because I think so poorly of the police, their actions were fine.
Because my roommate thinks higher of the police, their actions were horrible.
And why does this matter?
How many other people in my community, in positions of power, in government, in society, act so badly on a regular basis that we are impressed with their mediocrity?
-Ala
