Papers, Please...

I really hate the powers that the police now have. Over the last year, I have been stopped, for absolutely no reason, twice. Both times, I was walking.

I will start with the second time. That day, I was helping my sister move, using a car borrowed form my other sister. After a few hours of running back and forth, the car started having mechanical problems, so we called it a night. I started walking home at about 11 PM. On my way home, I walked through one of the few neighborhoods that still have decent property values in Schenectady. About 300 ft. past the border of that good neighborhood, a car coming the opposite way pulled over towards me. When I saw the tell-tale spot light, I knew what I was in for.

The window rolls down, and the cop says, "Where are you going?"

I replied "Home."

He asks, "Where is that?"

Starting to get annoyed, I answer "Bradley St." Unfortunately, I was very tired, and did not want to challenge his questions. All I wanted was to hit the bed, but I did not feel like the jail would be comfortable to rest in that night.

He then asks me where I was coming from, what I was doing there, and demands that I show him ID. I was stone-cold sober, not acting suspicious in any way, and I was not carrying anything suspicious with me. For that, I get 20 questions, and he runs my license to ensure that I do not have any warrants. God forbid that I walk through a good neighborhood after dark.


The first time, however, I had had a few beers. My brother was home from the military on leave, and had gone to get beer. I went after him a few minutes later, because he had had a few more than I, and I wanted to make sure he got back OK. There are three stores in a small area that he could have gone to, and somehow, we missed each other. After going to each store, I assumed that he was already heading back to my house. I started walking home, and suddenly, a police car rolled up on me.

Two officers got out, and asked me where I was going. I told them I was going home, and that it was right across the hospital parking lot. Though I had a few beers, I was walking and acting normally, and I take the shortcut through the parking lot almost every day. I had a decent buzz, but was far from drunk. I asked them why they had stopped me, and they replied by telling me that I had to come with them. I kept asking why I was stopped, and about the third time, one of the officers pulled out his handcuffs. They slammed me on the back of the car and cuffed me, extremely tight. Meanwhile, they kept screaming, "Stop resisting!" Ok, I was not physically resisting, I was verbally asking why they had stopped me. Then they shoved me into the back of the car.

Much to my surprise, they brought me home, un-cuffed me and let me go. I guess they did not want any paperwork.

Unfortunately, before they threw me into the car, they took one of my favorite pocket knives. I have never carried a knife as a weapon, but as a tool, like I was told by my father when he gave me my first knife at 5 years old. I bet it ended up in one of their pocket's.


As far as I am concerned, both cases amount to illegal search and seizure, but today, the constitution is practically ignored. The next time I will tell the police that I left my walking license at home. [ By the way, after talking with my brother, he assured me that he had done nothing wrong, so they had not confused me with him... ]