I met a stupid cop last night in the subway

[Rabrrrrrr]

Friend and I were hanging out on the platform, awaiting a train, when a homeless guy came to us and asked for a light for his cigarette. Neither of us smoke, so had to say no. But he stuck around and talked, very drunkenly and in a low-level paranoic kind of way, and kept wanting to shake hands and give us little hugs. For the most part, it was very innocuous and I wasn't worried, except that he was very tall and my friend is very small, and I was worried the dude might get angry and my friend into the tracks or something. But realistically, there was no worry. Just a standard very drunk unbalanced person, and eventually we became friends, I "guarded his back" as he left, and he disappeared.

So after it's all done, a cop comes up to me after the homeless guy moved on. We were at one end of the platform, and the cop was in the cop booth, about 30 feet away from where we were. Friend and I are standing talking after the homeless guy left, talking about the lecture we'd just been to, neither one of thinking a second thought about the incident. So cop shows up, trying to look all-knowing and wise and worldly and better able to handle any situation than I ever could, and says to us, "I watched that whole episode from the booth. You really should be more careful, and not get so close to these people. You never know what might happen."

Dick. Would love to have dinged him a dollar if we had an idiot tax. I so wanted to say, "So why didn't you come out, dickhead?" But the train was arriving, and I was more interested in getting on the train than I was telling the cop what a moron he was and berating him for waiting until *I* handled the situation to then come out and criticize me. So I didn't say anything, I just shrugged and gave him a look of "whatever, moron", and got on the train, and he walked off, smugly self-satisfied that he'd done told the idiot civilian what was right and done his job.

Pfagh. Cop made me so angry for a while on the train.

Does he do that all the time? "Ma'am, I was watching the whole thing, and you really shouldn't let strange men have sex with you - you never know what might happen." Or "When someone mugs you like that, and I watched the whole thing, so I know, you really shouldn't stand so close to them, but should be further away, preferably a block or so. Then they can't get your money. Well, let that be a lesson for ya. Next time, don't get so close to muggers."

"Wow, yeah, I watched the whole thing. You know, if you were waearing kevlar, or had tougher skin, that knife proabbly wouldn't be sticking in your chest. You really have to be more careful when people approach you with a knife like that. Idiot. Well, let me call an ambulance for you, even though you're stupid."

[boobooday]

1. He represents the fear nation

It is very useful to teach people to fear the poor and homeless. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to tolerate their desolation.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Laughing Mirror]

3. How very true what you say

And how very sad, a pathetic heartless society convinced that's the way it is and that's the way it must be.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Yes. And I thought it was rather evident that what the guy wanted

was a connection with a human being who cared about him.

That could be the automatic chaplain response in me... but I think that's all he wanted - was to know that someone cares, and that was evidence in the way he spoke (most of which speaking I didn't include in the initial post).

The city has some truly deranged and psychotically dangerous homeless people, and non-homeless. I have come across some real freaky people that scared me. But most homeless or mentally affected people aren't dangerous - they're just homeless and/or mentally affected, looking for some reconigition from the community that they matter, somehow, to at least one person.

[Kamika]

2. yeah I agree

When a homless guy comes up to you you kinda WANT someone to "rescue you" not come up afterwards and give hints..

I mean if I had the guts I would tell the bum to get out of there but you're scared he'll stab you or something.. that's when you WANT a cop to come. Not when the bum leaves

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Had the cop never shown up, I wouldn't have minded

I wasn't under threat, that I perceived.

It was the fact that he showed up, and admitted he'd watched the whole thing, and didn't try to stop it that bothers me. And then to come tell me I was wrong. Argh. :argh:

[Kat45]

6. A homeless guy came up to me in the subway, talking of suicide

He wanted to give me his daughter's phone number so I could call her and tell her that he killed himself. Believe me, that was scary. Of course, I was thinking, why did he have to come up to *me*. I was afraid he was going to jump onto the tracks. There was no cop or transit worker around, because the platform to wait for the train was elevated, and they were all in the station downstairs. I just talked to him, wouldn't take the number, and got on the train when it finally came. When I got to my station, I reported it to the transit workers so somebody could check on him if he was still at the station. But that sure freaked me out.

[demsrule4life]

7. So you let strangers that are drunk and acting

kind of "paranoic" get close enough to you to give little hugs? Ok...

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. So long as I feel safe, yes

I'd rather be personable than shunning. So I attempt to shoo them away without making them feel like dirt, or angering them. :-)

[demsrule4life]

9. You can be personalbe and polite at arms distance

Advice from a retired cop.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Yes, I realize that

I judge each situation as it arises. I don't need someone else, again, telling me I was wrong. I was not. I was in the situation, I judged it as I saw it, and I went with it, and tried to make a meaningful (and safe) connection to a fellow human being who was there, in front of me, in that moment, and it became a sacred space in our encounter.

Advice from a minister.

In some encounters with people, I have been spooked, and DID move away and end the encounter. Thank God one time when I was near a SERIOUS situation, there was a White Angel nearby (I think that's what they are - the tough people who help patrol the subways) who maintained that situation.

[demsrule4life]

12. I'm just giving advice

Many cops have been killed by missjuding someones mental state and not handcuffing them.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. I don't doubt it

I couldn't handle being a cop, and I'm glad that there are people who are willing to do so.

My cousin was a cop in a small podunk town in Wisconsin, and even there, he had to end a number of hostage situations and deal with being shot at. I've often wondered it isn't probably safer to be a cop in a big city than a small town or village.

[demsrule4life]

15. Here is an incident that happened close to my home town

earlier this month.

http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2004/02/05/updates/updates/c838f3c87ca09d7086256e31005b1580.txt

It is safer being a cop in a small town. The problem is many small town cops get complacent due to lack of danger and when it does come around they aren't ready for it.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

17. No, actually more small-town cops are killed than big city ones

The perception of safety is the key.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. hadn't thought of it that way - yeah, I bet the NYC cops spend

a lot more of their time being keyed up and alert. :-)

Which I'm sure is part of what leads to mis-shootings, like the cop taht killed the kid in Brooklyn a month or so ago, and that's been ballyhooed around in the media and by politicians.

Sad story about the detective. Another cousin of mine is on the detective force of a larger city in WI, though I rarely see him, so I haven't gotten any interesting stories except the cops he has to deal with as the chief (or lt., or whatever management position he's in is called).

Cops get my support pretty much all the way around. A thankless, dangerous job, risking their lives so that people who make a million a year can more safely display their jewels and furs on the subway...

[HEyHEY]

14. I bet it's the wrong thing to do. But,

I've shaken hands with homeless people after talking to them. I wash it right after, but I can't bring myself to turn them away like they weren't people too.

[HEyHEY]

11. Nice to know your police encourage the de-humanization of homeless

People.

Even worse we had a kid drown here once, a cop just stood on shore and yelled instructions to the other kid trying to resuce his friend. The cop was charged and fired.

[Logansquare]

16. Some cops really seem to resent "protecting" citizens

Not all--I know a couple of cops and they are nice guys--but there's always some police who seem to think that if we (white, college educated people) all stayed in the suburbs with our doors and windows barricaded, they would all have a much easier life. Really, when we got burglarized, the young white cop who took our report seemed really pissed off that my husband and I would have the audacity to live in the city, especially in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood. He said "why are *you people* living here?" I read a message board for Chicago city police where one guy was going off on "yuppies" moving in to "bad neighborhoods" and "whining" when they were victimized by crime. I guess they like it better when the poor brown people get victimized, because they can get away with ignoring it! He's just mad at you because you made his life a little more difficult; he actually had to pay attention for a few minutes.