Man, yesterday was a really really weird day. I don't know if it had to do with the weather, which is been abnormal for this time a year of year, with storms coming from the south instead of north. But something's been going on in Portland.
Ill you start with a couple little circumstances. First, I was crossing a four-lane rather busy street in the rain with the walk signal, and a woman waiting to turn right for me to cross the street was rear ended heavily by a truck. I had to run out of the way to avoid being hit by her as she was pushed forward.
Both she and the driver of the truck pulled over to the side of the road and I walked up to her car to see if she was OK. She was panicking, crying, and explained that her head hurt. So I walked back to the truck to see what the driver was doing, and I recognized him. He was a patient at one of my methadone clinics. He was always very high whenever I saw him, and. I was quite surprised to see him behind the wheel of a vehicle or even owning one for that matter, if it was actually his. He was obviously extremely loaded at this time and even directly after an accident appeared to be nodding.
The woman was on the phone to the police, I was the only one that stopped and remained on scene to give a statement. When the police finally arrived and asked the guy to get out of the truck he fell directly down on his ass on to the wet pavement-it was shameful to watch. With a quick search they had loaded up one of their giant Ziploc bags with several pill bottles and other accoutrements of a junkie. I'm pretty sure the guy was passed out cold at the wheel when he hit her because there was no sound of squealing brakes or skating on pavement or anything.
So anyway, they loaded him up and took him off and I went on about my way and walked up the street a little bit further and waited for the bus. Bus came by, and I got on and that's when this part of the story began.:d
Couple miles down the road, and a group of unruly young guys get on carrying pizza and open beers. The driver was actually being pretty cool and simply told them to pour the beers out and he would allow them to continue riding.
One of them got very upset, and even know he had it in his hand denied having an open container and started yelling at the bus driver and getting in his face. The kid got off the bus and then for some reason gets back on and throws a punch at the driver! And then continues to get up in his face.
It wasn't a full bus, and the other passengers were mostly older women. So me and my incredible stupidity decide to get up and see if I can assist the driver in anyway. I call the kid out to get his attention and the kid comes at me and throws a punch at me as well. Really nothing but a little sissy slap, and then after a little bit of posturing between the both of us he left the bus and took off with his buddies.
So now, I'm involved in this one. And have to wait for the police to arrive to give a statement to them, as well as the bus company. Fun times. So i sit around BSing with the driver for a while who is actually a pretty funny guy, finally the cops come.
These guys are dicks, and I actually think one of them had arrested me at some other point in time. The news comes down that the guys who were on the bus have been arrested. So now they need to be IDed. And I'm told that I'm going to have to ride in the back of a police car to go do this.
Blood pressure goes through the roof, I began shaking and all the sudden remember an old old fine I owe three counties away. I begin to get scared that they're going to run my name, find out I have a warrant in this county, arrest me and I'm going to be in transport for the next week and then possibly incarcerated. So the driver goes first two ID this guy, and I walk over to the cop and tell him that I don't want to press charges on the guy for punching me, which I didn't, and ask if the ID of the driver is sufficient as I have to go to "work". They say that's OK and I give them my information and quickly leave. They did heavily guilt trip me for doing so though.
So today, when I saw my boss, I told him about the situation and he and I are going to go show up in court on Monday and see if I can pay off a little bit on that fine to prevent having a warrant put out for my arrest. Cleaning up wreckage from the past, somethings just can't be avoided. After Monday, if you guys don't hear from me for a while...
I'm pretty sure that court devours money and knows that a guy in a cell can't pay them anything so would be happy to take a check from my boss and a promise of future payment, though. I have a job in which there is a very good possibility of coming into contact with them quite frequently, and I don't want to have any issues with them on paper so that could ever be a problem.
So, I may of been not directly involved in the jailing of these two guys, but instrumental. And I got to say I really don't feel bad about it, both of them were completely and totally out of line. I guess the experience just reinforces my belief that you never know what you're going to get when you call the police. They may actually help you, or you yourself may be the one ending up being harassed by them. I don't think because they were effective in both the situations that they will be called by me should anything but a very violent circumstance arise and I'm just glad I didn't end up behind bars just from being in close proximity to them.
Ill you start with a couple little circumstances. First, I was crossing a four-lane rather busy street in the rain with the walk signal, and a woman waiting to turn right for me to cross the street was rear ended heavily by a truck. I had to run out of the way to avoid being hit by her as she was pushed forward.
Both she and the driver of the truck pulled over to the side of the road and I walked up to her car to see if she was OK. She was panicking, crying, and explained that her head hurt. So I walked back to the truck to see what the driver was doing, and I recognized him. He was a patient at one of my methadone clinics. He was always very high whenever I saw him, and. I was quite surprised to see him behind the wheel of a vehicle or even owning one for that matter, if it was actually his. He was obviously extremely loaded at this time and even directly after an accident appeared to be nodding.
The woman was on the phone to the police, I was the only one that stopped and remained on scene to give a statement. When the police finally arrived and asked the guy to get out of the truck he fell directly down on his ass on to the wet pavement-it was shameful to watch. With a quick search they had loaded up one of their giant Ziploc bags with several pill bottles and other accoutrements of a junkie. I'm pretty sure the guy was passed out cold at the wheel when he hit her because there was no sound of squealing brakes or skating on pavement or anything.
So anyway, they loaded him up and took him off and I went on about my way and walked up the street a little bit further and waited for the bus. Bus came by, and I got on and that's when this part of the story began.:d
Couple miles down the road, and a group of unruly young guys get on carrying pizza and open beers. The driver was actually being pretty cool and simply told them to pour the beers out and he would allow them to continue riding.
One of them got very upset, and even know he had it in his hand denied having an open container and started yelling at the bus driver and getting in his face. The kid got off the bus and then for some reason gets back on and throws a punch at the driver! And then continues to get up in his face.
It wasn't a full bus, and the other passengers were mostly older women. So me and my incredible stupidity decide to get up and see if I can assist the driver in anyway. I call the kid out to get his attention and the kid comes at me and throws a punch at me as well. Really nothing but a little sissy slap, and then after a little bit of posturing between the both of us he left the bus and took off with his buddies.
So now, I'm involved in this one. And have to wait for the police to arrive to give a statement to them, as well as the bus company. Fun times. So i sit around BSing with the driver for a while who is actually a pretty funny guy, finally the cops come.
These guys are dicks, and I actually think one of them had arrested me at some other point in time. The news comes down that the guys who were on the bus have been arrested. So now they need to be IDed. And I'm told that I'm going to have to ride in the back of a police car to go do this.
Blood pressure goes through the roof, I began shaking and all the sudden remember an old old fine I owe three counties away. I begin to get scared that they're going to run my name, find out I have a warrant in this county, arrest me and I'm going to be in transport for the next week and then possibly incarcerated. So the driver goes first two ID this guy, and I walk over to the cop and tell him that I don't want to press charges on the guy for punching me, which I didn't, and ask if the ID of the driver is sufficient as I have to go to "work". They say that's OK and I give them my information and quickly leave. They did heavily guilt trip me for doing so though.
So today, when I saw my boss, I told him about the situation and he and I are going to go show up in court on Monday and see if I can pay off a little bit on that fine to prevent having a warrant put out for my arrest. Cleaning up wreckage from the past, somethings just can't be avoided. After Monday, if you guys don't hear from me for a while...
I'm pretty sure that court devours money and knows that a guy in a cell can't pay them anything so would be happy to take a check from my boss and a promise of future payment, though. I have a job in which there is a very good possibility of coming into contact with them quite frequently, and I don't want to have any issues with them on paper so that could ever be a problem.
So, I may of been not directly involved in the jailing of these two guys, but instrumental. And I got to say I really don't feel bad about it, both of them were completely and totally out of line. I guess the experience just reinforces my belief that you never know what you're going to get when you call the police. They may actually help you, or you yourself may be the one ending up being harassed by them. I don't think because they were effective in both the situations that they will be called by me should anything but a very violent circumstance arise and I'm just glad I didn't end up behind bars just from being in close proximity to them.
