So i was sitting on a concrete bench with a few friends in Vancouver at the art gallery, infamous for pot smoking, selling and political protests including 420. I just rolled a drum smoke when the popo park on up on the curb, you know above traffic laws and all that. There came up three of them questioning me about whether I had rolled the mirijuana reefer. I read his badge, (let's say it said) 2422 as he leaned over to sniff three of our cigarettes'. I recognized him immediately along with his buddies from not only last week when they stole my flat right out of my backpack. No sir, it's just tobacco I said as I opened the pack of drum to show him. My hash was burried deep in the pack. His eyes dulled with disappointment as he peered into the pouch. His two henchmen questioned the others. A younger friend of mine held a tall can in her right hand, pulling on the lip between defiant grins. Ofcourse 2422's attention shifted towards her nonchalant attitude. The piggies moved in for the munch down. He called her by name as the other cops silently stoop proud. One stuck his nose in the air and looked to the birds he would be so lucky to have shit on his face as the other watched us intently. I couldn't hear them over the the Robson street traffic they had nearly shut down to hassle us trouble makers. But nothing stops the bustle of tourists and yuppies in peak shopping ours. Well that's not entirely true. Some briefly stopped to cast a judging glance upon us lowlife vagrants, there chins down just long enough to see the trouble. Whatever they spoke of began to upset her and her dog very much, so much so that her sleeping buddy stepped in. Out came my pen, and upon my arm I wrote their badge numbers. Concerned looks cast from the henchmen as there lips repeated to there leader, "He's writing down our badge numbers, he's writing down our badge numbers." Some hushed words were pass between the pig on the left who hadn't been interested in the situation at all only moments earlier and 2422. Over they came. He pointed out the litter between my feet and asked for my name and birthday. Threatening to write me a ticket I retorted that he should find the bandaid I must have applied to leave it's wrapper on the ground. They could tell I was nervous. I gave them my name after he threatened to arrest me for not cooperating. I suspected his bluff but was afraid to resist. I knew what they do to homeless kids. So I gave him my name and the questions began. Cooperation is their key into interogation. Fuck, I thought as he slid his way asking the same question in more than one way so that I became confused and contradicted myself. He had me. He tricked me into lying about frivolous details. Had I talked to cops before? Was I anti-police? Oh and then the big question came, "Are you an Anarchist?" The words echoed around us. Yes, I thought, you fucking bastard piece of shit. No, I said looking straight into his eyes. "You know," he said "I don't care if you report me, I really don't. Why would you want to report me and my colleages? We haven't done anything illegal. We are the law. I don't care if you report me," he repeated. "You know why" I said as I recalled the squealer with his nose in the air throwing a friend of mine down a set of stairs just on the other side of the building. Check it out on film at homelessnation.org. "I wasn't listening," was his reply, then he continued, "Maybe we should seperate them and interogate them." This is the jerk that lives to beat on his arrests I thought. 2422's sad story unfolded as he acted out this elaborate play of how hard it is for him and how he makes $100,000 to fight crackheads and methheads and dealers, to take a way knives that want to stab us, to protect yuppies and there children from reality. Smoke weed all you want he told us, just not here. A friend asked him why they were wasting their precious crackhead fighting time talking to us as a radio call came over. 8 shooters on one cop 3 minutes away. Fair fight they say to each other. He tries to leave but he notices my best friend sitting next me quietly. "What's your name?" he sleazily asks. Bastard, I love that girl, show some respect I think with a pit in my stomach. She tells him her name. And then he gives us the gold. "Today I got to see that you actually a person and not just an asshole," I said sweatly using his name. "What is that supposed to mean?" he exasturbated. But before I replied his buddies started towards the car. "I'll remember you," saying my name as he retreated, defeated. Funny he didn't remember me from last week. "I remember all the people I talk to." As he drove off the tension lifted with an immense sigh. And my friend still held her beer with a grin on her face. And I with three numbers on my arm.