So I've had a decent week handing out resumes and trying to find a new job. I figured tonight was Saturday, and I did not feel like wasting it at home. So a friend and I decided to go to renegade rave up north a bit in a (apparently very dull) little town called Novato.
Once we parked, we had to walk about half a mile to get to where the rave was; it was a few hundred yards from any freeway, in a gravelly area on a hill under some trees. There were some industrial zones nearby, no houses or anything. It was a pretty low-key affair as far as raves go; 20-30 people, music that is plenty loud but not unreasonably so, some neat little light toys and stuff. It had such a lovely, clean vibe; everybody there was enthusiastic and friendly. Free water too. And they were spinning some mean psytrance. My friend and I stood in the front dancing for an hour or so. We smoked a bowl while we were at it. All in all, it was just starting to get great when...
The cops come. They rounded up absolutely everybody, gave everybody sobriety tests. They called for backup (five or six cruisers and an SUV in all), make a huge deal out of it. It takes hours for them to do their stupid light-in-your-face routine to everybody. I admitted to having smoked some pot a couple hours before and still having a little bit on me. When my friend and I got our pulses checked, we were above the resting rate, and made to sit down with the rest of the "above resting rate" folks. They told us that yes, our pulses are above resting rate, and that we'd better chill out, because if we're not at resting rate when they check us again we must be on something.
What?
My friend had the unmitigated gall to point out that pulse isn't a very good way to verify the presence of drugs, that we're all cold and shivering, some of us have to piss. He was smart enough not to mention that most people are put somewhat on edge by being made to sit for hours waiting for a verdict from a few pigs stuffed in uniform. The cop basically told him to shut up or he'd be in cuffs.
I was one of the first to get my pulse re-checked, and I guess I possess whatever level of zen mastery is necessary to force my pulse down while I'm shivering my balls off, being given another sobriety test, and wondering if I'd get in trouble for my weed and pipe. But they let me go, just like that, no search, no confiscation.
The rest of that group and my friend were not so fortunate. Everybody was hauled off except for myself and a few others. I met up with two on the walk back to the parking lot, turns out they had 300 ecstasy pills and one of them was rolling balls, but managed to get away with it by telling them his pupils were massive because it was dark and his pulse was fast because he had a heart condition. I have no idea how they got away with 300 pills, but they pulled it off.
Again: what?
These cops are the biggest fuckups on the planet. My friend just went to jail because his pulse was above resting rate. He had no drugs on him, he had smoked if anything less pot than I had, and I was the one who was going to be driving anyway. But they threw him in jail.
I thought it was unreasonable when I was in the drunk tank sober as a judge for nine hours, but I'd actually been drinking earlier that night. This is much worse. My friend just got fucked for literally no reason.
Felt like venting. The night started off great, turned to shit. I just feel sorry for my friend, he's much worse off than I am even though if anything I was guiltier. I feel like I fucked up his weekend.
Has anybody else been to the tank for a pulse above resting rate? This seems like the biggest crock of shit I've ever seen spewed by some cops, and that says a lot. Was this even legal?
-------------------- Enlil said:
You really are the worst kind of person.
Edited by Tchan909 (07/20/08 05:57 AM)
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