Somewhere DURING the benefit for Appalachia Rising, BEFORE realizing the girl I liked would never like me again, somewhere INBETWEEN being incarcerated and AFTER telling the cops I don't believe its right to surround an eighteen year old girl for questioning with four of their goons who call it their job to be complete ass holes with the right uniform on, I found myself standing face to face with OFFICER GIBBS of the Rutherford County police. He had the glare in his eyes of a cereal killer nearing his victim of bondage. The setting of our confrontation is provided by the house I spent my junior year of college living in, writing in, falling in love in, rarely sleeping in, and a place for just chilling. In the hallway, beside the Bob Marley poster and right underneath Picasso's Skull with a Cigarette, I watched as two police officers rummaged through Bentley's room, a good friend and current occupant of the bedroom, a space I myself use to call home, in order to satisfy the officer's personal greed for punishment. No matter the size of their find or the severity of its strength in judicial society, they searched with all the ferocity of a pig looking for the warmest trash at the bottom of their Summer evening dinner.
Out of all the places for law and order to be upheld in Murfreesboro, Officer Gibbs, and the rest of the Breakfast Club of officers thought there uniforms could best be utilized at a college party put together to raise money for students to travel to DC the next day and attend a protest to help end mountain top removal. Out of all the crimes that circulate throughout our city, these cops decided they could be of best use to the city and its people by harassing kids for drinking on a school night, smoking some pot, and having a good time forgetting we had police officers like Gibbs in our city.
After refusing to leave the scene of the search three times for reasons belonging to my mis trust of the hidden actions of people in uniform and sadness for their ability to weasel into and out of situations that would bring most people of average income to a harsh staring contest with the law, I disobliged on order given to me by a man I do not respect, to turn my head to their search, for this reason and all things illegal I have done in my past that have gone unnoticed, I was arrested for disorderly conduct. Out of all the things I have seen so far in my life, my disobedience was orderly and when the court date comes around It will continue to be so in proper fashion, civilly, and in accordance with the character of a man who respects justice and congruent with conversations of mutual respect and human integrity .
I was handcuffed by an icy pair of metal wrist watches that sucked at telling time. All after Gibbs called me a piece of shit and an ass hole and slamming the door in my face like a twelve year old girl would do, didn't he know that's rude to do in a respectable household. While Bentley's personal belonging where thrown on the ground, while girls where being hit on by bored cops who had nothing better to do but turn their heads while the real crimes of pain and suffering brought on by individuals in this city went unnoticed, while young boys were being shot on the streets that surround the “historical square” of Murfreesboro. A boy named JOSH MCKENZIE was shot two times under the arm a few weeks ago while driving down one of these streets. Shot and killed in his car, murdered by the scum of our society that still linger. A few days later my friend Michael is robbed and the police do nothing, a few days later my friend's bike is stolen, cops do nothing, a few weeks earlier, a friend's computer is stolen, cops do nothing. The story will continue if these officers are aloud to continue as they are.
Again, a few weeks later, a peaceful gathering to celebrate the freedom to worship is surrounded by police officers. Pairs of men sit on the roof tops at every corner of the square, every angle of the court house,looking around for something to call fire about. I didn't know Obama was coming to town or that the police where testing for a hostage situation in case red neck shit hits the fan and flies everywhere. Men on horses ride through the crowd. Blue shirts, stained with the sweat of cops bored in the sun patrol the sidewalk. After two hours the cops still remain but the crowd is inside participating in the meeting. Everyone goes home and the police go on to harass a ten year old boy's birthday party because the pinata's complementary bat came to close to hitting someone.
If our history here in this city is one that mirrors the actions of the police on September 23, then the moments of today must change so that days and years from now we can look back and know that our history is not made up of moments of degradation and punishment but instead of moments that explore the integrity of the individual and the freedoms flowing from the infinite human spirit that absorb the passions and creativity found in our environment and its people.
Police offers can be called men and woman when the stop acting like ass holes and begin doing their jobs like humans who know how to protect and serve. I know some. Some men and woman heroically defend us common folks every day. They were out on the street September 23rd searching for the real bad guys while their lazy co workers filled the hours that night harassing some kids hanging out with their friends.
They took me to jail that night. The story of myself and Bentley mocking a concrete system will continue shortly.
David Kale aka David Smith aka go fuck yourself Gibbs
benefit
