Last night, walking through a 24 hour gas station for some coffee (the only retail establishments in Berkeley open past 2am), some Berkeley cops hanging out, shooting the shit with each other...
".. sounds like y'all are just relaxing on the beach."
"HEY!! Its quiet, its Berkeley. You know the old saying - they pay us for what we have to do, not for what we dont do."
"Yeah, I know - my pops was a cop."
"Oh yeah??? How come you didnt become a cop too. You look like you are - or couldve been.."
"Heh. My father said he'd shoot me if I became one."
"Oh. Well, I think you made the right choice.."
I bid them goodnight and went for my coffee..
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This morning, a lady who is a buddhist-used bookseller-hippie ran up to me from the homeless food shareout in the park from City Hall.
"Why are you taking the pictures? What paper are you working for?"
Oh lord, the "Are you a cop" question.
"Im taking them for myself..."
"Oh, well the folk think that you might be with the government or something."
"Tell 'em no, Im not."
Turns out the Catholic food program is primarily funded by a guy now doing time in a federal prison for trespassing on federal property during a protest.
He's a hero in Berkeley.
And yeah, I look like a cop.
Oy.
This is getting old.
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