Open your eyes!

When I was 26 I made friends with some retired cops who worked security for the Sorenstein-Hayes theaters in SF. We'd joke around before my ushering shifts, and they bore witness to the greatest heartbreak of my life. Karl was my favorite. He had rosy cheeks, white hair and a white moustache. He gave me great advice. He taught me how to parallel park. One day, just before the end of the ten year run of Phantom of the Opera at the Curran, he gave me his business card. He was working in the DA's office in Oakland. He told me to be careful out here and call him if I ever found myself in any trouble. He said that I was a good kid, and he hoped that I'd one day go on to be successful at whatever I chose to pursue. I visited the theaters several times after securing gainful employment, but I never saw Karl again. I found his card in my files a few years ago. I knew that he couldn't possibly still be there because he was already an old man when I knew him. I wonder if he's still alive. I wish I had kept the card so I could look him up.

I know that there are more cops out there like Karl than there are bad ones. I wish they weren't all grouped together and demonized as monsters simply because of the career path they've chosen. I don't think that anyone becomes a police officer with the intention of abusing their authority. People are just unpredictable. Some of us end up being evil. If there wasn't such a terrible punishment for whistle-blowing within law enforcement agencies, the bad ones could be easily weeded out. People are not the enemy. Policy is.