Saturday August 26, 2000.
I am enjoying the warm summer night and strolling along a popular boulevard. The sounds of music and foreign languages come and go in waves. I pass by clubs and people, all dressed up with places to go. A buzz of energy abounds and the mood is festive, but that ends as we encounter the police checkpoint. Police cars block the two lane street, officers stop every car, some people are asked for documentation, some cars are searched and most are told to turn around. Other police officers line the sidewalk near the checkpoint. Private security lurch outside many of the night clubs. Often we are told to “Keep moving”, especially when caught walking too slowly or stopping to take a picture.
This is the latest entry in my journal. My journal consists mostly of my travel experiences, replete with many encounters with the law and the lawless.
In India the police searched our trunk and collected a “donation”. In Mozambique I narrowly avoided arrest for video taping near an airport. I have survived soccer riots in Brussels and Martial Law in Ecuador during their border war with Peru.
So the location of my latest encounter? You would not be surprised if I told you this checkpoint was in China or Iraq. By now we all know such things are common in much of South America and elsewhere. I am curious to find out how many people would be surprised to learn that it was closer to home. A lot closer. In my case, it was my home, Hollywood, California U.S.A. The world famous Sunset Strip to be exact.
If you are not surprised or concerned, you should be. America too often seems to be on the verge of becoming a Police State so methodically that we have come to expect such scenes in our streets. The excuses have been pounded into our consciousness; the Drug War, illegal aliens, sobriety checkpoints, fear of protesters and on it goes. Now in Hollywood cruising or even walking too slowly is cause to be inconvenienced or harassed. If the goal is to stop people from driving on a public street, then I suggest making it pedestrian only and free up the police to go out and “Protect and Serve” where they are needed.
Ironically, while I passed by a line of police officers, a “Robbery in Progress” call blared out from their radios. I wondered what was becoming of notions such as Personal Liberties and Pursuit of Happiness. I could not help but to wonder what the many tourists were thinking. The people that were being robbed were likely wondering where the police were when they needed them.
I don’t presume to have all the answers but I do know where many of the police were last Saturday night. They were conducting military style checkpoints on Sunset Blvd!
