EVERYONE'S Got Jokes These Days

9:32am.

That's when my eyes popped open this morning. Two minutes after Alternative Side Of The Street Parking went into affect. A minute later, I'm pulling on my sweatpants and shirt. 9:35am I'm on the street, happy that I parked so close to my entrance. And who do I see?

The little police buggy backing up to my lone, 5-mins. illegally parked car. I get up to him and knock on his window and show him my keys and point to my car. He opens his window and says, "Don't rush, now. Be careful. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

There was no humor in his voice at all. I was taken off-guard. I told him that wasn't the case--I had just come out of the apartment building a few steps away...

He says, "I know. I saw you running down the street. I wouldn't want you to twist an ankle." Then he rolled up his little window and putted away, ticket unwritten.

Sarcasm?

You know what he was saying, right?

He was calling me lazy.

That sanctimonius prick. I'm sure he was the one who has systematically ticketed my car and has driven me towards the desire to sell it, rather than ante up all these ticket charges.

I mean come on--FIVE FREAKING MINUTES and I'm LAZY? He don't know me. He don't snore in my face or pay my bills--where did he get the right to judge?!!

Oh, wait. I guess I've acknowledged that I can and have been a little lazy in life. BUT HE DON'T KNOW THAT!!!! And yes, my car is an unwashed mess (dirtiest on the block, I noticed today as I raced to move it).

Ouch.

*sigh*

Anyway. I did avoid a ticket today. He must have figured that if he wasn't going to get his jollies one way, he might as well get them another. Still, I'm not ready to chalk him up as one of New York's Finest.

And yes, he was a white guy. They are allowed to be sarcastic if they want, but it hurts just ever so slightly more when a white person calls a black person lazy. And he was old enough to know better. It just paints a picture in my mind of all the talk flying around the precinct about us in the neighrhood and how "us people" don't do this and "us people" aren't good for that, etc, etc. Things I myself think of as I go to and fro, watching my people and listening to them hollering up and down the street about their welfare checks and their Section 8's.

But I'm not a cop. I'm not sworn to protect these people.

Well, he didn't give me a ticket.

That's something, I suppose. (3290)

Me at 12/17/2004 09:43:00 AM

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