Sep

Mr. Black’s is Raided

Last night, I was dancing at Mr. Black’s. I was enjoying the crowd. Dancing with several guys and saying hi to a few friends I’ve recently made. I think I walked by Baby Daddy who was standing near the DJ booth while I was saying hi to Sammy Jo, the DJ.

Then…the club, Mr. Black’s, was raided. I was there. Saw the whole thing.

I was laughing with a friend. Music was good. It was dark. Then in a quick progression, the lights came one, the music stopped, and the people stopped socializing. Then I saw maybe nine guys and a woman all in dark clothing and NYPD vests moving through the crowd.

I’ve never been in a situation like this but I have had an education on how to deal with law enforcement from both my attorney and the Burning Man community’s documentation. I’m glad I did. While writing this, I also found good information on What to Do If You’re Stopped by the Police at the New York Civil Liberties Union. In short, stand up for your rights and don’t answer any questions other than provide your name and identification. Do not consent to a search; yet at the same time don’t resist to one. Law enforcement officers are specifically trained to ask leading questions which can lead to an arrest…even if you have done nothing wrong. It is their job to find or create evidence and situations that seem to demonstrate that people break laws.

Nothing wrong with this. Its not evil, it just is…and you have to deal with it. It’s just our imperfect system created by imperfect humans.

So while my friend was terrified, I was completely engaged and interested to watch the whole thing. Once an officer came over and warned us not to whisper (which we were not…we were talking at normal levels) because he said it would make them, the officers, paranoid. I did not change my behavior, we continued to talk. I considered walking up to an officer and asking them what I was trained to ask, “Am I being arrested or am I free to go?” But truthfully, I was far too interested and wanted to stand there and watch the whole spectacle.

So I did. I saw several escorted out in handcuffs: a host, a few patrons, even Sammie Jo, the fantastic DJ. Argh! Occasionally, the officers would point their flashlights and look at the floor; probably searching for drugs. I don’t know if they found anything or not.

I’ve heard first hand from senior police officers around the country that, “You can not protect someone from themselves. Suicide prevention and the war on drugs are both a lost cause.” An officer can get in between two people to stop a fight, but they can’t get “in between” a person that wants to use drugs. Or stop anyone from committing suicide. So regardless if these NYPD officers found anything, it is futile. They are instead, going through the motions doing their blind-to-the-results enforcement job. Its hard to fault them for that. Now the legislature…they’re the ones at fault. They’re redirecting precious money at lost causes.

Back on topic though…eventually the officers started letting out five people at a time. I didn’t force my way. I wanted to watch. We waited as the crowd slowly moved towards the exit stairs and finally was allowed up.

Once at street level, I was put in a line and immediately they started searching me. No questions. No asking for permission. I immediately told them, “I do not consent to a search.” They said, “I don’t care, I’m doing one anyways.” I didn’t resist as that might be construed as illegal.

They put their hands in my pockets emptying them, searching the contents, and continued patted me down all over my body. I did nothing illegal and had nothing illegal on me. After the full search, an officer took me aside and told me to sit down on the ground. I did. He asked me how long I’ve been in New York City and why I’m here. I told him a few weeks and I was deciding if I want to live here. He then took an aggressive forceful position of questioning. They were leading questions intended to entrap me.

He asked me if I knew there is a limited time for me to be in New York without getting a New York license. I told him I’ve been instructed by council not to answer questions like that. He didn’t like that answer.
He asked did I know that is illegal to be in a location that is serving liquor past 4am. I said I hear you. He didn’t like that answer either.
He asked do I understand what he’s saying and am I going to answer the questions. I told him thank you for saying these things and I acknowledge that I hear them.

I neither agreed or disagreed with anything while speaking with him. I know that his job is to pressure people and get them to admit something; even if it is extorted, construed, contrived, or imagined. People say crazy things when they are being pressured in situations like that.

Oh…and any law which requires a person to be omniscient and able to know everything that is happening everywhere in a location (4am drinking) is just plain stupid. And if needed, I would take it to court. But in this case, the officer let me go on my way; a wise choice on his part.

So my friend and I walked home to the subway, talking of the experience and hoping the best for those taken out in handcuffs.

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