Run-in with ASU-PD part II

Originally posted on my Facebook page on August 8, 2009…

So last night, being a grad student with no social life, I was back at my office until really late. Actually, I guess it was really early since the new day starts at mid-night and all.

Anyway, I left my office at around 2:30 am. No, I'm not an insomniac; I had a plan. My plan was to make myself so sleep-deprived that Saturday night I would want to go to bed really early and I would be well-rested for Sunday morning and I would get out of my recent habit of sleeping late. I've tried this plan before. It doesn't have a great success rate, but I'm no quitter.

So, as I was walking across campus at 2:30 am, I noticed someone walking in front of the business building. Now, there are only two types of people who can be found on that part of campus at 2:30 am: grad students with no social life, and... cops.

So I thought, "Here we go again." I starting thinking of the things I would say to him if I got harassed as bad as last time, but I decided my first option would be to act nonchalantly and keep on walking. As we starting getting closer to each other he said, "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," I responded as I kept walking.

Just as I'm almost past him he says, "Where are you headed?"

As tempting as it is to say, "I'm not doing anything suspicious, so it's none of your business," I decided I would just tell him where I was going and where I came from and maybe he would let me go since I was leaving campus. I said, "I'm headed back to my apartment. I just came from my office in the lab science building."

He said, "Are you a student?"

"A grad student," I said.

"Do you have a student ID."

I came real close to saying, "You want my driver's license, too? You might want to call in the number first, 'cause it takes them a while to run the license number." But I stopped because I realized he did not even ask my name and didn't have a pen and paper out to write down all my info, such as happened last time. Maybe this guy is not real big on giving the third degree.

I gave him my student ID. He looked at it and handed it back. "Just making sure you're a student," he said. "With everything that's gone on we just have to check."

Wow, that's it. He didn't need my address, phone number, SSN, driver's license number, or where I'm from. Works for me.

But the thing is, "everything that's gone on" means two black guys shot someone two weeks ago. I'm still a white guy; I certainly do not fit the description of the suspects. I guess from now on everyone walking across campus after dark will get stopped. Doesn't sound much like a free country, does it? I think I'll send an email to the chief of police.

Oh, and this cop was white...