I needed to go to the bank earlier this afternoon. I went over to a branch on University Avenue instead of going up to North Shattuck as I usually would. Walking down California Street, several blocks from our house, I spotted someone lying on the sidewalk up ahead. This guy. From a distance, I couldn’t tell if it was someone taking a nap, passed out drunk, or hit over the head. When I passed him, a young guy, I called out. He didn’t move. I kicked one of his feet. He didn’t move. So then I decided, not being a big fan of leaving people unconscious on the sidewalk, that I’d call the police. They dispatched an officer who, after putting on a pair of latex gloves and grabbing her baton (whatever happened to “billy club”?), immediately roused the guy, who seemed pretty loaded on something. When I left, she had him on his feet and was going through his pockets, maybe trying to figure out who he was. When I walked back by 20 minutes or so later, they were gone.
One Reply to “Street Scene”
Comments are closed.
When I lived in Chicago, there were several times I happened upon people lying on the sidewalk. One particular time was at the end of a subway platform. Oddly, the very dirty and disheveled person had a wad of hundred dollar bills spilling out of his coat pocket. I sent my girlfriend in search of a cop while I stayed behind to make sure the person stayed safe. As I was reached down to jostle the guy, an unseen voice from the shadows said, “Police! Do not touch that man!” Needless to say, I hightailed it out of there in search of my friend.
I’ve told this story a thousand times and probably even blogged it.