From the Front Porch at Manna House

From the Front Porch at Manna House

From the front porch at Manna House, you can see a lot, and learn even more.  With the weather a bit warmer today, a number of us were out on the front porch talking.  A car pulled up in front of the house.  A woman got out and started yelling, “There’s a woman in your house that hit my car with her purse and threw a pickle jar at me. And I’m going to call the police.”  She proceeded to make her call.

            “What does she look like?” I asked.  Certainly we don’t want to be a place that hides pickle jar throwers.  She gave me a description.  I invited her in to look. She said “That’s the one,” and pointed to a guest, who I’ll call “Jill.”  I invited Jill to come outside so we could get the whole thing addressed.  As we left the house, the woman flagged down a police car that had apparently responded to the call.

            The police officer talked with the woman, and then turned to Jill.  Jill was clear that the woman was at fault.  She had almost hit her when she was trying to cross the street.  Jill said, “It was self-defense.”

            Meanwhile, two more police cars arrived with more officers.  One of the officers was with the Crisis Intervention Team (C.I.T.), which means he’s been trained to work with people who struggle with mental illness.  I’m glad he was there.  He calmed down the original officer who was clearly getting more and more agitated with Jill, telling her sternly at one point, “Don’t tell me how to do my job.  You’re about to get arrested if you keep that attitude.”

            Another officer got the woman in the car to drive off.  She reluctantly left as he assured her they’d take care of the situation.  Jill was not arrested, and the officers drove off after about another thirty minutes.

            This all led to a discussion of what had happened in Los Angeles yesterday when officers there shot and killed a homeless man who seemed mentally ill.

“I thought Jill was going to be in big trouble until C.I.T. came.”

            “That one cop was getting pretty angry.  I’m glad they didn’t shoot her.”

            “Things can get out of control pretty quick.”

            About an hour later, a police car came through the intersection of Claybrook and Jefferson, just down the street from Manna House.  The car stopped next to a woman who was crossing the street.  She had been at Manna House earlier that morning and had signed up for a shower.  She certainly has mental health issues. A police officer got out of the car.  They exchanged a few heated words, and then he quickly grabbed the woman, threw her to the ground, and handcuffed her.

            “They got her for an open container,” one of the guests said.

            “He didn’t need to do her like that; just give her a citation, that’s what they do to me,” said another.

            “He must have been bored.”

            This led to one guest reflecting on the times he’s been arrested and beaten up by the cops.  Given his stories, it has been a rather regular occurrence.

            He said, “Some cops just like to make you hurt for putting them through the trouble of arresting you.  They get you on the car, and as they handcuff you, they twist your arm real hard hoping to make you struggle so they can hit you.”

            You can see a lot and learn even more from the front porch at Manna House.