Tales from the Trail #01: Handcuffed from the Start …
In the beginning of my Walk – and for quite a few days thereafter – the long and the short of it all was essentially this: It was HOT – HOT when I departed back on the evening of August 29th – super HOT – crazy HOT – hot & super MUGGY to boot. And so it was that I was very soon drenched in sweat – and this, after only walking for a few minutes into that very first evening! And because of this same discomfort I was extremely thankful when my journey’s very first roadside church (Middle Cross Baptist Church) was very soon spotted alongside my chosen roadway …
Now this particular church happened to have a stone slate front porch, and I was excited to lay down there – intending to cool off awhile before continuing on later that same evening. And yet before I did so, I decided to take one short stroll around the church’s main building to see if there was a bench that I could move to the aforementioned porch to sleep upon. So I made that walk and there was no such bench to be found, so I returned to the aforementioned front porch, carefully placed my meager belongings on the slated ground there, blew up my super-handy travel pillow, and lay down for some well-desired rest.
Well, no sooner than I had indeed cooled down (and had actually became quite comfortable), two Chattanooga police cruisers pulled up to the scene and three officers exited the same. I waved a calm greeting to them all and the first officer asked me what I was doing there. I explained that I was a Peace Pilgrim and that it was too hot & muggy to walk, so I was simply resting calmly on the church’s front porch until things cooled off a bit later in the evening. Thinking this was the end of the matter, I was then most surprised to hear Officer #01 tell me that he was going to have to detain me.
Me: “Detain me?!? For what?”
Officer #01: “We received a report from the church that someone was trying to break in.”
Me: “Oh no, that was just me looking for a bench to sleep on. No worries.”
Officer #01: “Well, I’m going to have to detain you anyway. Turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
Me: ?!?!?!?!?!?
And so it was that I was placed in handcuffs for the very fist time in my life, and this, after only walking ONE MILE of my pilgrimage!
Officer #3 then asked me for my identification and things began to get a bit dicey after I explained that I don’t carry any ID and why. Officers #01 & #03 were clearly taken aback by my brief recounting of what I am doing, how I am doing it, and why I was doing it, and yet Officer #02 was having none of it …
Officer#02: “Give me a break. What is your last name?”
Me: “I don’t have one … I have given it up.”
Officer #02: “Well what was your last name before you gave it up.”
Me: “As far as I’m concerned, that guy has died and his name no longer has any relevance.”
Officer #02: “Well what was that guy’s last name before he died?”
Me: “I don’t mean to upset you or make your life needlessly difficult, but I am not going to state his last name because I do not identify with him anymore and he doesn’t in any way identify me – certainly not while I am on my current Peace Walk.”
Officer #02: “Well how about this: You can either give me your last name or you will be going to jail.”
Me: “Well, even though you quite clearly do not have the moral authority to take me to jail (as I am quite literally not doing anything wrong or harming anyone in any way), I do admit that you certainly do have the power to do so. And you should know straight away that if you try to take me to jail, I will not resist you in any way shape or form, and that I forgive you ahead of time if you do decide to do so.”
Officers #01 & #03 let their mouths fall fully open upon hearing these words, and it was at this point that an openly flustered (and still very gung-ho to incarcerate me) Officer #02 went back to his squad car to radio a superior and ask how to deal with the admittedly odd situation. Now while he was doing so, Officer #01 very politely told me he needed to frisk me for potential weapons. I said that was no problem at all – that Peace Pilgrims don’t carry weapons or believe in using them and that I had nothing (almost literally nothing) at all to hide. And the cool thing about it all was – while Officer #01 was respectfully going through my pockets, he also began very quietly questioning me about my Walk – where I was headed and why I was walking and what I was carrying with me and why I wasn’t using any money or carrying any ID. It instantly made me happy to see that he was obviously moved by the pilgrimage, and I also saw that Officer #03 was listening in on our conversation quite intently – which I thought was pretty cool as well.
Then, just as a still determined Officer #02 was striding back towards me – quite possibly to put me in his car and take me away from The Way – an urgent call came over their radios: a violent crime of some sort or another was apparently in progress nearby. And so they quickly released me from my manacles, told me that I needed to be on my way (or at least move away from the church), wished me well on my Journey, and sped off into the night … And so it was that my very first “witnessing” to The Way of Kindness on this pilgrimage was given to three police officers – all while my hands were cuffed behind my back on a church’s front stoop … 🙂 🙂 🙂
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