i have experienced a lot of personal horrific police violence in my life, but somehow, the incident that stands out to me as most emblematic of how the police are wholesale a gang of ridiculous unchecked bullies who are hopped up on their own power was not 'violent' at all. (1/?)

this was years ago, in chicago with my at-the-time partner and still dear friend. i was probably 19 at the time? we were poor af, very queer presenting, to the world looked like a lesbian couple back then. (2/)

one night we were going out for a late night snack run. just down the corner store. no big deal. i grabbed some cash and we headed out to pick up soda and chips. (3/)

on the way back to our apartment, a block from home two pigs stopped us. no actual reason, i guess they saw some queer women and decided to get their harassment on. they were like, why are you out after curfew? and we said we were both adults. (4/)

they didn't believe us or maybe they just wanted to keep us there a while. they were making a lot of gross sexually charged comments and implying we were out hooking and they would arrest us. (5/)

mind you a moment before they claimed they thought we were underage, so what that says about them to immediately go on to leer/sexually harass us, and if they genuinely thought we were involved in sex work as kids they had no concern but for arresting. (6/)

they demanded (while still making very sexually intrusive comments) we prove we were of age. my partner had their passport on them by way of id; i had no id on me. (7/)

they were clearly in a mood to make life tough for a while so i said my apartment was literally up the block and i could text my housemate to run my id down. they said if i went for a phone they'd consider that a threat. i did not reach for my phone. (8/)

meanwhile, they've taken my partner's id back to the car presumably to run their name or whatever. still just keeping us there zero reason. making uncomfortable commentary about our bodies. etc. (9/)

after a stressfully long time they return the id and let us go home.

on my partner's passport, they have taken a sharpie marker and drawn devil horns and blacked out their teeth.

like what kind of childish third graders with guns and badges. (10/)

it's the only id they have. it makes life a difficult mess for a while. we are, again, broke af, and replacing it, not an easy question.

meantime though, being young & naive, we also file a complaint with the police department about the behavior of the officers that night. (11/)

made a full proper report, submitted it with pictures of the passport and all. we didn't think nothing world happen to the officers but were hoping maybe get some help replacing the id.

naive, again.

anyway we file, life goes on. (12/)

months later, we finally get word back from the cops. a letter. they've investigated our complaint, it said, and -- the investigation found our report to be true and accurate! amazing. guilt 5 substantiated, they actually believed us about what happened. (13/)

... the letter then goes on to say that however no action or compensation will be taken because UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES the officers actions were found to be necessary and appropriate. (14/)

please remember that the actions in question was drawing sharpie devil horns on someone's passport.

necessary and appropriate. (15/)

in the intervening years ive experienced WAY worse violence at the hands of the cops. lost family to em. been thru much worse, trauma-wise. (16/)

but somehow for the sheer wtf absurdity, for highlighting how clearly it is a pure joke to pretend the police are anything more than bullies invested in protecting their own power, that incident stands out. (17/)

i would love the cop bootlickers who are always trying to pretend that we bring our own deaths upon ourselves and violence is necessary try and explain what situation absolutely NECESSITATES a cop drawing childish vandalism on someone's passport. wild. (18/18)