I stayed just outside of DC a couple weeks ago. I went into a run-down Dunkin and it was operated entirely in Spanish aside from the cashier knowing just enough English to take orders from people who aren’t fluent in Spanish. I knew enough Spanish to be able to get my order when it was called. As I was leaving, a cop came in and started counting every brown person there. He made a big show of it, too, and people started panicking.

I honestly didn’t know what to do in that situation. I was hungover as hell, broke, and had to drive 5 hours to get home so I could wake up for work the next day. I decided to just hang out and make sure the cop knew that I was watching him. I had my phone out and ready to record if more serious shit started happening. After a few minutes, the cop went back outside to his squad car and I pretended like I totally just happened to be leaving at the same time. When I blatantly eavesdropped on the cop and his buddy in the squad car outside, I heard them laughing about the whole thing. Apparently terroizing immigrants and their families is a fucking game to those bastards.

The patrons of the place cleared out immediately after the cops were gone. I stayed parked at that Dunkin for a good half an hour after everyone who could leave did and nothing else happened.

I have no idea if I should have done something more in that situation. I wanted to tell the cop to get the fuck out of there. I wanted to say some witty shit like “Oh man, I didn’t order ice with my coffee.”

I kinda freaked out internally when I realized what was happening but I couldn’t bring myself to just leave despite my instincts telling me to. So I just made my presence and opposition to the cop known in a way that couldn’t (legally) get me arrested and hoped for the best.