My day started out well yesterday. I was finally catching up on some projects and ready to start new projects. However, just as Mike and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do for lunch, one of our officers called to tell me that our street preachers were back. Ugh!!!
These men go around college campuses all over the country and preach hate in the name of religion. They are basically a paid cult who believe they are sinless and everyone else are evil sinners. They are crude and rude and do a rather good job getting reactions out of people. These reactions, by their estimation, prove their point that people are sinful. They video these reactions and post them online. They can't seem to understand that they are just as or worse than those they are provoking.
Last year, we did not have clear directives or guidance and the police would not help because these men know just how far they can push things without breaking the law. (The police made a presence, but could not stop it or make them leave.) Things got very nasty and some of our students acted very unbecoming and fed right into the hands of these street preachers.
This time, we were prepared. We had discussed what to do should this ever happen again. We may not be able to control the street preachers, but we can control the students. Our job - keep the crowds moving and issue student misconduct citations to any student who talks to, instigates, or does anything unbecoming and that would violate the Belmont code of conduct.
When I arrived, I told the officers there exactly what to do. Keep the crowd moving and issue student misconduct forms to anyone who refuses to obey our directives. 99% of the students were very understanding. I simply went up to them and asked if they had anywhere else to be. I explained that we did not want another incident like last year. If they were not here last year, I told them a little bit about it. I then explained that the best way to deal with these guys is if there was no crowd to preach to. Most understood and quietly left. There were a few who bucked up and ignored us.
I did not mind doing this even though I am not supposed to be out in the sun. I rather enjoyed interacting with the students. One student noticed me from a program in the residence halls a few weeks ago. He asked me what happened to my hair. I told him I was going through chemo and didn't have any hair. That's when I told me how he knew me. I told him that was a wig and that I got tired of wearing the wig. Another student sitting nearby heard this and asked about the cancer. He has a family member going through treatment as well. He asked to see my head. I took off my hat and showed him my bald head. "Bald is beautiful," he said.
What got my blood pressure up were the officers who seemed to be hiding in the back and were not doing as told, being seen, but not helping break up crowds.
One female student I had asked to leave did not want to leave. After talking with her, I told her she could stay as long as she simply listened and did not get involved in any way. She agreed at first. Later, she raised her hand as if to ask a question. When I confronted her, things got nasty for a minute.
She still refused to leave. She was within feet of the preachers. I kept my back to the preachers and spoke softly with her. I was issuing her a student misconduct citation. The preacher heard her side of the conversation and moved in toward us. A man with a camera tried to video us. I kept moving so that my back was to him. The preacher made the comment that women in authority are lesbians. I ignored what he said, but her actions caused a crowd to start forming. The preacher moved closer and stood just behind me on my right, on my gun side.
I tried to continue talking to the student and answer her questions, but I could not ignore this man. I thought he was about to put his hands on me. I was ready to fight back and take control of the situation. My Krav Maga and recent simulation training were running through my head. I was ready for him.
Luckily, my boss, Terry, came to my aid. He pulled her away from the crowd to finish the conversation. By this point, I was rather angry and growing angrier when she tried to deny that I had warned her earlier. I left Terry to deal with her.
Because of that incident, the preachers continued to verbally abuse me and Terry. Still, I knew they were simply trying to get a reaction from me. They were easy to ignore.
However, I was still growing angry. The officer I had a problem with was still not any help. Me, Mike, and Terry had to keep telling him what to do. That should not have happened. He should have done his job after I gave him the initial instructions.
The preachers kept heckling me, telling students I would come for them and get them expelled from school if they talked back to the preachers. I looked over my shoulder at the other officer to see if he would do his job and go break up the new crowd. Nope! So, heckling aside, I did the job.
After several hours of this, he came up to me and made a comment about how I need to take it easy because I should not be in the sun in my condition. I said something to the effect that who would do his job if I didn't. After that exchange, I left. I had had enough! I played the cancer card and called it quits. Truth be told, though, me feet hurt, I was thirsty, and I was concerned about having been in the sun so long. Besides, I was afraid that if I didn't leave and calm down, I would have lost my cool with him or worse, with the street preachers.
Later, I went back and sat inside the Curb Cafe talking with Terry. From where we sat, I could see everything going on outside. To my surprise, the officer I was having issues with was doing his job and it looked like he was doing it well. As I had told Terry earlier in the day, "I know he's capable. I've seen him. I don't understand why he can't do his job!"
It occurred to me later that I was the one to blame. I enabled him. Yes, he is capable, but why should he be the bad guy if I was willing to do it for him?
Since we did not get a chance to have lunch because of the street preachers, Mike, Morgan, and I went out to eat for dinner. I ordered BBQ nachos, something I had never tried at Bar-B-Cuties. They looked good, but they were extremely spicy. I never liked spicy foods and I have been intentionally staying away from spicy since chemo. I won't even go to Popeye's because the chicken and red beans and rice are a tad spicy, even the mild. The doctor didn't say I couldn't eat it, but why bother if I don't like it and if it could make me sick?
However, I'm also very frugal and did not want to waste food. So, I ate it. By the time we got home I was miserable. My stomach was bloated, I had heart burn, and my mouth and throat felt like they were on fire. My body started to ache, too. My feet and hands hurt, and my knees and elbows ached. I finally fell asleep and had some very vivid, off the wall dreams. I blame the spicy food!
This morning, I woke up and felt like I had been beat up. I felt rough! Mike had told Terry he thought I might not feel like working today because of everything that happened yesterday. They all knew I should not have been out there in the sun that long. I told him there was no way I'd stay home. Staying home when I'm not sick would be too depressing. I spend too much time there as it is. That's why I like to go out for dinner and do things on the weekends when I'm not sick. I can't stand being cooped up anymore. I even get psychologically sick when I go to bed at night. I don't want to be in bed. It reminds me of being sick! Feeling beat up and tired is nothing compared to chemo weeks!
So, I came in and had a rather productive day. On my way back to my office from New Staff Orientation, I ran in to Terry and Jason, his boss and the Belmont lawyer. They told me the street preachers were back. He asked if I wanted to go. I said no. I was still feeling the effects of yesterday. He gave me a free pass and agreed that I shouldn't be in the sun again today. Besides, since I only work every other week, I had enough work I needed to get done!
Going to the firing range with some friends tomorrow and then dinner with Brad on Sunday. Hope to get a lot of fun activity out of the house before session eight on Monday. No one is coming into town this time. Brad is going to take me to my appointments and spend the days with me while Mike is at work and Morgan is at school. I have learned that having someone around is vitally important to my mental health!
No comments:
Post a Comment