The Cop at the Tea Party

Whew! I'm still pumped! Exhausted and sore, but brewing! I have so much to say about the Albuquerque Tax Day Tea Party, but I'm going to dole it out so you, my dear reader, don't get overwhelmed!

As a volunteer, I helped set up (trying to keep a huge paper banner from being ripped up by the wind as we taped it across the front of the sign in area), collected my badge, t-shirt, and little plastic megaphone (cone). My job as "block captain" meant I was to help monitor our legality -- for example, keeping people from trespassing on private property or keeping driveways open. I had about a block of territory to watch over.

Albuquerque Police were there, of course, keeping an eye on the crowd. Now I have a little soft spot in my heart for APD. I have a good friend whose husband is APD. So when after arriving at my territory and getting people spread out, I spotted the nearest cop, standing back from the crowd, his arms crossed, I went up to him and said, "Hey, I just wanna thank you for being here and helping us out."

The corners of his mouth lifted in a very slight smile and he said, "Thank YOU for being here," a bit stiffly. Then he continued, "Some of us had to work or WE'd be here."

I grinned at what I thought was his meaning. As I walked away, he called out, "Unofficially, of course!"

"Oh, of course!" I replied.