Alexandria (Supplemental)

I'm sitting in front of a cafe next to the VA Square-GMU metro entrance in the middle of Alexandria. There is a middle aged dude in a ratty long sleeved shirt, worn cargo pants and a boonie hat. He's hawking the stairway down to the station with a change cup pacing around the passing politi-yuppies saying "any change for a homeless person? Can a homeless fella get a little respect and love?" Some folks have tossed him change but most just pass him by quickly and uncomfortably. He does look in a bad way, probably been out of work for a while and maybe a casual drunk. But interestingly the man's begging shtick also makes a point. Nobody wants to deal with the guy because they are either too class-consciously guilty to interact with him, they don't want to encourage his begging behavior, they don't trust his intentions, or they dismiss/are ignorant of his circumstances. Even the bums make political statements in this town.

Its interesting, about 2 minuets ago two Alexandria cops, one male and the other female, sat down at the table next to me for a smoke and coffee. As they approached the table they seemed to be discussing some rather Guilty-before-proven-innocent-crook-chasing anecdotes/underhanded bully banter typical of beat cops when they think no one else can hear them. As they took their seats I glanced over just to scan who the voices were and we all three of us caught eyes for a hanging millisecond. I noticed they were local police and they noticed that I was actively writing with pen in hand. Their chat promptly trailed off and slipped into more general and idle topics at lower volume. I was simply writing commentary on this homeless guy's soapboxy performance, but apparently just my passive display of a recording device (however primitive this pen and paper my be) was enough to cause the local Blue's to modify their behavior.

They say that a Government should be afraid of its people, and maybe the suits on the hill really aren't. It seems though, that there is always one good way to scare the Law's long-arm footsoldiers - let them know they're being monitored. All one has to do is watch the watchers. Homeless dude left. Its a shame, I was about to offer him ten bucks just to leave these metro folks alone for the rest of the day. I'm getting on the train back to Fairfax; the beltway still does and always will suck.

For all their R&R demeanor, those cops never really did stop keeping an eye on the metro beggar. Reminds me of that Monet painting.