Saturday evening I was on the SkyTrain with my boyfriend, heading back home from downtown Vancouver. We had just witnessed an incident between an intoxicated man and a uniformed police officer, with his dog and I think about 3 plain clothes officers. The one officer approached the man like he was just having a conversation with him as they were headed opposite ways on the stairs to the platform. Then the officer and his dog started up the stairs following the man. I didn’t think the man was even that intoxicated, it really was nothing out of the ordinary.
Next thing I know the man in question was being swiftly put down onto the concrete platform by a man in plainclothes. 2 other plainclothes officers followed and they shouted at him what he was being arrested for.
I was standing there kind of in shock about how fast they all moved in on something that I didn’t even see a problem with. They told him that he was under arrest for assault, and mentioned something about pushing the officers hand off of him.
It’s crazy to think how many charges are laid against people, and how many times will they actually appear in court?
I remember going to court to deal with a matter from my past, and when I went to go in I had to stop myself. I had my entire life on my back and over my shoulder. Everything that mattered to me was with me, including my meth and my pipe.
I couldn’t go through the security at the court house because they would search my stuff and I was afraid they would take my drugs and charge me again. Also I was pretty embarrassed about my bags of things, and I didn’t want to have to be put on the spot. So I left.
Charges don’t just go away. You need to address each and every single one of them, but that’s hard when there is things happening in your life that prevent you from doing that.
So back to being on the SkyTrain, leaving downtown Vancouver. As soon as we got on the train my boyfriend noticed a man had a fresh little cut on the top of his head. It was only visible because the top of his head was shiny, and hair free. My boyfriend mentioned it to the man, just in case he was unaware that he was bleeding from the top of his head.
He said he hit his head on the cupboard while putting away dishes. We all laughed and that opened the dialogue between them and they started chatting. I was still kind of in shock about how fast the officers acted on a situation that didn’t even look like a situation back at the station, and me and my boyfriend started talking about it. The man got involved in the conversation and then I just faded out and started thinking about random thoughts going through my head. I may or may not have continued with the conversation with them.
My boyfriend continued to talk to this man until he got off at his stop. He stood up and as he was standing he said so matter of factly, that people don’t change.
I stopped with my random thoughts and I just looked at the man, and then at my boyfriend.
The man then said that he had never known an addict or an alcoholic who has changed. People don’t change.
My boyfriend looked at me. I looked at him. I looked at the man. I knew that my boyfriend wasn’t going to say anything, because it’s up to me to own my truth.
The man was just between the seat and the doorway, and I said that wasn’t true. People can change. I changed. I was a meth addict for 12 years, and now I am going to university.
He looked shocked as he continued out the door.
What I should have said to him was that he should get back on the SkyTrain and get off in New Westminster and go to the recovery day event that was happening. He would see lots more people, just like me. Changing their lives.
People can change.