Cakewalk

Image via Wikipedia“A riot is a spontaneous outburst. A war is subject to advance planning.”- Richard Nixon

Prompt: A story about unrest.
Genre: Open
Word Count: 1500 words (or fewer)
Deadline: Thursday August 18th 2011 8:30 PM EST

  July 4^th, 1971 First week on the job, working third shift patrol out of Harbor City in the LA Strip. I was just starting to feel comfortable as an LAPD cop. After a tour in the marines that took me to Nam as an MP, being a cop so far was a cakewalk. My partner John Robinson, a 10 year veteran had worked the Watts riots in the summer of 1965. He didn't talk much about it. In fact JR didn't say much of anything except to give advice and instruction. We had been briefed before taking the shift that our biggest problem was likely to be drunks out celebrating the holiday.

*

We were out celebrating the holiday. I was with Roy, Steve and Larry. Just a few high school kids hanging out at our usual spot at 2nd Street and the Strand at Hermosa Beach. From there we could see the fireworks from both Hermosa Pier and Redondo Pier. Behind us in one of the houses along  the beach, a pretty good band was playing covers of some popular music, Santana, The Beatles, The Stones. It was a good place to be. The summer sun had just set. Family's had gathered close by to watch the celebration. Folks were setting off their own roman candles down on the beach and the vibe was pretty bitchin'.

*

Got a call from dispatch to assist Hermosa Beach PD with a disturbance. We were to rendezvous with units from Hermosa and Redondo.

“Drunks my ass, kid, LAPD backing up Hermosa, unh unh! this is some serious shit here” Stay close to me and remember we got each other's back no matter what. Got it?”

“Yeah, JR, what do you thinks going down”

“Probably just a few drunks too many that we'll need to help disperse, but this kind of thing can get out of hand real quick”

We got to the rendezvous and were ordered into riot gear. I did what I was told and just stayed with JR as we formed up in the streets and began to make our way toward the beach.

*

About 12:30 the band began to break down their equipment. Some assholes high on something started giving them shit. The bitchin vibe was starting to get nasty. Roy said we should call it a night, a little protest from the rest of us because it was fun and we were a little high ourselves. But yeah it was late. Then a helicopter flew over us with searchlight scanning the strand and the beach. A voice issued from it. “THIS IS LAPD, IT'S BEEN A GOOD NIGHT. NOW IT'S TIME TO GO HOME, PLEASE DISPERSE PEACEFULLY” The searchlight picked up a line of cops in full gear standing shoulder to shoulder from the strand across the beach to the water's edge. I felt my bowels start to let go.

”Let's get the fuck out here”

Steve replied “No I wanna see what happens, “ and the idiot started walking away from the cops line.

Like sheep the rest of us followed I don't know about the other three,  but I was frightened. This was not what I was expecting on the 4^th of July.

*

JR was on my left, some cop I didn't know on my right as we moved north up the beach. There must have have been close to a thousand people on the strand and on the beach. I hadn't heard of any violence as of yet. Really I couldn't even understand why we out there in riot gear. Seemed like overkill. Just folks having a good time. Eventually they would have gone home on their own. Our line started moving north. Then a beer bottle came sailing out of the dark, JR barely got his shield up in time. The crowd was screaming “Fucking Pigs,” “Fucking Pigs” “Fucking Pigs”, more beer bottles were thrown and some idiot even aimed a roman candle our way.

*

As Steve, Roy and I made our way north toward Hermosa pier, the helicopter continued to circle and we saw the cop's strategy. Another police line was moving south to bottle us in and force us off the beach. So at 6^th St we headed out onto Hermosa Avenue. Cop cars were lined up and down both sides of the street, Others lined 6^th St all the way up to the Pacific Coast Highway. We found a wall to sit on while we watched the confrontation. Guys smashing windows of the police cars. Bottles, stones, and bricks were heaved by guys running up toward the line  of cars. Women were screaming all over the streets A block down we saw a cop car get flipped over on its side, a great cheer went up when it did. Chaos everywhere we looked. But no guns. the police were slowly taking control without trying to hurt anyone, I was impressed with their self control.

*

Both police lines came together about 9^th St and turned east up to Hermosa Avenue. It was chaos. people screaming, sirens, cop cars flipped. Bricks, rocks and bottles being tossed at us as we moved up the street. But we held our lines and eventually the streets started to clear.

“How you doin' 'Kid” JR yelled.

“Never seen nothing like this before”

“Aww, this ain't shit compared to Watts, this is just kids letting off some steam” In Watts those nigga's were crazy”

“I can imagine?”

“No you can't, This here is almost over, we're just moppin' up”

We were ordered to begin combing the side streets, if there was fighting, call for backup, otherwise just send 'em home.

*

Next to us in a vacant lot, a women with kids in a VW stuck in the sand. The four of us stopped to help lift it onto the alley next to the vacant lot. We started to head back to the wall but by then there were hundreds of cops, it seemed, swarming Hermosa Avenue. We ran back up the alley and started heading south to where we had parked.

*

JR and I got to 2^nd St. with no incident, just telling people to be on their way. A few arrests had been made but mostly we were just there to disperse the crowd, mostly they left peacefully.

*

Running toward 2nd St. we approached the end of the alley, Just then two cops stepped out in front of us, We quickly put on the brakes.

“You kids are just heading home right?” said the older cop.

“Yeah officer, we just kinda got stuck in the crowd”

“Good don't let me see you again tonight”

“You won't sir.” I said as we took off running again. I was expecting to get arrested but those cops weren't such bad guys. But why were they there in the first place I didn't know. Things didn't start to get out of control until they showed up.

*

JR and I had come to the head of an alley when three high school age kids rounded the corner almost straight into us. I held my nightstick at the ready.

“You kids are just heading home, right” JR said in his deep bass voice.

“Yes officer, we just kinda got stuck”

“Good, don't let me see you again tonight”

" You won't, sir! and they took off running away from the still chaotic streets.
“Nice kid,” I said.

“They just got caught up in an ugly situation”

“Kinda like Nam in a way.”

“No kid, not in any kinda way!”