SATURDAY MORNINGS TOOK a turn for the bizarre on the 9th February, when, as four morning volunteers preparing the weekly Saturday breakfast at Kebele Community Co-op cafe were met by a pair of plods and attendant member of the public, whose i-phone was apparently stolen the night before. The police claimed that they tracked the phone to the whereabouts of the social centre/the surrounding area/they can actually track the phone moving around inside – choose whichever one you wish to believe, and they demanded entry to search the building. The police’s various accounts differed when individually questioned. The key detail is that the cops had no warrant for entry, and so the volunteers politely refused; the police then threatened criminal damage to the property.
As 20-or-so Kebele supporters turned up over the next 10 minutes, they were preceded by a few police cars and a C.C.T.V. van’s worth, full of police, which only increased in number as the morning went on.
Whilst this was all happening, there were attempts made by the gathering crowd and volunteers to find a compromise, allowing the individual to come inside and search for his missing phone, without accompanying police – as their presence would breach the centre’s Safer Spaces policy. The police refused the offer, leading to an hour-and-a-half of strange standoff: instead, police stated that “We don’t talk to members of the community.” They refused to speak to anyone but the volunteers within, through the letterbox, and eventually all left to attend another call – apparently deciding there was no crime taking place after all?
Then the individual claiming the stolen i-phone came inside for a coffee, but decided not to bother looking for his phone, and refused any help to do so, as his phone ‘was on silent anyway’.
Whilst we here at the Mutineer disapprove of the role of the police as hired thugs of the rich and the powerful in the status quo, and look forward to a society of mutual aid and without oppression, it warms our heart to know that, should we ever lose any our property in a public building or shop, like McDonalds or Starbucks or what-have-you, we will be able to instantly call on a small private army to come help us kick down the door, no questions asked. The world is hence a safer place.
One benefit to all the melodrama though, was that a lot more people turned up for Kebele breakfast than normal, and much funds were raised!
So it was nothing too serious at the end of the day, but the golden question about the whole thing is: what was this really all about?
