Central District Chameleon (start 1)

((need 2000, missed a few days!))

1972, Seattle, WA

On the beat, South 52nd and Rainier.  A cop car pulls into a street parking spot, siren and lights off, in front of a dive bar named "Bulldog".  The white officer steps out of the driver's side door.  He is over six feet tall, but not by much.  Athletic build, in his mid-thirties, but he walks with some experience.  A younger, black officer steps out of the passenger door.  He is shorter and heavier than his partner, but looks fit and carries his weight well.

It is a typical early June night in Seattle--wet and in the high 50s.  A call had come into the station from the Bulldog, two drunks having a fist fight out back.  Usually the owner, Rufus, would let the drunks settle their disputes, but he had started to hear glass shattering, and after an eventful Memorial Day weekend, he didn't need to have any additional fun.

The two cops walked into the bar, and Rufus nodded them in the direction of the alley exit.  A quick scan of the bar showed that everything was in order, not many patrons on a Sunday evening of the three-day weekend, only the diehards.

In the alley, the cops found one man lying down along the back brick wall of the bar, holding his blood-soaked white t-shirt to his forehead.

"Mind telling us what you're doing out here in the rain, sir?" The white officer asked.

"Mother fff... fucker hit me with a bottle!" said the man.

The white officer took a step back from the man as the smell of alcohol made him cock his head back.

"Who would that be?" said the black officer.

"What?  I don't... I don't know his name.  We did... we didn't!  We didn't exchange... pleasantries." the man said, as he made a poor attempt at a bow while slurring his last word.

"Did he run off somewhere?" the white officer asked.

"Yeah, he ran that way." the man said, waving his left arm to the south.

"I'll check it out." said the black officer.

The white officer studied the scene for a minute, eventually reaching down and picking up an object.

"So, any reason why this other fella decided to hit you with this thing?" he said, holding the largest remaining portion of a Budweiser beer bottle.

"How am I supposed to know?  Big black fucker just didn't like me, I guess.  I didn't like him either, but shit!"

"Mind telling me what happened?"

"I was talking with Rufus about how bad the Supersonics played this season, about how we ought to get a new coach.  All of a sudden, this big black son of a bitch appears out of nowhere and fucking asks me if I want to take it outside.  I had a couple Buds in me, didn't quite size him up yet, but next thing I know we're out here and I've got a two inch gash in my head."

"Hmm.  When Officer Johnson gets back, why don't we take you in to Harborview and get you patched up."

"Yeah, sure."

Darius Johnson walked a few hundred feet down the dimly lit alley, not hoping to find much of anything.  He didn't expect the other drunk to hang around after shattering a beer bottle on someone else's head.  A dumpster overflowing with garbage and cardboard boxes was the only interesting thing in this alley.  He pulled open the lid for a quick inspection, but nothing out of the ordinary.  He walked back to his partner.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." Officer Johnson responded.

"Alright, let's get Slick here patched up."

As they walked back through the bar, the white officer asked Rufus a question.

"So, what did you think about the new coach idea Slick here suggested?"

"Probably right, probably right.  The Sonics need to do something.  That was probably what got George all riled up, when Ernie here started bad-mouthing Lenny." Rufus said.

"George the name of the other fellow in this little scuffle?" the white officer asked.

"Yes sir, first time I seen him."

"And Lenny?"

"Oh, Lenny Wilkins, Ernie doesn't particularly like the idea of having a black as a coach of the Sonics.  Me, well, I guess I think he's a better player than a coach, should probably just stick to playing ball.  Pity we can't afford a coach." said Rufus.

"Ah, yeah.  Well, we're going to drop off our new friend at Harborview and then call it a night."