I was a 16 years old kid back then, going to a local band's show at a city near Jerusalem with one of my best friends at the time.
We decided to smoke a joint before the show at some remote and isolated street corner. We were chilling and smoking, and all of a sudden a police jeep entered the street. My friend got up and started running, and I was thinking to myself that running away is suspicious, but he was already running so I might as well do the same.
While running I did my best to finish the joint, thinking that if I'm gonna get arrested tonight, I might as well be high as fuck in the process. My friend stopped running at some abandoned warehouse, I got there as well, finished the joint and threw the roach away.
The jeep and another cop car came, some cops got out and started questioning us, searching the area and searching on us. They have even made my friend strip down. Eventually they have found the roach and made a fuss upon it. Then they called for backup.
We found ourselves, two 16 years old kids with a fucking roach, facing 2 jeeps, 3 normal cop cars, and something like 10+- cops with a fucking M16. I remember myself checking the area, maybe they have found a dead body or something, but no - only the damn roach.
At some point I took initiative and went to talk to the cop who seemed like he is the one with the most authority over there. I told him nicely that I will answer any of his questions with no fuss and will come with them peacefully, but I nee to have his word of honor that none of this night's events will ever reach my parents' ears. He gave me his word then I asked again "Do I have your word, as a police officer of the law, as the representative of the state of Israel, that my parents will know nothing of that?". He told me I have his word, not only as an officer and representative of the state, but also as a man of honor.
I believed him. Back then I was just an innocent brainwashed kid, who believed the "state's" propoganda.
So I told him I was smoking a joint here and that's it. They took me and my friend over to the station for the interrogation, we waited a bit then I entered the interrogator's office. She immediately asked me for my parent's phone number. Calmly I explained her how that cop gave me his word on that topic but she said, rudely, that the law states that minors cannot be interrogated without the presence of one of their parents.
I looked at her for a moment, completely shocked, then ran out, found the cop who gave me his word and asked him "Why?? You knew the fucking law, WHY would you give me your fucking word on that?!?!". He looked at me with a poker face and said coldly "I did what I had to do to get a confession out of you". My internal shock grew to a level where I just started yelling at him "You fuck! What the fuck!!!?!? And you're surprised that people don't trust you?? That they call you bastards!?!? YOU ARE BASTARDS!!!!".
Then I went back to the interrogator's office extremely pissed. She asked me again for my parent's phone number and I told her that she have every fucking thing on her computer so fucking do it yourself. She told me that she can charge me also for disrupting an officer, and I told her that she can do whatever the fuck she likes; calling my parents is the worst you can do so fuck you, I don't care anymore.
Eventually she called my mother at like 2-3 AM, my mom answered with a very soft voice of someone who had just woke up of a deep sleep, the cop didn't even wait for a second and dropped the bomb "Your son is in here, charged with possession of drugs". My mom was confused and the cop explained that to her again, requesting her immediate presence for the interrogation.
Hearing my mom's voice made me very shamed, so I covered my face with my shirt as an instinct. Then the fucking cop asked me, while my mom was still on the line so she can hear everything, why I was covering my face, why am I so ashamed. If I wasn't that stoned maybe they would have charged me with assaulting a cop as well.
Eventually my parents came, I was interrogated, the cop humiliated me, threatened me, everything that comes with that fuckery. Then I was released home.
It was the most terrifying night of my life.
Oh and the punch-line. While we were waiting for the interrogator, other cops has brought to the station someone who has just raped a girl. Only 2 cops brought him, in one cop car. Let that sink in for a moment.
Needless to say that I have lost my fate in "the state" immediately, starting a process which ultimately had lead me to become the anarchist I am now, active in the local No-State Project.
More on that will come soon.
