| I was "controlled" once at Sendlingertor on my way to work one morning. As I turned a cornet, I noticed two large white cops ~20 meters away. I made the briefest of eye contact before looking away/putting my head down and walking with purpose to my exit escalators. They intercepted me and asked for ID. I answered 'um, I have to get to work'. One officer laughed and said 'that doesn't really matter'. I handed my UK drivers license. They asked me if I had an arrest record, but with my poor German, I thought they meant if I was registered in Munich, so I mumbled an affirmative. One officer stepped back to radio in my details and check my record. The other asked me if I had any drugs. I said no. He asked me to show him the inside folds of my wallet and the contents of my pocket. He didn't actually actively search me himself, just made me show him that I didn't have any drugs squirreled away. The whole thing was surreal and over in 3-4 minutes. Streams of workers walking by during the whole event. I was shaking with adrenaline and itching to protest against this unprovoked intrusion into my life. But I stayed calm and they moved on. It was a weird experience. I'm only glad that they didn't actively search me, it would have made the whole thing even more demeaning. I assume I was singled out for three reasons:
- My baggy pants, loose tshirt combination
- My slightly not white enough skin color.
- The ridiculous and increased police presence that always seems to surround Munich a few times a year (usually around the time of the Munich Security Conference but not always: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Security_Conference). FWIW, I've never had problems with other Munich civil servants. They are usually just doing their work, and if you're polite/pleasant, it's usually reciprocated. The police on the other hand seem to have a bug up their ass (except during Oktoberfest, where they also seem more relaxed). I have a dark skinned friend in Munich who gets controlled every few months. Once while eating his lunch in tiny park in the heart of Munich on a sunny day surrounded by other citizens! This Wu Tang encounter with Munich police sums it all up: http://worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhAonAI6tetw... |