co-workers and i at four a's booth at anchorage pridefest

So, I've gotten to experience what it might be like to be in one of those situations you see on the tv show COPS, as of late. And it's been totally cool. I don't really watch COPS, but know the premise, as I'm sure all of you do.

Case no. 1

A fellow case worker caught wind that one of our clients was housing another client, which is against his contract. The guest has a 3-month old baby and while the tenet was probably just being nice is NOT allowed to have unauthorized guests. He knows this because he's been caught doing this before. Well, because of my brute strength, I was asked to ride along for witness and security. :) Naturally.

He was definitely caught with the woman...baby nowhere in sight (hrmm...where is that little guy?)...with evidence to show she was staying there for at least a few days. The best part is they TOTALLY always look like the bozos on COPS. He had his buttoned-up shirt all unbuttoned exposing all his hairy chest sexiness, smoking his Marb red and ashing into a beer can. Totally HOT!

After going back and forth as to how he didn't know (*cough cough...BULLSHIT) and how we screwed up his housing, but then pleading not to take his housing away...our job was done. Caught in the act...

BUT...Case no. 2

Today, our executive director needed a witness. I was called upon. SuperDan to the rescue. :)

Background: a client said he got booted out of his residence...a skanky motel because the owner overheard he had...*gasp*...AIDS. We had to verify because: 1. the client has a tendency to not always accurately portray the truth and 2. it's against the law to refuse services to those with disabilities and that's not kosher.

Well...we took the Queer Mobile (a canary yellow jeep) at full speed downtown. We talked to the owner. She's 92 years old. She lives and rests in the lobby of this place, which is foul-smelling and possibly distasteful even for rodents and small critters. Regardless, Trevor wanted oral confrontation as to why our client was evicted and to have me witness in case the lady was stupid enough to say that he couldn't stay there because of AIDS.

Well, she was stupid enough. It basically went like this: "I overheard him saying he had AIDS. There's no room for that here. It'll ruin my business. I liked the guy, but he can't stay here. It was unfair of him not to tell me. If my other guests knew about this, they wouldn't stay here..."

After trying to educate her, which she refused, she looked through at least 50 different keys (mind you...she's 92...) to let us in to get his stuff. Well, aside from his room being a COMPLETE wreck...forties...liquor bottles...old food, trash, nastiness...we put his soiled and random clothes in black bags and took it back to our office.

Unlike case no. 1, this was a vagrant unlawful act. She didn't care. She wouldn't let AIDS in the door. She said, "Take me to court. But I won't have it here!"

So, as my time here wraps up, I'll remember these instances, as well as the zillions of other cases of experiences that have been unique and unforgettable. Now, I'm off to see if I can audition to be on COPS.