What Do the Police Do?

What Do the Police Do?
October 28, 2012
Warhol P.

HAVANA TIMES — I was cutting through the main square in the Havana
suburb of Marianao, a place known because they sell food there, and I
stopped at one of the state-run businesses.

They were selling soda crackers in large plastic bags for 50 pesos
(about $2 USD). To me this seemed kind of expensive, especially seeing
as how almost all of the crackers were crushed, but since crackers are
my favorite snack, I still decided to get in line.

Shortly after things started to go crazy. At least two dozen shouting
women took over the scene some saying they had already marked a place in
line. there started shouting when it seemed that someone was trying to
cut in line. Two police officers then showed up and positioned
themselves next to the establishment.

Shortly afterwards, the clerks began pulling out the packages of
crackers from behind the counter. One woman left with ten bags, and
another with twenty. Some people protested but it was all in vain; the
supposed authority figures simple observed the disorder and laughed when
they saw everyone jostling each other around, desperate to get their
hands on the products.

Another woman, who I've seen reselling products there in the square, was
walking away loaded with bags. Among the shouting and shoving, I looked
at the police, who knew all too well what was going to soon happen to
those crackers.

I spent about 45 minutes in line, enduring the sun and of course trying
to reach the counter, but I obviously didn't. I managed to get close,
but not close enough, because during my attempt all of the crackers were
sold out.

It was all due to the process not being organized properly. So who's to
blame?

I guess that all of us are guilty to some degree.

Firstly, there were those people who were selling the product. If they
had limited the sales to one bag per person, many more people would have
been served.

In second place there were us buyers, who didn't realize how savagely we
were acting, and that for a handful of crackers we were capable of
offending and attacking each other (I don't want to imagine the
barbarism that would have been displayed had the product been beef).

Thirdly, there were the police, who acted only as decorative objects
given that they were supposed to have been on duty. Actually, right now
I don't know what the real purpose of the revolutionary police is, given
their attitudes, I can't trust them.

The whole thing was even more difficult to accept when after the sales
of the crackers you could find people in every corner of the square
reselling those same crackers (my favorite snack) at 100 pesos a package.

For me, 100 pesos was way too much, so I chose to go home and write this
article. At least this would help me to vent. This way I'm less likely
to end up with an ulcer or a cerebral ischemia.

I'm sure that the resellers in the square will continue pulling their
same old tricks, and that the police will continue to show up there,
killing time, helping those people hustle without much effort. In fact,
many of the products sold by state-run businesses end up being hoarded
and re-sold. This is how those people make their livings, at the expense
of working people.

I think we should do something about the issue of the Marianao square,
and also analyze what's happening with those who are supposed to ensure
that such situations don't occur?

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