I just watched something kind of intense, from my front row seat in the window at JJ Bean on Commercial Drive.

I heard sirens roaring down the street, and mostly tuned them out, the way you learn to do when you live in a city. But then right outside where I was sitting, I saw a guy push another guy off a bike. It looked to me like they were starting a fight, and then another guy ran up and pinned the bike guy down. I hate watching fights and I was disturbed.

But then all the sirens stopped out front and a cop ran out of a car, and pinned the bike guy (who I guess is what they were after). His head banged into the ground in the process. The other two guys walked away. Okay, fair enough so far... I guess they got the guy they were after. Obviously I had no idea what he had done.

But then another cop got out of the car, and ran over, and delivered a swift kick to the guy (who, for the record, was pinned and not resisting at all), and put cuffs on him. Cuffs, fine, but the kicking seemed unnecessary to me (and to everyone else gathered around the window behind me).

More cops arrived, and they all stood around laughing together as they started searching his bag. The guy is lying there, nose running, totally submissive, and the cops are treating him like he's not even human. Granted, I have no idea what his crime was, and perhaps it was something awful. But still. He's still a person.