teh Forum

I had a knack for sneaking around after dark; and it was common practice to duck into an apartment of people you'd never met saying, "May I hide here for a minute? The police are chasing me." We knew better than to look up at the hovering helicopters because they were taking photographs of us with infra-red film. One night some friends and I were cultivating a bonfire on Del Playa and I ducked into a house that had sustained a fire before the riots. I dragged out a mattress and put it on the bonfire. Dust in the mattress lit the street up three times as bright as daylight in three successive flashs. It must have blinded the helicopter pilot. My friends said, "Way to go, Meredith!" Another night I was being chased by a couple of cops. I hesitated on the doorstep of my house to let the sound of my footsteps fall away, then I went inside and avoided the windows. I saw flashlight beams coming in through the windows. I went to the bathroom to perform the nightly ritual of rinsing the tear and pepper gas out of the bandanna that had been protecting my face. (to be continued)