Lately we have been searching for something to write home about. We actually talked about it yesterday. Although there has been some turbulence around the recent presidential elections including two presidents (one elected, one not - you pick which is which) and weekly demonstrations from opposition to the "official president", and oh yeah Christmas and New Year's Eve, it feels like not much has happened. Matt actually decided to write a story about surfing in New Zealand. Then a gift of a story fell into our laps - almost literally. So. the surfing story will have to wait a few days.
While we were in our little yellow roller skate of a car being driven to lunch by our driver Aime (pronounced Aymay), we had the unfortunate luck of having to stop (first in line) at an extremely large and busy intersection where 3 police officers were standing at the corner. Almost immediately one of the officers stepped out in front of the car to block our passage. As another officer moved in to take his place the officer approached our driver's window and asked for his documents (presumably, here and later they spoke almost entirely in Lingala, the regional language).
After a couple of minutes and some audibly stressed tones and tense body language by both our driver and the officers we were directed to pull up to the side of the road. Our driver Aime got out to converse with the officers. At one time there were 8 in the group as other officers filed into and out of this strange happening. Picture 8 men in uniform (some with automatic rifles) surrounding our 120 pound 32-year-old driver on the side of a bumper to bumper intersection 6 lanes wide. We talked amongst ourselves in the car. Yep, this is happening. This is a shakedown. Toni Lyn locked all the doors.
Aime came back to the car without his documents and one of the officers followed him. The officer tried to open the door to the back seat. In fact, he DID open the back door (where TL was seated). Wait, weren't the doors locked? Oh yeah, the car has an electrical glitch and occasionally randomly unlocks the doors on its own. Damn. So the officer opens the door, and Aime reaches past him and shuts it, arguing with him the whole time. But the officer opens it again and gets in the back seat (next to TL). In retrospect, Toni Lyn admits that she was "flabbergasted...speechless" - a rare circumstance for her :) But we don't want to speak to the officers in French because we've always been told playing stupid (ie non-French speaking) was the best tactic. Aime says calmly and reluctantly, "He wants some money." (in English). Matt turns to the officer and asks him calmly but directly "Why are you in our car?" The officer stared momentarily surprised and then responds that he can't/won't speak English to us but that he can explain in french (all in English). Matt continued in English, "What are you doing in our car?" The officer said, "Give me ten dollars." Then the other two original officers stepped to the window. Matt said "If I give you ten dollars you must get out of our car." The officer agreed. Matt pulled ten dollars out of his pocket and handed it to the officer in the back seat. "No" he said, "Give to him (Aimee) then he give to me". Ahhh. That is how they justify shaking down foreigners in the passenger seat. If the money comes from the driver's hand then they were only citing the driver for some violation of the "rules of the road".
The other officers, seeing the money jumped into the game. One yelled "Twenty!" So the officer in the back seat, untrue to his word, stayed in place. "I gave you ten dollars now get out of the car" from Matt. Aime shook his head in disgust and handed him another $5. The officer at the window asked, "How much did you get?" (in French) and when the officer responded $15, he nodded and the back seat officer got out of the car. And they all walked away. The problem was, they took Aime's license with him. Aime prepared to drive away. "Wait! What about the documents?" Toni Lyn questioned (in French again, of course - we only talk to Aime in french unless we're helping him learn English). "He is keeping them" Aime said. "No, you need them." said Toni Lyn. Aime got out of the car, walked back to the group of officers (very bravely), and asked for his documents back. The officer followed him back to the car and asked for another $5. Finally, Toni Lyn lost it. She felt like there was nothing to be done, that all 3 of us were helpless in this situation. So she did the only thing she could think of. She dug in her bag past the US $20s and $10s and $5s and found a stack of 100 Congolese Franc bills (100 Francs = 11US cents). Then full of rage she proceeded to open the door to get out to pay off the officer (and probably scream at him). "Please don't get out of the car" Matt said. "Good idea" from Toni Lyn. So she slid over to the window toward the officer he said "No, no", indicating that the money had to go through Aime.
Now picture Toni Lyn paying off the rest of the $20 bribe, 11 cents at a time. She laid one after another after another 100 franc bill into Aime's hand directly in front of the officer, very obviously and deliberately and sloowwwlly, counting from one to ten in french ("un", "deux", "trois"...) five times to pay the final 5USD. Sometimes the little things are all you have. We got the documents and drove away. No ticket. No signature required. No explanation for being pulled over. Nothing. Just a few dollars lighter.
Our first shake down! I guess there is a first time for everything.
While we were in our little yellow roller skate of a car being driven to lunch by our driver Aime (pronounced Aymay), we had the unfortunate luck of having to stop (first in line) at an extremely large and busy intersection where 3 police officers were standing at the corner. Almost immediately one of the officers stepped out in front of the car to block our passage. As another officer moved in to take his place the officer approached our driver's window and asked for his documents (presumably, here and later they spoke almost entirely in Lingala, the regional language).
After a couple of minutes and some audibly stressed tones and tense body language by both our driver and the officers we were directed to pull up to the side of the road. Our driver Aime got out to converse with the officers. At one time there were 8 in the group as other officers filed into and out of this strange happening. Picture 8 men in uniform (some with automatic rifles) surrounding our 120 pound 32-year-old driver on the side of a bumper to bumper intersection 6 lanes wide. We talked amongst ourselves in the car. Yep, this is happening. This is a shakedown. Toni Lyn locked all the doors.
Aime came back to the car without his documents and one of the officers followed him. The officer tried to open the door to the back seat. In fact, he DID open the back door (where TL was seated). Wait, weren't the doors locked? Oh yeah, the car has an electrical glitch and occasionally randomly unlocks the doors on its own. Damn. So the officer opens the door, and Aime reaches past him and shuts it, arguing with him the whole time. But the officer opens it again and gets in the back seat (next to TL). In retrospect, Toni Lyn admits that she was "flabbergasted...speechless" - a rare circumstance for her :) But we don't want to speak to the officers in French because we've always been told playing stupid (ie non-French speaking) was the best tactic. Aime says calmly and reluctantly, "He wants some money." (in English). Matt turns to the officer and asks him calmly but directly "Why are you in our car?" The officer stared momentarily surprised and then responds that he can't/won't speak English to us but that he can explain in french (all in English). Matt continued in English, "What are you doing in our car?" The officer said, "Give me ten dollars." Then the other two original officers stepped to the window. Matt said "If I give you ten dollars you must get out of our car." The officer agreed. Matt pulled ten dollars out of his pocket and handed it to the officer in the back seat. "No" he said, "Give to him (Aimee) then he give to me". Ahhh. That is how they justify shaking down foreigners in the passenger seat. If the money comes from the driver's hand then they were only citing the driver for some violation of the "rules of the road".
The other officers, seeing the money jumped into the game. One yelled "Twenty!" So the officer in the back seat, untrue to his word, stayed in place. "I gave you ten dollars now get out of the car" from Matt. Aime shook his head in disgust and handed him another $5. The officer at the window asked, "How much did you get?" (in French) and when the officer responded $15, he nodded and the back seat officer got out of the car. And they all walked away. The problem was, they took Aime's license with him. Aime prepared to drive away. "Wait! What about the documents?" Toni Lyn questioned (in French again, of course - we only talk to Aime in french unless we're helping him learn English). "He is keeping them" Aime said. "No, you need them." said Toni Lyn. Aime got out of the car, walked back to the group of officers (very bravely), and asked for his documents back. The officer followed him back to the car and asked for another $5. Finally, Toni Lyn lost it. She felt like there was nothing to be done, that all 3 of us were helpless in this situation. So she did the only thing she could think of. She dug in her bag past the US $20s and $10s and $5s and found a stack of 100 Congolese Franc bills (100 Francs = 11US cents). Then full of rage she proceeded to open the door to get out to pay off the officer (and probably scream at him). "Please don't get out of the car" Matt said. "Good idea" from Toni Lyn. So she slid over to the window toward the officer he said "No, no", indicating that the money had to go through Aime.
Now picture Toni Lyn paying off the rest of the $20 bribe, 11 cents at a time. She laid one after another after another 100 franc bill into Aime's hand directly in front of the officer, very obviously and deliberately and sloowwwlly, counting from one to ten in french ("un", "deux", "trois"...) five times to pay the final 5USD. Sometimes the little things are all you have. We got the documents and drove away. No ticket. No signature required. No explanation for being pulled over. Nothing. Just a few dollars lighter.
Our first shake down! I guess there is a first time for everything.
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