Arrested in Panama |
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| Written by Matt |
| Wednesday, 07 October 2009 14:01 |
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I've always enjoyed drinking beer outside and have done so for the majority of my adult life until, at the age of 24, I was arrested for it. This was in Panama, which makes the infraction all the more embarrassing. Tell someone you got arrested in Panama and they rationally assume that, after stealing someone's car in a drug transaction gone bad, you shot an innocent grandmother in the leg with a pistol, the last part, the unregistered firearm, being illegal under Panamanian law. "Anything goes," that's the impression I had, so when two cops came up from behind Casey and me for drinking in public, it was a true surprise.
Before our run-in with the police, we spent a morning having cheap beer at a local casino and watching sports. This was back in the days of Panama when hoards of prostitutes roamed with Serengeti-like appetites through the lobbies of casinos like the one we were in. Along the same wildlife lines, we enjoyed watching the prostitutes as if they were lions in a zoo. "Look but don't touch," I liked to say to myself. It was after the casino that we were in Obarrio with a beer in hand, when the cop car pulled up and threw us in the back seat. Obarrio's a nice neighborhood. It's not like Chorillo where you see people drinking in the street all the time. Which is to say, I tend to think that it was less the egregiousness of our actions and more the fact that we stood out that got the cops attention. Think Jed Clampett loitering in the lobby of Lutèce. It was my first and only ride in a Panamanian police car - spacious and smelling of pine - and when we arrived at the station, we sat down next to a terribly pathetic bunch of misfits. Street vendors, bonafied drunkards, and busty prostitutes (in fact, probably some that we'd seen earlier at the casino) all hobbled together. In a multiple choice question regarding common professions, these people would indelibly be the group labeled "other." I remember one moment when this delinquent tried explaining to the hookers the easiest way to get a residency visa. It was like the blind leading the blind. "What did we do?" I asked when a man, a discernibly superior officer, approached. The man pointed to a frame on the wall. It wasn't written in the normal type of Spanish that I'm familiar with - the simple kind of restaurant menus and road signs. This was a complex Spanish with lots of long words and judicial terminology. (The type of thing I probably wouldn't understand were it in English.) It reminded me of a time studying in Spain I made the mistake of taking Ancient Spanish Literature. When handed the mid-term, I understood no more than twenty percent of the questions, which accordingly spoke for my ability to answer them in essay form. "Drinking in public?" I said, and one of the officers pulled an imaginary beer bottle from his pocket, drank it, then threw it on the ground. "Breaking?" I suggested. "Are we arrested for breaking things?" The officer rubbed his fingers together suggesting a small bribe. I offered him a stick of gum. Casey, much more comfortable in these scenarios than me at the time, suggested we just be patient, that upon realizing we weren't willing to pay a bribe, and also that we were harmless gringos, they'd let us go. So I sat down and proceeded to be a good little prisoner until, maybe five minutes later, the officer man suggested we leave. "I'll take that piece of gum now," he said on our way out. "Do me a favor and come back when you get a chance and bring that gum."
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  written by Jim Strummer , November 01, 2009 Hi - I know you talk about water but you do mention beer and I wonder: are there any microbreweries in Panama? If there are, where are they and how would ytou rank them? A friend told me about a small place mid-country that makes a beer called "chiriscoo" and wondered if you where it is? Searched online and found nothing. Thanks
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 written by Kel , November 06, 2010 2008, I almost got arrested once because my friend drove crossed the yellow double-line that are between streets. So a cop car pulled me and my friend over asking for IDs, i gave them my DLS from the US and they said that for foreigner i must always carry my passport with me. They were trying to find every possible ways to arrest me.
I called my dad to deliver my passport, the cops complained that my passport entry has been too long 2000 (well it was not well stamped); That was such a dumb excuse to give when my passport was issued on 2008, they are so dumb OMG!!!!!!.. Nevertheless i told myself i would not give them a penny. Cops are money-hunger in Panama, no joke!! I grew up in Pma half my life and later half in the US. I knew something like this was gonna happen but this is very normal in Pma. For all foreigners visiting Pma, be aware of the places that you go to; go to the safer places in the city like punta paitilla, multiplaza, casco area etc. If you are trying to get the full shopping experience in Pma for CHeap good deals souvenirs/merchandize there are LA CENTRAL or LA CALIDONIA , you just have to be really careful with your wallets, purses, w/ anything you carry!just dont oversdress, try to blend in with the clothing style that people wear over there!!. do not go to the inner small towns because it could get really scary!! Travel smart, dress smart because you dont want to look too luxurious, try not to wear fancy jewelries to avoid predators!! This is a beautiful country to visit, its a must. It has beautiful landscape, cheap food, great shopping malls, high fashion clothing, lovely culture and people could be really warm if you are polite to them. report abuse
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 October 2009 14:02 |
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