”Police provocation!” * He yelled it at the top of his lungs into the mike. It was the name of their song. And just when they kicked in, he rushed off stage towards the two cops standing in the doorway that nobody had noticed, as everyone was fixed on the band. All hell broke loose. He didn’t even think. He just followed his gut feeling and threw them out at once. Everybody rushed after them outside.

The youth center * had been occupied for some days to make a statement to the council, and they had put up a benefit with some bands, including mine.* Of course we agreed to play. We even brought the PA with us. Well, they were the first band on the list and it seemed that everything was over quickly now. It was a perfect set up. Around the corner a couple of police trucks were waiting, fully packed in riot gear and they even had brought some dogs. I wondered how the selection of the two cops that showed up inside had come about. Did they volunteer? They must have known that this kind of reaction, as they had hoped, was coming their way.

So all of a sudden the parking lot in front was swarmed with cops, dogs, people fighting them off, and there was only one way out, which was blocked by their trucks. A friend of mine got bitten in the arm. I pulled another one away who was about to get it. I just looked at all this going on, but really did not understand the uncontrolled rage that would only be smothered in defeat against this well prepared majority. There’s only so little you can do in a t-shirt with bare hands, fighting trained dogs and the riot squad. I always had hated wasted energy. Things should be more effectively and properly put to get it really going. Adjusting to circumstances, insight, more discipline. The lack of it always bled to death a lot of movements. Hit and run is what I preferred. After all, you’re fighting the state’s monopoly on violence. And furthermore, this was a scene that had its problems with alcohol and drugs, that always do more damage than people will acknowledge. But we got caught off guard here. Nobody had expected it, yet.

After they had control of the situation and had arrested a few, they let go of the rest. Some had gotten away climbing the fence in the back. The place was cleaned out now. End of occupation. But in the middle of the night, standing out on the street with all the gear still inside and the van in the parking lot, which all had been rented for one day, there was nowhere to go. We had to get it back. Cops didn’t want to hear about it first. No go. So Mat went back and forth to talk to the officer in charge, while we went from nearby bars to phone booths and finally back to the center. Most of the crowd had dispersed and taken off into the night.

Negotiating away after several hours, we got the go-ahead to get in once again and take our stuff. Everything was calm. We hauled everything into the van, and took off to the hospital for the dog bite that still had to be treated. He got lucky for not being arrested. We parked in front of the hospital. Some went in to get coffee. I stayed in the van, taking some rest and talking to the driver, analyzing what had happened. Most guys were years older than me, so I always listened carefully to what they had to say. They’d been through these situations several times and even worse and more dangerous ones, so it was always good to learn when winding up in a similar one to come.
    
So there was no money, a bummer evening and an early morning get back. The equipment had to be returned first before taking off towards home. Everybody disliked that. But the view of almost and always empty streets made up for it a lot. I liked that. These were nights, especially in the weekends, when I would come home around the back, my dad drinking his coffee and eating a sandwich in the kitchen, sometimes getting ready for work. We just had a few words, and up the stairs I went to sleep it off until way in the afternoon, not telling my mom later about what had happened of course. “Just a regular night with the band mom, that’s all.”


Police provocation: Neuroot / Dutch punk band.
The youth center: Doornroosje in Nijmegen.
Mine: Pandemonium / Dutch punk band.         
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