An assignment on police power.

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+# Pan-Am Games Civics Lab
+
+It occurs to me that, with the [Pan-Am
+Games](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Security_Unit) coming up, you
+have a prime opportunity to do some hands-on learning about Toronto civics and
+policing. (Those of you who did this lab during the G20 summit are excused. If
+you are already at risk of police harassment, you are excused. If you've never
+been stopped by a cop in your life, this exercise will determine 70% of your
+grade.)
+
+Your assignment: do some things that are completely within your rights and
+harmless to others.
+
+1. Dress in lower-middle class drag. Put away the props and costumes of
+   authority: no suits, no loafers. Jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, jackets are all
+   in: things chosen as much for their wearability and anonymity as for their
+   looks. Break them in, if you can; you'll visibly break character if
+   everything is shop new.
+
+2. Keep quiet. Tell your family where you're going - for safety - but not
+   social media. If you have an assistant, tell him you're going out, but not
+   where you're going. Make it as hard as possible for anyone to connect you to
+   any authority or celebrity your day job gives you.
+
+3. Get a camera. The more visible, the better; you can rent one from Vistek for 
+   a totally achievable number of dollars. Get a strap, too; carrying a camera
+   by hand is tiring.
+
+4. Go alone.
+
+5. Take a long, slow stroll along the Pan-Am Games' security perimeter.
+
+You will absolutely be stopped by the police Integrated Security Unit, either
+through a Toronto officer or an RCMP officer. Remember, you are entirely within
+your rights to be there, with a camera, walking.
+
+It's important that you do this _without_ the trappings of authority and
+without witnesses. Be powerless. Experience an unjustified police stop as
+someone who has no immediate recourse.
+
+That experience is no fun. It's in turns demeaning, terrifying, embarassing,
+and disempowering. [For some Torontonians, this is a daily
+event](http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2015/04/21/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/).
+
+_Then_ come back and talk to me about the Toronto Police Service's [carding
+program](http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2015/04/20/toronto-police-carding-policy-reform-will-require-super-powers-james.html).