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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. (You'll need the camera to put
yourself on the radar: if you're white, the police will largely ignore you.
Taking pictures is optional, but a lot of fun.)
It's important that you do this _without_ the trappings of authority and
without witnesses. Be powerless. Put yourself at the mercy of the police you
enabled. 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).
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