DETROIT - Foregoing the giant tire and the world's largest ball of twine that the NFL recommends I check out while in town, I instead ventured to the Henry Ford Institute to see the Rosa Parks bus. Why is it here? Because she moved here later in life. But yeah, I too think it belongs in the Jim Crow south.
The Henry Ford is a bizarre place. A single level-building vastly larger than Costco, it's a bizarre collection of classrooms, cars, and exhibits that range from cutlery to looms to locomotives to, well, the Rosa Parks bus. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the museum was trying to be. I walked in the side entrance and asked the assembled security guards where the bus was. Following their directions, I wandered, alone, through exhibits to the bus. Not a soul was in sight. "That's sad," I thought. "With all the tourists in town...?"
There are a few moments in my life where being in a certain place gave me chills. Normandy. The Ford Theatre. The Air and Space Museum, looking at Spirit of Saint Louis and the various space capsules. Yesterday, I added the Rosa Parks bus to the list. I sat in her seat. I had the bus all to myself for 15 minutes. It vibrated with history.
I tried for a while to find an exit, and finally I came upon a security guard. "WHERE ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS?!?" he demanded in accusing all-caps.
"Huh? I don't have anything."
"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE WITHOUT CREDENTIALS!" He got on his walkie-talkie and talked to his boss.
"There was no sign, just an open door. And the guards waved me in. But this works out. I'm done, and I'm not sure where the exit is. Can you show me out?"
"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE WITHOUT CREDENTIALS! I'M GLAD I CAUGHT YOU!"
"Caught me? I came to you!"
And then, instead of leading me out of the building, he led me to the security manager, who proceeded to interrogate me and talk in terms of my presently being "detained" and perhaps some day "released."
"Allow me to explain something," I growled, barely containing my rage. "I'm here because I'm being polite. To help you understand how your security is as invisible as your policy. But make no mistake. My politeness is very nearly depleted. And when I want to leave, no geriatric rent-a-cop is going to 'detain' me."
"YOU WILL LEAVE WHEN I—"
And then I left.
Odd that the custodians of the Rosa Parks bus want so badly to violate the civil rights of people who come to pay homage to it.