One Lucky Soul: Attempting to Bridge the Gap Between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’: The Coke Prank

Saturday, 18 April 2015

Attempting to Bridge the Gap Between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’: The Coke Prank

Today morning, I stumbled upon this 6-million-views video and instantly recognised both cops from Venice Beach. Knowing that cops usually hate pranks and rarely have any sense of humour, I found their reaction pretty cool. Others could have made it much harder on the boys.

Then later in the day, I went to the Drum Circle and when the time was up and the police cars surrounded us, I recognised the young lady copper. So I headed towards her and asked if she had seen that ‘Coke’ YouTube video. As she nodded ‘yes’, I told her that I wanted to say that what they did was really cool.

“We’re not all assholes,” she replied with a confident smile. [*and a fun comeback too]

“Thank God,” I said while smiling back.

I felt comfortable so I went on, “Honestly, when I arrived here last year, I didn’t particularly like how cops are all over the beach. I even wrote an Article about that ― I’m a writer. But now a year later, I’m actually happy that you guys are around. Lots of outsiders come here and ruin it for us, so again, thank you for what you do.”

We chatted for another 30 seconds, smiled again, then parted ways.

I thought that since most of the times I’m against what cops do and how they behave, when I see well-composed ones who are understanding, act responsible, and can take a joke, I have to let them, and you, know.

I salute you, officer. We sure need more of you. The top YouTube comment on the video:
It’s a shame you had to prank the only cool cops ever, but it was still funny 😀.

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On a parallel note, the encounter was also a sobering reminder that one is in L.A ― the land of mighty Hollywood. Indeed, in those several years residing in Venice Beach, I came across the singer Pink solo biking casually next to me on Abbot Kinney. Another time right there, Tim Robbins was coming out of the same Abbott Pizza I was heading into. A third time it was bumping into Bill Maher one night by the Venice Canals; he seemed to be mid argument with some woman [surprise?!]. Heck, one weekend a cousin sent me a video from the Venice Beach Drum Circle... posted by Sharon Stone who was actually right there watching us Go Bananas. Yeah, Man.

Even for someone who is not fasciated by stars or celebrities, who had lived his early years in Egypt, this Hollywoodesque air still finds its way to get to you ― along with a degree of vanity and pettiness and all. It’s an intoxicating environment be living in.

You can check the lengthier next article in the series when another copper and I became actual friends: Attempting to Bridge the Gap Between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’: Officer Roberts. Also, Sergeant Pepper as well as the last one, Evolution.

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*EDIT (7 November 2018):

Before resharing the article I was making sure the YouTube link is still available, to find that the 6 million views became 23.5 million, in about three and a half years. Talk about a viral video. She must have been relocated as she hadn’t been around for the last couple of years or so.

**EDIT (25 June 2025):

The video Coke Prank on Cops reached 50 Million views.