As Nabil and I were walking back to his house after midnight, a police van pulled up next to us on the darkened street. I assumed they would let us go after checking our papers, but that wasn't the case. Because of the late hour, the dangerous street, and the anomaly of a Moroccan walking with a foreigner in an area where tourists never go, we were told to get in the van along with all the other riff-raff who had been picked up. The van was already full, so we headed directly to the police station about a mile away. Once there, we were greeted by concrete benches, macho body language, steely-eyed stares and psychological abuse. Everyone but us was quickly interviewed and released. They held onto us the longest, because they had it in their heads that Nabil was a "false guide," a young man who attaches himself to tourists to get their money. They threatened Nabil with up to two years in prison. When he explained that he was motivated by friendship, the inspector laughed. "Friendship with a foreigner? That man will be a disaster for you." I defended Nabil, but they didn't want to hear it. Nabil asked me to stay out of it, saying he knew best how to handle the situation. While this was happening, another group was brought in, two teenagers and a beefy man in handcuffs. An older woman followed in a green djelleba. Perhaps she was the victim. After a few minutes, a young man came to fetch her. He was told to stand clear and he did, backing off gracefully, hand over his heart. A couple of inspectors began slapping and kicking the teenagers, mostly because they were bored, but also to intimidate everyone else in the room. One of boys broke into tears, which only encouraged them. They kicked him in the ribs even after he had curled into a ball on the floor, hands over his head. One of them crushed his toes with the heel of his boot. I dropped my head in dismay, wondering if this was really the image they wanted a foreigner to have of Morocco. Yet at the same time, I was ashamed for the kid because he broke too easily. If they hit you, it's better to look them in the eyes and say nothing. Nabil wasn't intimidated, responding to insults and threats with an odd grin. Finally the commissioner took pity on him because he is a student, and let us both go.