Strange events

Walking down to get groceries the other day, I watched a Native American or maybe Latino man pointedly flip off a police patrol car as it drove down a street. It struck me as a stupid act; after we both got acrss, and were headed down hill on opposite sides of the street, the patrol car suddenly pulled up next to the flipper. Two young officers got out, and asked the man if he was signaling them for some reason. He barely stopped, and then kept walking. The police folks asked him if he needed help; he sullenly replied that he didn't, and continued to walk on. The officers called out something about being available, then left. I was relieved not to witness any conflict, Seattle's had far too much bad interaction between citizens and cops for a while. You can understand why both sides are edgy.
A few days later as I was heading home, a fine fat squirrel ran up a utility pole and across a cable over the street, with a big bunch of red berries in his mouth. When he reached the other side, he was crossing another line when there was a strange sound, the berries fell out of his mouth, and he flew up in the air and plummeted to some shrubs below. He never emerged; I could only think he'd gotten shocked severely.
Unsettling times.