Monday, July 27, 2009

Oh! the police

Prominent Black professor arrested for entering own home while Black - USA.
Apparently a black men still the prime suspect…whenever one sees crime.

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Studies, was recently arrested at his own home in Cambridge, Mass. when a neighbor called the cops, presuming him and the also-not-white man he was with to be burglars.
It is a worth call that the police respond to such call of presumed robbery. But I find it shocking when Henry, the house’s owner exhibits his identity and ask questions, these policemen refused to answer him. I doubt that they could do that if it was a person of another skin colour? Read more about the story here
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/21/prominent-black-prof.html

Racism still a big issue. If such case happens in the United State of America, the land of freedom, situation in other countries is even worst.
For example, living in South Africa since 2003, I have never been surprised to see that police patrols check most of the time if not always, only black-colour-skin people IDs. Why not check those of white, thousand of expatriates coming from overseas who walk the street as if they were in their own country and continent?
To make myself clear, I am not denying here the right to citizenship to white born in Africa. Instead, I have realised that there are many white foreigner who are illegal in this country but yet no one have ever verified their ID and passport. Ironically, a white friend uses to drive without his driver license for months. Surely he knows that he won’t be stopped and asked by metro police… Another black South African friend even said that he prefer to deal with a male white policeman then a black one. Why? Some male black policemen are rude toward fellow black but very kind to white persons. A matter of self-esteem…such people should not being qualified to exercise public services and human rights enforcement.

It is clear; there is double standard from some law enforcing agents in USA as well as South Africa.
I was outraged to hear Henry’s story as should be anyone who stands for human justice.
Let all stand and react against such discriminating behaviors whenever we see them happening!

Watch the first reaction of President Obama in this video post on Youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83GL7RUaC_c