I’ve seen it said here that the overreaction we see towards the black man is caused by fear, apparently people are terrified of black men in America.
Let me give you my creditials in as far as assessment of fear is concerned. I am a woman, by and large, I know what fear is, I know the fear of walking in the dark, I know the fear of getting lost, I know the fear of being caught up in a mob whether I am on foot or in a car, I know the fear of a man suddenly appearing on a stairwell I am on, I know the fear of walking to my car in an empty lot, I know the fear of blackout when I am alone in some place I am not used to, I know the fear of driving on roads at night and glancing on the rear view mirror to make sure car hackers are not following me. I know the fear of having a strange poisonous looking amphibians in my house, I know the fear of holding a python, I know the fear of a crocodile coming too close to me, I know the fear of two Somali men in a lift in a mall who remind me of terrorists, I know the fear of, the fear of, the fear of… you get it. Women know all about fear.
So I am qualified to tell you that this is not fear… No woman will approach a man she’s scared of and even point a finger at him while threatening him.
These videos you posted are clear cases of harassment and racial bullying by police. One can’t argue with facts. Example: the cop talking to the cleaning guy is a f__ idiot. There’s no justification whatsoever to ask all those questions. The race problem is created by individuals who just want to act like zombies and not see other people as people. This has nothing to do with his uniform, he’s abusing what the law stands for–it’s just him. He doesn’t deserve a police badge.
Its one thing to harass an adult but kids at a bus stop, no wonder these black Americans are so angry all the time. Who can live like this. Yaani the way I joke with Kenyan police men. The only Kenyan police I fear is a woman. Otherwise I have never felt afraid of a cop in my life. In fact my driving test years ago I failed miserably and the cop passed me and told me usijali utajulia mbele Enyewe I love this country . I have never thought of a police man as a threat. I’ve just been taking our police for granted. Kumbe Kenya is a good country.Majuu people are being harassed like nothing. It’s just shocking. There’s another one who was even planting drugs in people’s cars. Lemme get the video.
BTW I have not seen a white man who isn’t a cop harassing a black woman. This commentary is good. The more I learn about racism the more sexism and the patriarchy makes sense to me on an intellectual level not just being a pawn in a system but really getting to understand how the patriarchy works. It works exactly like racism. To the tee. Like I can do for you a whole paper drawing parallels between sexism and racism. The systems to enforce inequality are so similar its just mind boggling. You can find parallels for every single thing in racism. Everything. The tokenism, the segregation, the naming rights, the power of language. I would love to just sit down with a sociology PhD and we deconstruct these two things sexism and racism.
Some people may disagree with your view that Kenyan cops are better. But I like avoiding blanket condemnation, or praise. It depends on what you have seen, and/ or heard.
I’ve met some who are good, in fact I have some close friends in the service, but I’ve also met some from hell. Individual responsibility it is. Some people are just stupid or evil or both, regardless of tribe, race, or the work they do.
I am telling you personally I have very good rapport with cops. As long as it’s not a lady. I am even friends with traffic commandant after a mishap. Mungu amenipa kibali. Anyway all human beings like humility and remorse. Si if you say you are sincerely sorry that’s enough. What else does a man in authority want to hear? If you start arguing like this black Americans wah you are over. They can even plant a body on you forget drugs. But now after watching all these videos I will fuata the sheria. I’ve realized I have been getting away with alot. I need to reform. If I was abroad I would have been deported . I even U turn right in front of them matatu style if there’s jam ahead and when they ask me I just look at them sheepishly and say I am sorry. Kenyan cops are very understanding, wako na utu not like these American ones. They even give you advice, next time do A, B, C, D. States they will just manhandled you like you are in a rugby game. Is it necessary to be so violent?
Kenyans are generally compromising, I guess because we are used to talking things out. It’s a good thing, the law ought to be there to serve you, not you to serve it. That’s why it is so crucial to really think of the kinds of laws we pass–let there be room for mercy and a human heart, so that if you craft the law and one day it affects you, you may know that the pain you suffer for your offence is deserved.
One problem with America is that cops mostly patrol in cars individually–except when on a special assignment, esp. in particularly rough neighbourhoods. But backup is always round the corner to land within 2-3 mins. If he/she stops you there will be no immediate witness within the force to give an alternative side of the story. They start talking to you before the backup arrives and they can always lie about your “failure to follow orders from a police officer” since the other cops aren’t privy to the spark that ignited the argument. Like the story of the man picking trash. When the colleagues arrive with blaring sirens the fool raises his voice and keeps yelling to attract attention as though you are armed and dangerous. That’s how you can get arrested–even shot–for nothing.
And body cam? It records everything. The problem with police is alienation from the people. I watched a movie last year 21 Bridges. About a female black cop who realised that her partner is a drug dealer. She then runs into the black neighborhood to seek refuge. It kind of enacts Training Day but the good cop, cop gone bad, split happens early in the movie. No black person will open their home to her because she has police uniform. The blue vs the black. It’s really tricky divide to navigate but these movies help one understand the oh yes the movie is called Blue Black, 21 bridges is different but more or less the same themes, I also watched Queen and Slim. It shows the police brutality, the black sellout, the dying black youth symbolic of the hopelessness of the black youths at the hands of a white supremacist police force. In the black community the two are heroes of the struggle against the police the custodian of white supremacy. I’ve never been big on African American movies because most are too shallow and stereotypical but they are making amazing movies recently. Art is imitating life. The real life struggles of the black American community. Police brutality is a big deal to them but with the movies a person who has never experienced police brutality can wrap their mind around how much it is part of the daily lives of the black American community. It’s important to understand life experiences of others it helps you understand the world better. It helps you gain perspective.
