I have heard stories from my 5 homeless
friends about the South African police.
Nxokwe, Asana, Sipho, Oususwe and Steve.
Sipho told me how he and Steve were picked up by the police.
The police shoved them into the back of the van and drove them to the outskirts of Port
Elizabeth . There they were dropped off, on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere. The police told them to stay away.
On another occasion, one of the guys got picked up by the
police. In the back of the police vehicle sitting next to him, was a
Nigerian drug dealer. The dealer told the police to drive past an ATM. He
withdrew R2000 and gave it to the police who promptly released him. The
homeless man was taken to the police station and spent the night in jail.
Hearing their stories made me see with different eyes.
One night as I chatted to some local 'business' men, I saw a police van pull up across the road. Part of me wanted to get closer and find out what was happening. I wanted to take some photo's and hear the conversations taking place. There were plenty locals chatting at the van window and there seemed to be numerous exchanges taking place.
My friends have told me countless other stories of the police abusing
their power at the hands of the homeless.
It frustrates me that the poor and the weak get treated
badly. Surely they already have a rough enough life. We don't need to add to their suffering.
Which injustices make you angry?
What are you doing about it?
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. (Tweet This) Martin Luther King
I know these are stories from nobodies. I don't know if
they are true, but I doubt my friends would lie about them. I have no doubt that there are plenty of good police officers in South Africa fighting for justice and helping the oppressed.
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