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WHEN THE OATH TO "SERVE AND PROTECT" IS VIOLATED

BY: JUMA HEMEDI
28/05/2020

Four incidents have happened in the last few weeks in both Kenya and USA involving law enforcement officers that have rekindled past memories of a time when respect for human lives was at its lowest.

1. Incident One, Georgia USA

Ahmaud Arbery, a black man was out jogging in his neighbourhood in Georgia at around 1pm, when he was shot dead by a white father and his son. The two claimed that they mistook him for a suspect involved in a string of neighbourhood break-ins.

The incident happened in February but the police only arrested the two white men in May after public protests and were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. The killer was a 64 year old former police officer, and his 34 year old son.

2. Incident Two, Mineapolis USA

George Floyd, A black man died on a pavement after being arrested by the police. Video clips circulating show a White police officer pinning down George on the pavement with his knee.

This is happening even as George is heard complaining that he can't breath and that his stomach hurts.

Mineapolis police statement indicated that, it's officers were responding to a report of "forgery in progress". The suspect had been arrested and in handcuffs when the 'pinning incident' and eventual death happened.

3. Incident Three, Kahawa Kenya

Pictures of a black man bleeding from the nose and face and a deep cut above his nose, were circulating on Twitter in the last eighteen hours. The man who had soiled his white T-Shirt with blood had his trousers torn too. He was getting first Aid from a good Samaritan.

He claim he was beaten by three police officers who also stole his phone. His crime; he was out past curfew time.

4. Incident Four, Kenya. (location unknown) 

A Video clip of three police officers arresting a man whose shirt was torn in the ensuing incident of trying to explain himself to the officers was circulating on social media platforms yesterday. It seemed like the man was getting arrested for not wearing a face mask (we are yet to see the incident report).

The arrest was not the issue, the clip shows one of the police officers reaching out and grabbing, and squeezing the suspects "balls" to get him subdued.

The black race or what is called the "Negroid race" has had its fair share of mistreatment the world over. It started by the white settlers and the Arabs who carted and shipped hundreds and thousands of our ancestors and sold them into slavery to fuel the industrial/agrarian revolution in Europe and America. And porters and workers for Arab countries.

Then others were taken to fight in a war they had no knowledge of in the commonwealth, world war 1 and 2. When slavery had lost its luster, the Europeans (read whites) sat and divided Africa amongst themselves as "spheres of influence". That ushered in the era of colonisation.

As colonialism was coming to an end a faulty police training manual was left with African countries. But it seems as if the same manual is being used by the white police officers in dealing with only the black citizens in their countries.

The tragedy is when a fellow African, black police officer beats, tortures, abuses, humiliates and kills a fellow black man in an African county, in the 21st century.

The black race should not be endangered in Europe and America by overzealous white security officers and face the same treatment back home by overzealous African police officers.

These Actions by the police in both Kenya and the USA are wrong.

We will not win the war on COVID-19 in Kenya with these kind of approaches. We must change tact.

Juma Hemedi

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