Monday, April 5, 2010

Cops drop the ball

In South Africa at the height of apartheid black were pulled over harassed, followed, beaten and worse. The world didn't like what was going on and we were all aghast of the brutality of our fellow man. While on holiday we all watched "walk to freedom" which was an inspiring story of Rosa Parks. Little Podgorani and her schoolie mate asked a thousand questions and were horrified with so many of the little things that black america suffered, and some probably still are. What annoys me is the same stuff happens in NZ all the time but just for brown NZers, stuff us pakeha are oblivious to. My mate Ves reckons he has been pulled over 20 times in three years, I think I've been pulled over 3 times in my life. He does have dreadlocks and a cool goatee, and he is one hell on a good teacher. He tells me on all the lines, excuses the cops use when they pull him over, it just happens, believe me.
OK here is my point, check this out and shake you head this is true story. My mate and his cook went to pick up their son from a short stint in a northland prison. They were looking forward to the day, counting the days. The fill the car, buy plenty of yummy food, and get to the gates at 9am sharp. Yes the dogs were there and they were doing inspections (no problems there). So also in the que of cars was about 15 other cars, mainly solo mums with 3,4,5 kids all with their parcels and stuff. These are people trying to hold their families together. So what do the police do. They have a line of police, checking warrants, registrations, diesel mileage, seat-belts, everything. They were handing out tickets/fines like lollipops. If you want a shit rap, a bad name, then carry on with this nonsense. No wonder the cops build up hatred with that sort of shit. My mate had a few harsh words for officer dibble and his comrades, he went home happy with his young man. But a string of young mums went home to an empty house and a bunch of fines they will never afford.
I suppose that it all comes down to cash, writing tickets, bringing in the bucks.
Shame, damn shame.

3 comments:

Allanah King said...

I agree about harassment to some extent but they were going to pick up someone from prison. People who frequent prisons are more likely than the general population to partake in illegal activities.

My nephew, a pakeha, who drives a boy racer car, gets pulled over way more often than the general population as well because he drives a car that fits the boy racer profile. People who drive that sort of car are more likely to behave outside the law than someone driving a Honda Jazz.

Why are there rules about having a safe car with a WoF? To protect the people in the car and the other road users. If people don't have a current WoF they shouldn't be on the road. End of sympathy on that one.

I realise that times are hard for some people but I don't want to be the dead person that someone without a WoF kills.

Podgorani said...

point taken, by all means have a road block, but not on benefit day inside the grounds of a prison. Its sinister that the police think that they can catch the most vunerable people in this way.
Would the IRD patrol the carparks of eden park, catching the "white people" who are driving company cars without paying fringe benefit tax. Thats exactly what is happening in northland but these guys are the poor so they wont complain.

drawing classes melbourne said...

Good post!
I just went through it and I must say that you have made your point.
Thank you for sharing.