'I am sick of police brutality'
2008-03-10 10:42
Dear Editor,
I am sick and tired of police brutality.
I started my weekend hearing about a friend of mine who was unlucky enough to have a "dispute" with a high ranking police official at an upmarket night spot in Johannesburg.
Needless to say the dispute turned ugly as the cop chose to use big bad friends leaving my mate with little recollection of the beating he received.
I was further angered after seeing footage of a supposed raid in my hometown of Stellenbosch. The video leaves in me in no doubt that this was no raid but rather a hate-filled attack on generally helpless victims.
It is pretty sickening to see how the "protectors" of the law run riot whilst the general public can do little but try adjust to the confusion of shotguns ringing around them and not to mention needless amounts of pepper spray applied directly to the faces of some!
I understand that drugs were found on the scene at some of the locations but were unattended thus no one can be prosecuted. So why the excessive violence?
Stellenbosch is a student town, obviously there are bad elements going on and policing is necessary but how many people in the three clubs that were raided were just out having a night on the town?
In the footage one can clearly see crowds gathered on the floor after complying with the instructions of police, they are later revisited and a female is seen being pepper sprayed directly in the face despite being on the ground and then when she struggles to her feet, she is knocked back down with force! How can that be allowed?
Police are at times out-and-out saviours and many people owe their lives to their heroic deeds, but this kind of brutality is nothing short of cowardly. What is worse is that they confiscated cameras and cell phones of people who recorded the pandemonium.
The footage on the internet is now alive and well though and questions need to be answered!
Ricky James
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