-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Reply to Tim Dunlop
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 09:32:07 +1100
From: "Karen Crook" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I would never actually state that police judge indigenous guilty more
than
non-indigenous. Because every case is different. Have a look at the
recent
incidetn where the professor up north allegedly called police officers
the
Ku Klux Klan - simply for doing their job!!!!!! And that quote coming
from a
person who has allegedly suffered racism all their life. We may never
know
the full story behind the slur and until we are actually present at an
incident as such, we cannot judge who said what. Though in most cases I
tend
to believe the police as they have a lot more accountability these days
and
a lot carry micro-cassette recorders for these exact reasons.
What I was saying was just that police have a tough enough job as it is
and
if they pick on someone a little more harshly it's probably because of a
number of reasons. Either:
- they know the offender or the people the offfender is with (and if
they
have a record then police know there could be trouble so they go in a
bit
more aggresively. Who's going to go softly with someone you know is
dangerous?????????????),
- the offender uses gutter trash language (if you were just a happy
drunk
chatting to the police they would probably just let you sleep it off,
but if
you start calling them all names under the sun and perhaps swinging and
throwing rough punches, then you will be taken in most likely)
- or they look like they will be trouble. And from this I mean
presentation - their clothes, hats, shoes etc. Body language, facial
expressions. All races have these sort of people you know but if they
happen
to be Aboriginal, then that is just bad luck.
Everyoen knows the same rules apply in your own personal lives. You
happen
to be walking down the street at night after the movies and see a group
of
youths up ahead. They are young, drinking alcohol, loud, rude and
throwing
things. No one in their right mind would continue to walk past them, you
either cross the street or get away anyway you can. I have doen it and
it
never had anything to do with the colour of their skin.
"Then the question becomes, do we know that the police are racists? Well
the
fact that Aboriginal people are 16 times more likely to end up in jail
suggests one of two things - either the law is being discriminately
applied
to Aboriginal people, or Aboriginal people are for some reason 16 times
more
likely to be criminals than non-Aboriginal people. If you reject racism
as
an issue then you have only the second option left. If that is the case,
then the onus is back on you to suggest as to why it is Aboriginal
people
are substantially more criminal than other people. Is that what you are
saying? What are your reasons?"
My opinion is the second option. Just because there are 16 times more
Aboriginals in the prisons does in no way suggest racism by officers. It
proves to me that these Aboriginals have made some criminal error and
are
now paying for it. Just like everyone else should. The fact of the
matter is
that crime has a punishment and they have been caught for their criminal
activities.
Police are there to enforce the law and then they pass them on to the
court
system. It is not the police who put them in jail, it is the judge and
the
jury. And with the legal system in place, everything is accounted for as
to
why they sent them to jail. Don't go blaming the police for someone
else's
actions. You seem to blame the police in one instance and then suddenly
blame the law. Who is it? You don't seem to make it clear who you think
it
is that is supposedly racist.
Perhaps the reason behind the higher possibility of them offending is
because of they way they have been brought up and the conditions they
live
in. I have seen black and white people who grow up in a household where
there is no respect for anyone; alcohol, drug or sexual abuse and a
total
hate toward everyone who even looks their way. These people have usually
gone on to be less productive with their lives than others. All you need
then is for them to become teenagers, they start hanging around with
other
kids who are in the same situations and then you have trouble. They feel
they have no one who cares about them. They need to show though they are
strong and tough so to do this they often break the law - steal things,
break windows, break into cars etc. I've seen kids like this, went to
school
with them and so too did my sisters. We were always brought up knowing
the
law and what was right and wrong. Sure we did some minor silly things
but we
certainly knew not to break the law to end up in jail. Serious crime
gives
you time. I know I'm not perfect but I do respect other people enough
not to
break into their homes and steal their TVs etc. These people who do have
no
respect and need to be told that it is WRONG!!!!!!
I'd like to introduce to you a point of racism I encountered a few years
back.
In 1991 I completed grade 12 and didn't do so crash hot so I decided to
repeat the year after. So in 1992 I was back in school with the class
that
had always behind below me. I worked my butt off this second time
around.
Stuck to myself, worked hard, did the homework, passed the exams and
studied - and I held down a part-time job after school and on weekends.
Finally the big day arrived and I discovered I had received an OP score
of
9. I was very happy with that. I got accepted into three universities -
Sydney, Coffs Harbour and Queensland. After much deliberating, I went to
the
college in Queensland where the cut-off score for my Bachelor degree
course
was 10 so my hard work had paid off. On the first day of lectures I
discovered a familiar face. A guy that had been in my class when I
repeated - it was his first time through year 12 (he was not a repeat).
I found out that this guy had gotten into the course on an Aboriginal
quota
system and his OP score was 19!!!!! Now if that is not racist what is?
We
had both gone to school, he had the same opportunities to learn as I
did, he
was not disadvantaged in any way so why does he cruise through high
school
and basically fail but get into college?
Whereas i fail and have to repeat and work my butt of to get into the
course. Yes I'm angry, this sort of thing should not be happening these
days. Aboriginal children still go to school so don't tell me they don't
have the same chances as everyone else.
By giving them special favours because of their colour/culture, the
Aboriginal people are making racism problems for themselves. People
become
disheartened when there is no fairness and then they turn around and
blame
everyone else for being racist.
If you want to stop racism, then stop making everything Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal. Everyone deserves a chance, whether they are black or
white.
Karen
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