On the 28th of October 2013, a young rapper travelling home from a gig was mistaken for a kidnapper and shot at 6 times. Lucky none of the shots proved fatal. Khuli Chana escaped with his life. This brought about a lot of talking because this mistaken identity is a norm but was brought to media attention because of Khuli's fame.
People were angered at what a costly mistake the police had made. Many people shared their views and experiences on twitter. I proceeded to tweet, "The sad reality is that none of this would have happened to @KhuliChana were he a white man." It didn't sit well with many. I was branded a racist. I look back at that tweet and I still see its accuracy. Maybe the truth is a bitter pill to swallow. Had the police looked in that blue BMW (the suspect were said to be in a grey BMW) and saw a caucasian man of any age I don't think they would've fired 6 shots at him. Khuli just matched the description, not even the car matched the description. Any black man aged 20 - 35 in that position would have been thought perpetrator without question. This is the society we live in, whether you fear to look at it that way or not. The black man lives in fear in his own land.
Do the police have reason not to trust young black men? It goes without say that crime is a serious problem in the country. Is crime a racial problem? Black people are from a less privileged backgrounds due to racial oppression caused by Apartheid. Mentally and physically oppressed for decades by a system set up to benefit people belonging to one race. Robbed off our country's wealth and prosperity. This is no secret, something we all know. We are in a new South Africa now which gives 'equal' opportunity to every citizen. Its no revelation that many black man due to their impoverished backgrounds and lack of knowledge to commit white collar crimes have resorted to more violent crimes in order to get their way. This has led society to paint the average criminal as a black man between the ages 20 to 35. @JacquiThePoet tweeted "Black men are guilty until proven innocent, their crime is being black."
Khulane Morale, 31, got shot at 6 times for driving a car that resembled that off the criminals in question. Khulane also meets societies description of a criminal, a black man aged between 20 and 35. Without question he almost lost his life because of racial profiling. If me pointing this out makes me a racist then we have a problem. If speaking about racism or racial problems makes your back hairs stand then you're living in a cocoon, a world far from the truth. The truth is that society is racist, we stereotype everyday and those stereotypes lead to dangerous conclusions. @MTshwete tweeted "Where can I buy "I'm black but I'm not a criminal" car sticker.
Will we ever stop racial profiling so a black man like me can feel safe travelling the streets without being shot at? Is this mentality of stereotyping everyone you come across ever gonna stop? Are the wounds caused by Apartheid in this country ever going to heal? The more we talk about it more openly the more we can understand each others frustrations. Don't shush me because I have the guts to say my mind on racial issues because they make you feel uncomfortable. I'm here looking for a solution to the problem, keeping quiet is not working for me.
@Vusani_
People were angered at what a costly mistake the police had made. Many people shared their views and experiences on twitter. I proceeded to tweet, "The sad reality is that none of this would have happened to @KhuliChana were he a white man." It didn't sit well with many. I was branded a racist. I look back at that tweet and I still see its accuracy. Maybe the truth is a bitter pill to swallow. Had the police looked in that blue BMW (the suspect were said to be in a grey BMW) and saw a caucasian man of any age I don't think they would've fired 6 shots at him. Khuli just matched the description, not even the car matched the description. Any black man aged 20 - 35 in that position would have been thought perpetrator without question. This is the society we live in, whether you fear to look at it that way or not. The black man lives in fear in his own land.
Do the police have reason not to trust young black men? It goes without say that crime is a serious problem in the country. Is crime a racial problem? Black people are from a less privileged backgrounds due to racial oppression caused by Apartheid. Mentally and physically oppressed for decades by a system set up to benefit people belonging to one race. Robbed off our country's wealth and prosperity. This is no secret, something we all know. We are in a new South Africa now which gives 'equal' opportunity to every citizen. Its no revelation that many black man due to their impoverished backgrounds and lack of knowledge to commit white collar crimes have resorted to more violent crimes in order to get their way. This has led society to paint the average criminal as a black man between the ages 20 to 35. @JacquiThePoet tweeted "Black men are guilty until proven innocent, their crime is being black."
Khulane Morale, 31, got shot at 6 times for driving a car that resembled that off the criminals in question. Khulane also meets societies description of a criminal, a black man aged between 20 and 35. Without question he almost lost his life because of racial profiling. If me pointing this out makes me a racist then we have a problem. If speaking about racism or racial problems makes your back hairs stand then you're living in a cocoon, a world far from the truth. The truth is that society is racist, we stereotype everyday and those stereotypes lead to dangerous conclusions. @MTshwete tweeted "Where can I buy "I'm black but I'm not a criminal" car sticker.
Will we ever stop racial profiling so a black man like me can feel safe travelling the streets without being shot at? Is this mentality of stereotyping everyone you come across ever gonna stop? Are the wounds caused by Apartheid in this country ever going to heal? The more we talk about it more openly the more we can understand each others frustrations. Don't shush me because I have the guts to say my mind on racial issues because they make you feel uncomfortable. I'm here looking for a solution to the problem, keeping quiet is not working for me.
@Vusani_
