forsdick - you don't fit in here

It’s hard to believe that there are still people in our community who have so little idea of Māori values and society that they don’t even understand moko. These people exclude Māori with moko and treat them as aliens and not of their society. Forsdick is an example where he kicked out a person wearing a moko - the pub had just been refurbished...

Stuff

On Saturday, Tunahau Kohu went to the Parklands Tavern and Woodpecker Resturant (Christchurch), with his partner. He said he was approached by a member of staff as he sat down to watch Australia play Russia in a Rugby World Cup match at 3.30pm, and was told to leave because the business did not allow people with facial and neck tattoos on site.

'They said it is their policy that they don't allow people with facial tattoos.  I tried to explain that my moko isn't a facial tattoo - every line and circle has a meaning to it. ''They said if I didn't leave they would ring the police.  They weren't interested in my explanation of what it meant."

Of course they never considered the insult to the mana of Tunahau Kohu either because they are witless about that concept too. We get 2 or 3 of these incidents reported in the MSM every year and it happens every week in reality. Racial profiling and not just Māori who wear their moko but anyone brown as this news story showed. 

The explanation by the manager of the pub is illuminating

Following recent refurbishments Manager Allan Forsdick said he, and owner Louis Vieceli, had tightened the dress code, meaning nobody with facial or neck tattoos would be allowed into the establishment. He said "two or three people with facial tattoos were also asked to leave'' the premises on Saturday.

''This is not a racial issue.  This is about making our premises and our environment be one that is welcoming for all clientele.''

Yes no racial issue here and welcoming we will be, as long as you fit in of course. That’s the big joke forsdick – you don’t fit in here, your attitude is disgusting and your ignorance is no excuse. So what does your association say

New Zealand Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson said "bars are entitled to eject anyone they wish, although it can't be based on ethnicity, gender or disability". Asked whether mokos should be treated like regular facial tattoos in bars where there were policies against facial tattoos, Robertson said there were several factors that needed to be considered.

"It does depend. It depends on the nature of the moko, its authenticity and whether there were other issues involved."

Great – so bruce is going to authenticate moko now – give me a break! - Several factors to be considered? Hey here’s an idea – why don’t you get off your arse and learn something about Māori culture and moko - then you can improve your organisation and your members attitudes – you know, explain to them where they are and who tangata whenua are. But no, I doubt that will happen and the forsdicks of our world will continue to treat people as lessor because of their race and/or ethnicity.

mad, bad and sad

Evidence can be a terrible thing. We know that Māori and pasifika peoples are more likely to come to the attention of the police and now we also know that they get tazered by the police a lot more than others - how much more?

NZH

ETHNICITIES
During the 11 months to August 9, police tasered 88 people including:
* Maori: 35
* Pacific Islanders: 16
* Europeans: 35
* Asians: 1

The introduction of Tasers was bitterly opposed by the Maori Party and the Greens with the Maori Party's Hone Harawira and the Greens' Mr Locke both raising concerns their use would reflect police "racism". Mr Locke yesterday said the latest statistics raised a number of issues about the weapons. "Certainly they're being fired disproportionately at Maori. The reasons for that are something we should look into."Mr Locke was also concerned that police were too quick to use Tasers on people with mental health issues - 58 during the 11-month period.

Mana Party spokeswoman Annette Sykes said that despite Mr Harawira's warning "there has been this disproportionate outcome for Maori and Polynesian individuals which is a sad indictment on us".

But police and their minister, Judith Collins, say the figures merely reflect the "sad fact" that Maori are over-represented in crime statistics.

Yes it is a 'sad fact' but what does that fact mean and where does it come from. For collins it means add more police, more weapons, more jails and more arrests but those responses do not address the issue. There is fundamental institutional racism at play here - and if you know that there is an issue and you choose to ignore it then you are actually supporting it. Governments know about this issue, highlighted by these tazer statistics, and have not addressed it because it does not suit their agenda to. They prefer this situation and you may wonder why - blame is one reason, it is always good to have a group to blame for things and the distorted history of this country offers the indigenous people as an established blameworthy group, as happens in many colonised countries. It is not us, it is them - it is those 'others'. To fix this situation requires more than a band aid.

I am sick to death of our people getting tazered and arrested, fingerprinted even though they have no conviction, and put in prison. I am sick to death of this institutional racism and the compounding effects of the Crowns continuted ignorance of their role as a true partner to Māori. We need to change some things and change them fast. Politically I am putting my faith in Mana - they will put a stick in the spokes to stop this and create opportunities to work on solutions. And I see constituitonal change as being essential.

aussie police email shocker

This story, from aussie, about widespread passing on of extreme racist and pornographic emails, within the victorian police force, is very disturbing and as bad as it gets. From SMH

"Up to 100 officers are being investigated and could face the sack for sharing the emails, described by Chief Commissioner Simon Overland as "disturbing and gross", on work computers.

A series of racist and pornographic emails shared among Victoria Police officers are too shocking to ever be released publicly, the state's police chief says.

The most serious email shows an ethnic man being tortured.

"It is extremely serious, it’s offensive, and my view is that it would cause significant concern and alarm in the community if the material was made public," he said.

"If the Victorian public were aware of the nature of that material, I believe that it's of such a nature that it would cause significant concern within the Victorian community."

Mr Overland said some of the emails are so serious that they raised real questions about a number of individuals' suitability to continue with Victoria Police.

"We're not talking about one item, we're talking about multiple items," he said.

Whew! Officers made comments on the emails before passing them on and so far one officer under investigation has committed suicide.

Our own police aren't clean in this regard, by any measure, and I hope they take this wake up call from across the ditch seriously and root out the sickos within their ranks here.

racial profiling - Lazy and idiotic

Racial profiling - we see it a lot here as well.

"As police officers accused of abusing people of color continue to be routinely acquitted, as the federal government heightens airport security checks of passengers from 14 mostly Muslim nations, and as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and local sheriffs continue to unfairly target and inhumanely treat dark-skinned immigrants, it’s clear that racial and religious profiling continues to be standard operating procedure."

Time to start a conversation about racial profiling



The thing is, it is lazy as well as offensive. The idiocy of the logic brings tears to the eyes.

Hat tip Racewire