Brutal encounter that changed my views about police officers
Protesters march during a demonstration in solidarity with the global Black Lives Matter protests over police brutality and white supremacy in the US, outside the US Embassy in Nairobi on June 2, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Suddenly, police officers appeared carrying batons.
- In a twinkle of an eye, the other officers descended on customers and employees of the restaurant.
I used to admire the police in their blue uniforms until my mother and I found ourselves in their hands during this Covid-19 times.
In March, my mother told me that the government had announced that everyone should wear a mask when leaving the house.
We obeyed those rules when we left our house and drove to Voi to shop. At the supermarket, we picked all we wanted according to my mother’s shopping list.
When we were done, we felt hungry and my mother suggested we go to a popular restaurant and buy take-away chips.
There were many people in the restaurant in a queue. They were standing far apart to obey the rules Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe had put in place to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. People in the restaurant also had masks on as they waited to buy their meals.
Suddenly, police officers appeared carrying batons. First, there was pin-drop silence then a shout from one of the officers, who seemed to be the commander.
They ordered everyone to leave. In a twinkle of an eye, the other officers descended on customers and employees of the restaurant.
As we scrambled to get out, batons landed on the heads of the unlucky. I even heard grown men cry. Outside, some of the customers were rounded up and bundled into a police vehicle.
I saw a man get kicked hard by police officers when he demanded to be told the reason for the arrest. My mother held me close.
We were all told to sit outside of the restaurant. Soon, there were so many of us as the police frog marched horrified customers they had arrested from the other restaurants.
Many people pleaded and after an hour, they released us. When we were back in the car, my mother told me that the police usually do that to citizens so as to force them to pay a bribe.
I thought police officers protect us from criminals, but this incident changed my mind. Every time I see a police officer now, I wonder if they will torment me.
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