Kaffir Boy journal #1 On Violence/ Abuse

What I saw today was horrible and terrifying. Ladies prodded with a truncheon. These women were naked too. It was so horrible. Then I was beaten by a policeman for refusing to tell him where my parents were. At that moment, I saw death flash before my eyes. I was shoved to a corner and I was brutally kicked in the ribs twice; then after a few blows, I was harshly picked up from the ground and shaken so that the policeman could get me to talk. I remember being verbally abused by the guy, asking me why I didn’t open the door when I was told to. First of all I had no words for this policeman beating me. Thoughts ran through my head like why is a black policeman beating a black person not only just a black person, but a kid?! This made me afraid of South African policeman for a long time. Anyway moving on, the policeman found my father and took him with them because his passbook wasn’t in order and as they were leaving I was threatened by the same police that next time when they are raiding I better open the door when they say to. I was quite traumatized trying to think straight again after all that happened. Our neighbors went through similar situations and seen some inhuman things and it was unfortunate that both parents or both man and women were found during the raid. It’s good that we are not as raided as often anymore. We have a little bit of peace. We didn’t have to worry about when the next raid will come, or about the police coming to find my parents for a while. I think the policemen are used to making the blacks suffer. It’s not like they were not sad while beating me or messing with the naked ladies that were being arrested. I don’t think these people have a heart whatsoever. Bribes were the only thing that could get you from being arrested. I like to watch action but I don’t like when it’s done to me or my parents by an authority. After awhile, my father began getting arrested again and again. More violence’s occurred, loneliness, hopelessness, and helplessness all because of these policemen. There were making every single persons life miserable. No one had peace anymore because you were either beaten, abused, taken away, left alone or other bad things. It was only the beginning of these bad things.