As an African woman, having a white Dutch husband and mixed kids, I want to share my experience towards Black Lives Matter. In 13 years in the Netherlands, I have come across many facets of discrimination. I mostly talk about issues relation to HIV stigma and discrimination, but today I choose to share this experience.
Not so long ago, I used to take my youngest child to school by bicycle. Crossing a busy road for a young child is dangerous so I would put him in my transport bike and bring him to school myself. Like many other parents I would use a narrow path as a shortcut to school with our bikes. Along this path, people from the neighbourhood would also be walking their dogs.
I had already been using this path for many years when suddenly a woman, walking her dog, told me I am not allowed to pass. But a white mother, also with a child on her bike, just passed and the woman said nothing at all. So I asked “why am I not allowed to pass?” She said “because this is a walking path”. I replied, “Well ,we are both breaking the rules as dogs are also not allowed to walk freely and shit here”. She was furious.
The next day, she stopped me and said she was going to report me to the police. I told her very calmly ”Look around, if you are going to call the police, make sure you clean up the dogshit, because I will tell them it is from your dog”. She said that she pays taxes to have a dog (forgetting that she should still clean up his shit), so I told her that I too pay taxes to use the path and I will tell the police to ask her how to explain the tons of dog shit along the path. I reminded her “Don’t be confused, I am Dutch and I know the rules and I am not afraid to talk with police”.
Two weeks later, she confronted me again, now with an old man. He said “You never went to school, you cannot read the sign. You are not allowed to use this path”. I replied that I can perfectly read the sign and that it says that you can walk here and that when walking with a bike in my hands, I am not breaking the rules. But that I know that a dog needs to be on a leash and that his shit needs to be cleaned. So I challenged them on who is breaking the Law right now? He was not happy with my answer and clearly did not expect me to stand up!
A week later, they were again both waiting for me and now blocked my passage. I thought that they would just let me pass. The old man said “You again? You are not allowed to pass here”. I asked why and made it clear that I am not going to use any other road. The old man then yelled at me “Houd je bek zwartkop (Shut your mouth, blackhead)”. Then he pushed me to the ground which made me almost fall into the stream along the path. When I got up I grabbed him by his shirt and looked into his eyes, and all I could read was his hatred for black people. And I already had done my research! Two white mothers, using the same path, never heard anything from those two, but one other black woman had exactly the same experience as me.
When the police choose to believe their white citizens…
I called my husband to tell him I was going to report these people to the police, so I took my passport and went to the police station. Guess who I saw coming out of the police station? The same woman who pushed me, she went to report me to the police. I became curious of what she could possibly have told the police as I had not committed any crime.
So after telling my story, the police officer told me “I don’t believe your story, you are the criminal”. I asked “why? what did I do?” He said “you had a knife and you were threatening this woman who you are reporting now. We know everything and stop acting like you are the victim!” I could not believe how I had transformed from a friendly mother being threatened and pushed to a criminal. I told the police that I have a witness, and that another dark mother had been experiencing exactly the same. The police send me away, and told me that my accusation had no value. So, the next day the other mother and I went to report our case again and the police responded that they will investigate.
Meanwhile my husband helped me to make complaint online through the anti-discrimination agency. Next thing I got was a visit from an anti-discrimination officer, offering me counselling as a victim. I told them that I don’t need counselling, I need Justice.
Then one day, a police officer showed up at my home. He told me that I should meet the old man, share a cup of tea at his home and talk about it. Why the hell would I share a cup of tea with a man full of hate, in his house? What would the police do if he pulled a gun and finish me in no time? And why would I go to his house, and why would he not come to my house? The police officer replied that he may feel comfortable in his own house. I said maybe he has a hidden agenda to kill me in his home and tell you that I attacked him. The police officer then said that he would check with him to meet in a neutral place. I said that I would only do that if the police officer would be available to look after me.
While waiting for the police officer to come back with a solution, they surprised me again by showing how much protective they are towards their white citizens. He came with an instruction for me to use another way to bring my child to school or wait to use that path until they are done walking their dogs. I looked the officer into his eyes and said “Listen, for a very long time now, they harass me and the other black woman, and they allow white mothers to keep using this same path. I am not going to change my route because you want to protect those people and their dogs. I want you to go back and tell those people that next time they see me to run. I will not tolerate them bullying me since you police fail to protect me and choose their side. If all mothers are going to stop using that path, I will stop, but if it’s only me who needs to change, no way. If they ever come close to me I will punish them myself and then you will come to take me to jail as a real criminal. Just tell them to wait until I have passed or go walk their dog in other place. Don’t come back again to ask to talk with them, I will teach them myself how to respect me.”
The next day I went to school on that same path, and when the woman saw me she immediately ran into another direction. My son noticed and said “Mom, she is now afraid of you, why?”. Well, I guess the police did at least one thing right! So now this woman knows that I am not a joker when it comes to discrimination, and the old man? He never dared to look into my eyes again.
Up to today, those white people got away with their violent and discriminatory behaviour. And I am still wondering why the police so openly chose the white people’s side and chose not to believe my side of the story. Did the police really expect me to keep my mouth shut like I was told by those white people? No! Because Black Lives matter everywhere!
Peace, Eliane
hivstigmafighter 