Concern about racism on new ‘fear’ blog

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Cape Town - The Human Rights Commission says it is concerned about an increase in racism and racial profiling following the emergence of a Twitter handle and blog called “Suburbanfear”. The blog describes itself as “the bastion of white middle class fear” and enables residents across the country to e-mail screengrabs of posts on Facebook from various neighbourhood watches, security companies and community policing forums to the creator of the handle and blog, exposing racist remarks and profiling. Its creator, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Cape Times the site had already had more than 50 000 views since its November inception, and the blog was initiated to spark debate about “how South Africans talk about race”. The names of individuals who post are obscured while their profile pictures remain.

Posts on the page include comments like “glenwood has become dirtier, more dangerous and certainly darker”.

Accompanying pictures of black men sitting on steps, another resident posts that the men are “purveying the area”.

When asked: “What’s the problem with two guys sitting on a staircase?”, the poster responds: “Maybe we should from now on use descriptions such as ‘previously disadvantaged ones’. And for coloureds: ‘inbetweeners’.

Commission spokesman Isaac Mangena said: “… we are against any form of racism or racial profiling. Of all the cases we deal with, racism is among the top.”

Western Cape Community Policing Forum vice secretary Michael Jacobs condemned racial profiling.

“Our neighbourhood watches should adhere to a strict code of conduct and not display any form of racism,” he said.

Its former chairman Hanif Loonat called the posts racist. “Crime has no colour… this shouldn’t be a race issue.”

He said he had raised the issue with his neighbourhood watch in Kenwyn, advocating an end to the use of racial terminology.

Andrew Steyn, of the Kenwyn neighbourhood watch, said racial profiling was non-existent within the watch.

One of the areas mentioned was Table View. A post reads: “Drove past a taxi… 3 blk males looking at houses… very dodgy.”

A Table View neighbourhood watch member, who asked not to be named, said: “Colour has to come into it. It’s not a race issue if I’m looking for the person and I need to identify that person.”

The Table View neighbourhood watch declined to comment formally.

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Cape Times