Hi Hannah Schultz (daughter of Mrs. Schultz) here My mother moved to Observatory in the 1980s because it was one of the few places in Cape Town in which inter-racial partnerships could be ok. You argue that Observatory has become better, but for us it has not. This is because it is difficult to live in a place that considers poor black people to be undesirable.
I do not know why my mother’s aims are so baffling to you. What my mother wants is for the law to be applied equally. For Observatory to be open, for the policing of the suburb to be legal (yes Vita Schola arresting private citizens is illegal). She would like everyone of every race and class to be able to move freely on the streets of Obs. She spent her formative years fighting against forced removal; she does not want to witness it in the street outside. As a tax-payer she would like to hold the council accountable for the way in which her money is spent. As a ratepayer she would like to be able to sit in the parks. You do not like her. Fair enough. People with conservative views have never liked her. And that has never stopped her before. You find her abrasive. Perhaps she is a little. Don’t you think that it’s excusable after 30 years of saying the same thing? Don’t you think she has earned the right to be a little short to people who deny the humanity of others? As you find her motivations strange, I find yours strange. How can you have so little compassion? How can you see people and be frightened of them simply because they are poor and black? If you have evidence that they have committed a crime, bring it to the police. But how can you believe that it’s ok to target people because they look funny or because they are carrying poles? You would deny the destitute a sandwich and a place to sit and eat it. You see people with nothing and want to take that away. I do not understand how people who have so much can deny those with nothing so little. And so it is clear that we will always have difficulty understanding each other. You do not want to take the leap into the human rights culture that we now enjoy. And none of us wish to travel into the dark abbess of paranoia that you inhabit. All she is asking is that the rule of law be respected in Observatory and that, as a tax-payer, she has a council that is accountable to her. It is her hard-earned right to do so and she will fight on. Sincerely Hannah Schultz -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/obsnw?hl=en.
