<
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/10/4/pandemic-policing-in-multicultural-australia>
"I’ve always been a walker. It’s my way of de-stressing. Under lockdown, I
assumed taking walks around my neighbourhood would be a therapeutic activity.
But this has not been the case. Instead, my walks led me to question my ideals
of community.
In my mostly white suburb of inner-city Melbourne, I regularly witnessed
violations of lockdown rules – people visiting one another, not wearing masks,
working out in groups in their garages. All these activities appeared to occur
under a cloak of assurance – people seemed convinced that they should not and
would not face any consequences for their actions.
As a long-term critic of policing, criminalisation and state powers, the
pandemic has placed me in an uncomfortable position. Seeing these flagrant
violations of basic restrictions put in place to prevent a virus from spreading
has made me wonder how, without state intervention, we could preserve public
health when members of the community show little regard for the safety of
others?
Melbourne and Sydney, two of Australia’s biggest cities, have witnessed
significant resistance to COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates. There
have been protests, and even riots.
This still growing resistance marks a convergence of racism, class struggles
and conspiracy mindsets. These forces are not new to one another, but long-term
acquaintances – something white Australia’s long history of racial paranoia
attests to.
The state’s (mis)management of this pandemic, however, has led us down a
dangerous new path. It has not only had corroding effects on community
relations, but also made it increasingly difficult to comprehend the nature of
the resistance to expanding state powers."
Via Muse, who wrote "Sad and true."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
