Ethiopians have suffered for many years from discriminatory treatment at the hands of too many elements in Israeli society, and in particular – of the Israel Police. This assertion was anchored in the report of the “Team to Eradicate Racism against Ethiopians” led by the Director General of the Ministry of Justice, Attorney Amy Palmore, which was submitted to the government in June 2016.
The report suggested a method to change the attitude of the State of Israel towards the Ethiopian public, changes in the way the police operate. Two years later, some of the recommendations have been implemented, and others are still pending. Is the police moving towards repairing relations between them? And what else should she do, in order to prevent events like Yehuda’s death from happening again?
The defining event in the complex relationship between the police and the Ethiopian public took place almost four years ago, in April 2015.
Demas Pakada, a soldier from Ethiopia, was standing on street with his bicycle and was beaten by a policeman and a police-volunteer that met him on the street.
After being beaten by the two, Pakada was seen standing in front of no less than four policemen, who came to arrest him.
He, who was beaten and attacked, was put behind bars, and was on his way to be tried for the offenses of obstructing a police officer in the performance of his duty and assaulting a police officer.
Only after the documentation of the attack, filmed by citizens, was published, things were changed. Pakada was released from his arrest, and the country began to riot.
In which procedural part the case today?
“Those responsible for the procedure are the Israel Police and the Ministry of Justice.
The procedure is currently under the care of the Ministry of Justice, and they are trying to promote it with the cooperation of Police.
It has been delayed for over a year. They want to get cooperation, but encounter of resistance from the police.
The claim is of possibility of damage to operational capacity of police, that there will be an increased need for reporting, et cetera.
I think that an organization that is criticized for over-policing, an organization that at least says that has changed its ways, should be the first to come and say – we are interested in any procedure that can help us improve”,
The same claim against me for lack of cooperation were made against the police also against the implementation of other decisions from the report. First of all – body cameras on police officers.
“Some of the changes that the police accepted, did not come easily”, says Fentahun Assefa-Dawit, CEO of the association Tebeka – Justice and Equality Association for Ethiopian Expatriates, who was a member of Palmore׳s team.
“It wasn’t easy until they got it. The police strongly objected to body cameras – but we insisted.
Our demand that police officers carry body cameras is related to the fact that we saw that in the case of Demas Pakada, if there was no camera, Demas would be in prison today.
Thanks to the camera, all this situation turned around, and Demas became an outstanding officer who serves the State of Israel in the best possible way.
I still shudder when I ask myself what would have been the fate of Demas if there had not been a camera?
That’s why we demanded that police officers walk around with body cameras.
Full article: https://www.davar1.co.il/170881/?fbclid=IwAR3niluKYTqcuC14MN4xXGU5yCif6gBZGxlmwVTOvXjuDqbZ55l4HiXezUY
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