German Police! Storms Afro Shops In Hamburg

Hit them hard where it hurts most, with the current constant police harassment of the only business we have, we might be compelled to start packing our "Agege & Ghana must go bags". The African community has over the years majored in establishing Afro-Shops.

For the past few days the police has stormed a couple of Afro shops in Hamburg, the last action was only yesterday 15th June 2010. Attempts to ask the police officers on duty for their actions yielded no results. They refuse to give reasons to concerned citizens and chose rather to bark at the people.

In any civilise country there are rules and regulations, so are responsibilities and duties, as the saying goes do what the Romans do when you are in Rome. As citizens and especially as foreigners must be law abiding.

We talked a lot about “obligations” of the Africans living in Germany, but what about our “rights”? Are the police entitled to storm our shops -/ business interest without search warrants or at least bothering to show one?

Most of these Afro-Shops are major source of income to shop owners, family members and few of them are serving as employment avenues to others. Besides, they served as social canters, a place to relax, seek information on current developments. The Afro-shops are part of us.

Deliberately helping close these shops would mean more queers at the already jammed JOB CENTERS. In my opinion what the authorities need to do is to explain their actions to the community and the shop owners.

If the shop owners are educated, they would know what is good and bad. Most of them shall do the right things; we maintain our shops, gainfully employed and avoid the JOB CENTERS.

It is time the Afro-shops forms an umbrella group, with competent leadership, they shall be in a better position to petition the government for wrongs against their businesses, demonstrate if the need arises. Most importantly they shall be able to purchase goods in bulk at much reduced price.

Their refusal to come together to raise the needed capital for bulk purchases has reduced them into distributing centres to the Asian shops.

It is never too late to do the right thing, if we refuse to work with one another, in 10 years our shops shall fold up, the Asians shall take over our only business.

Desmond John Beddy http://www.topafric.com