How is your neighbourhood watch group doing? 

Now that Neighbourhood Watch groups are back up and running since lockdown stage 3, i decided to do a bit of a social experiment.

i say ‘experiment’ although given the stories i have heard over the years i didn’t expect any kind of response except the one that i received. This was the ask:

i would love to hear from people who are or have been part of neighbourhood watch whatsapp groups that do obvious racial profiling – for example you have BM and CM but no WM [because of how white males can never be suspicious of course] – have you ever challenged it? How has that gone for you?

We are now 36 comments in and counting. Largely from people who were kicked out of neighbourhood watch whatsapp groups for questioning racial profiling or for adding their own comments of: “WM with what appears to be a lawnmower, walking along the verge” [Caryn Pearson]

While i know i have friends who are part of what they believe are positive well-run neighbourhood watch groups, i have yet to hear on that particular post from any of them. i do hope, though, that they are reading through the comments and stories from others. While i don’t believe for a second this is #AllNeighbourhoodWatchWhatsappGroups, there are enough bad stories from all around the country to suggest that there is a problem.

Turns out i have written about this briefly before as part of an Interrupting Whiteness series. This really does feel like a place where toxic masculinity and toxic whiteness link arms and rush headlong towards anyone in the way.

Neighbourhood Watch Whatsapp

#NotOnOurWhatsapp

This really feels like a space for white people to step up! If you are someone who has made a #NotOnOurWatch commitment to interrupting racism wherever you encounter it, then when it happens on your Whatsapp, you need to speak up. And let’s be honest – it very likely will not go well!

If your Neighbourhood Watch Whatsapp group has codes for certain people [BM – Black Male, CM – Coloured Male, i assume IM – Indian Male] and not for others [WM – because white males cannot be suspicious?] then you need to speak up. Even if there are codes for everyone but the only people ever being accused of being suspicious tend to be from the same race, you need to interject.

When someone mentions a suspicious black male in your group, ask, “Why is he suspicious? What made you concerned?” and get people to face their own prejudice.

Not a Playground for grownup little Rambos

My fear is that many of the men who gravitate to Neighbourhood Watch groups are those who are attracted to power and dominance – i saw this in some of the Neighbourhood Watch groups that joined the Security side when #FeesMustFall was happening – they looked kitted out for war.

Yes, we live in a dangerous society and yes crime and murder are both rampant and it feels like we do need some kind of protection happening from the community. But if this is being done, it has to be done to protect and not to bully. To build community and not to break it down.

We [white people and in particular white men as these can be male-dominated spaces] need to interrupt and let the groups we are part of know, “That is not okay!” when they cross the line. We need to hold them accountable and trust and hope that other people in the group will add their voices to ours when we speak up.

This is an area in South Africa where both whiteness and maleness have been shown to be a problem. Those of us who are white and who are male should be taking the lead on holding people accountable and refusing to let this kind of negative, violent and often racist behaviour continue uninterrupted.

What do you think? Neighbourhood Watch Whatsapp groups, good or bad? Do you have a story or have you ever had an encounter with one of them?