(DISCLAIMER. In South Africa, racism is not black and white. To an outsider, it might be a bit confusing. The Apartheid had left the different people of South Africa in racial classes. A racial class unique to South Africa is the colored class. According to Britannica, a colored person is “a person of mixed European (“white”) and African (“black”) or Asian ancestry, as officially defined by the South African government from 1950 to 1991”. So during this essay, I will be referring to mixed heritage people as they do in South Africa, colored.)

South African police officers killed 978 innocent people in 2017-2019. This data shows how brutal South African police are. Let's put that in perspective. There have been 1196 killings between 2017-2019 by police in America, and their population is 328 million. South Africa has a population of 58 million. Think about that. One of the victims of this ongoing tragedy was Nathaniel Julies. Nathaniel was a 16-year-old boy with down syndrome. He was shot and killed by the police. 

Nathaniel is only one of the tragedies of all these people of color who were murdered by the police. The black community has disliked colored people in South Africa because of their class in the Apartheid. The colored people were deemed better than black people by the white community. The police force in South Africa is black-led, meaning that black prejudices can influence general policing. To the black community in South Africa, colored people are seen as more minor and there is anger from black people toward the coloreds for having been seen as better by the white community. Black police have acted on colored people with many brutalities. Colored people should not live in fear of the police. 

The colored people of South Africa should have the right to be equal to everyone. They were oppressed as well and do not deserve the hate the black-led police force is giving them. Nathaniel did not deserve to be taken away from this world. To be shot for his skin color is not acceptable, and his death has shattered the Colored communities in South Africa. 

The hate instilled into the black community from the Apartheid should not affect the police’s actions. The dislike and power that have gotten to their heads have caused them to become very brutal to the public, not just to one minority group. Police brutality in South Africa is no joke, and Nathineils death is another example of that. 

Police in South Africa should be held accountable for their actions. There were three police that had killed Nathaniel, and only two were arrested. These arrests are significant because they exercise authority over the police, but he didn't get the justice he deserved. These police officers killed him in cold blood, and not all of them are in jail. They should be in jail. The fact that they are not all in prison shows that police are not always held liable for their actions. This freedom lets the police do whatever they want and gives them that power will only lead to more acts of brutality.

If you want to help and spread awareness about Nathaniel just like me, please use the hashtag  #JustcieForNathaniel. The only way we can get justice is for the whole world to change. We need change. We will never forget you, Nathaniel.