​Lack of courtesy between the police and civilians leads to lethal conflicts. Justify the validity of this statement using illustrations from Meja Mwangi’s Incident in the Park. (20 marks).

Across the world, over centuries, the behavior of some police officers has caused dire repercussions. Sometimes this happens due to excessive use of force or simply wrongful application of law and policies, but the majority of this occurs as a result of impolite

The incident in the Park shows how city dwellers, hawkers, and loafers find themselves in conflicts with the police over flimsy and petty reasons often ending unpleasantly. When the two constables accost the fruit peddler, he gets startled and confused. They demand his licence and identity card which he doesn’t have. Then he offers five shillings which doesn’t seem good enough as one constable shrugs. This means that at times if the offer were attractive, they would have accepted it and left him.

The police refuse to listen to the fruit merchant and harshly shove him along the street to the city telling him he will explain to the judge. This complicates matters even more because the fruit seller fears the judge more. It throws him into more panic as he has a case that is coming up the following week and the judge is a “tyrant”. He explains further that he is selling this time so that he can afford of me but all his entreaties fall on deaf ears. They remain unimpressed saying nothing until he breaks away and flees into the crowded city.
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The situation escalates when the constables chase the fleeing man shouting for help from the passers-by. They actually betroth him unto the mob. A city man intercepts him and another man lunges for him as shouts increase. Tossed here and there as a suspect, the desperate fruit peddler stumbles and falls into a ditch. No one seems to care to find out what really is happening before taking action. No one listens as he pleads for mercy. 7his is where he meets his ‘verdict’ which is death. According to the crowd, ‘justice’ is administered. The mob universally condemns him without plausible evidence.

By the time the police arrive at the scene, it is too late. Their action is irreversible and fatal. File mob has already killed him for being a “thief”. They who are supposed to ensure public safety and security have aided the killing of a hardworking hawker by their silly mistake.

​This should not have happened if they had treated the man Politely. An innocent life is so unnecessarily lost. This makes the public lose confidence in the police. after investigations, the truth will come out and it will be hard to trust the police. In a nutshell, wanton conflicts and deaths of innocent citizens could be averted if the police handled matters with courtesy and sobriety.

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The lack of courtesy between the police and civilians can indeed lead to lethal conflicts. This statement is justified by the illustrations provided in Meja Mwangi’s “Incident in the Park.”

In the story, “Incident in the Park,” Meja Mwangi portrays how the behavior of some police officers can have dire consequences. The conflicts between city dwellers, hawkers, and loafers with the police often escalate due to the impolite interactions between the two parties. The police officers in the story accost a fruit peddler and demand his license and identity card, even though it is clear that he does not possess such documents. Instead of handling the situation with courtesy, the police refuse to listen to the fruit peddler and forcibly shove him along the street, threatening to take him to the judge. This causes panic and fear for the fruit seller, as he has a pending case with a judge perceived as a “tyrant.”

Moreover, the lack of courtesy and respect from the police towards civilians can have fatal consequences. In “Incident in the Park,” the fruit peddler is mistaken for a thief by a mob and is mercilessly killed before the police arrive. This tragic outcome could have been avoided if the police had treated the man politely and taken the time to understand the situation. The unnecessary loss of an innocent life due to the police’s lack of courtesy further erodes public confidence in the police and raises concerns about their ability to ensure public safety and security.