13 Things I Found on the Internet Today

[Messy Nessy Chic]   A Monday I’ll never forget. I was on my way to the pharmacy to get a new Covid test (which came back negative for now thankfully), when I witnessed something I’d never seen before in Paris. Here’s the story: Today I witnessed the horrific arrest of a Black woman outside a boulangerie in central Paris. The policemen had just stopped a Black man in his car for no clear reason and the woman began voicing her complaint for repeated police racial profiling she’d seen in the area. Within a few minutes, because she wouldn’t leave, she was forced into the gutter and brutally manhandled in a way I’d describe as more disturbing than what I saw George Floyd subjected to before his death. She was screaming in pain and terror, being kneed and violently flipped around on the concrete as passersby watched a team of up to 7 all-white officers brutally detain one woman. Nothing could possibly justify it. I began filming because I was admittedly too afraid to approach the violent officers alone and maybe I thought it would make them stop and think. It felt like the only other option of protest besides my words, which were ignored. Within seconds, two officers ran up to me and demanded I delete the video from my camera roll and then permanently delete it again from my files. It felt like I was in an Orwellian scenario being forced to delete evidence of blatant police misconduct. If I still had this footage, it would be on every news channel, that’s how bad it was. This woman, who could have been your friend, neighbour or colleague, will forever be traumatised by this day for standing up to a system which appears to use the law to cover up a deep rooted problem in France. I went to my police station to file a complaint and was turned away. What can be done about this? If you thought France was exempt from racism and the history of slavery, consider this fact. After the Haitian Revolution, an uprising against slavery, France forced Haiti to pay an “independence debt” for the “loss” and “theft” of plantation owners “property” (slaves). In exchange for the country’s freedom and immunity from French invasion, the independence debt amounted to the modern equivalent of $21 billion, which took Haiti 122 years to pay off (until 1947). It is one of the main factors that has caused the country’s persistent poverty while France’s historic wealth was practically built on the sugar trade from Haiti. This “debt” has never been remedied and likely never will. The very least we can do is to [stand up for Black lives]( in France, around the world and not stand by as innocent people, who are still deeply wounded by our past, are punished for their pain. I’ll replay this day in my head wishing I’d done more, but in the absence of evidence, [this video]( is dedicated to the woman that may never find justice. And to all the women and men of colour who experience even a fraction of this injustice everyday. As my friend Sutanya Dacres, a Black woman living in Paris, aka [Dinner for One]( (seen in the last clip of this video) says, “it’s not always croissants and free flowing wine over here”. Paris might look perfect, but we have our own darkness that we must also shed light on. Thank you for taking the time to read this. You can also find your 13 Things below. Stay curious and stay strong for others, [Nessy]  [13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DXLVI)](  [158865165_800881540636840_817749135849106057_n]( 5. The ruin of Moorehall, burned out in 1923, nature has been reclaiming it since [Continue Reading](  Interested in Becoming a MessyNessy Keyholder? [Apply now to unlock the Vault!](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [Blog]( [To read more from MessyNessyChic visit the Blog]( and make sure you keep getting these email by adding contact@messynessychic.com to your address book or whitelist us. Our postal address: In a Café, Paris 75001 Want out of the loop? [Unsubscribe](.