zinloos geweld (senseless violence)

[gusl]

I was just coming back home through Leidseplein, when I witnessed an argument about a meal bill. The waitress and security from the Sports Café were yelling that this African-American girl did not pay her full bill. As the girl walks away, the security (a large African male) grabs her:
- "DON'T TOUCH ME!!"
- "I TOUCH YOU WHEN I WANT!"
a few times over...

He hits her in the face, and she kicks him in the leg. A few hits and yells later, she walks to the police with him right behind her.

Talking to her friend, I hear that they hadn't given her the vegetarian soup she had expected, but had simply taken out the meatballs, so she decided not to consume the soup.

After trying to extract money from her friends, the waitress thanks the cops and walks back cursing 10 minutes later. This whole thing was about 3.20 Euro.

She did not have to pay, but had to suffer this harassment, and being fucking HIT IN THE FACE! She complained this to the police, but they replied that he was right to hit her if she was walking away from him. She was further scolded by the policemen: "you should be ashamed of yourself!".

One cop even admitted to being friends with the café workers. I am disgusted.

But I have learned a lesson about how such legal disputes work in practice (it's not in the books, folks, AFAIK).

How about a little book about "what happens when..."
* you don't pay a restaurant bill?
* you don't pay a telephone bill?
* you don't pay a doctor's bill?
* how are such disagreements settled?
etc.

Comments

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Also, being irrationally sensitive to injustice, I would really like to spend some energy doing something to hurt Satellite Sports Café at Leidseplein. Perhaps I should organize a little rally campaigning to fire this beast...

I really should carry a digital camera with me for moments like this.

Ah... I could try to Google bomb them too. zinloos geweld leidseplein

disgusting

[jozefpronek.livejournal.com]

What a horrible story! And what a dreadful website this Satellite Sports Cafe has!

I also tend to be oversensitive to injustice. But in many ways the compliance of police, the utter callousness of the restaurant people is incredible.

Was that one of the tourist traps that abound in European capitals? (I remember once a similar story in Florence, in a dreadful cafe right next to the dome, an obvious tourist trap, with greedy patrons like those you describe in Amsterdam.

In many ways, finding nontourist places seems more difficult every time I go back to Europe. Italy is perhaps the worst. But some of my friends tell me that Barcelona is more and more like that too.

[spritedreams.livejournal.com]

wow. that is messed up!

Re: disgusting

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Yes, Leidseplein is a sort of tourist trap.

In Barcelona, I witnessed a waiter hit an innocent customer because *HE* made a math error.

Italy was indeed filled with disgusting tourist traps, and this is one of the reasons I left Firenze as soon as I could. My experience didn't feel authentic there(or maybe it was just too hot)

(I made a big and slow tour of Europe in 2002).

Re: disgusting

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

pa-tron

...
2. A customer, especially a regular customer.
3. (also pä-trn) The owner or manager of an establishment, especially a restaurant or an inn of France or Spain.
...

which sense do you mean?

Re: disgusting

[jozefpronek.livejournal.com]

oh, you are right, of course, I used sense number 3! It's one of those situations where my Spanish takes over. Greedy patrons in the sense of greedy owners of cafes!

[jetcat.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiosity, was the "African-American" girl actually American, or simply black? I've found that many people (at least, those who have lived in America long enough to become "politically correct") tend to use these terms synonymously, even when referring to black people of other nationalities.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

I've found that many people (at least, those who have lived in America long enough to become "politically correct") tend to use these terms synonymously, even when referring to black people of other nationalities.

Those people are stupid. I write as literally and directly as I can (except when I'm trying not to).

[jetcat.livejournal.com]

Yes, those people are stupid. So is being politically correct.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

well, when I see people flouting their unjustified prejudices, I think political correctness is justified.

[jetcat.livejournal.com]

It's just as easy to flout unjustified prejudices while being politically correct. Being politically correct just makes it easier for people to deny that they are bigots.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

it seems that, to you, being "politically correct" is just a matter of using a certain language... whereas to me it also means avoiding careless generalizations. It would be easy for me to make general negative statements about certain groups of people, but I would consider it unethical to express them... because my words could hurt innocent individuals (just my personal ethics).