On November 20, 2010, 31-year-old Melonie Johnson feared for her life. A violent woman was after her, and if she waited any longer, she’d end up getting killed.
So she went to the police station to ask for help – only for them to turn her away because she wasn’t following their DRESS CODE?
The police officer refused to let Johnson enter until she got “properly dressed.” At the time, Jamaica’s Caymanas police station code banned anything from shorts to sleeveless tops.
Only minutes later, the woman she was running from stabbed her to death.
After Johnson's murder, Jamaican police were ordered to address all police reports, regardless of dress. But don’t get it twisted – this is NOT just an issue in Jamaica.
What happened to Johnson was a combination of police dehumanizing civilians in need AND the respectability politics forced on Black people everywhere – that we also enforce on each other.
From the “saggy pants ordinance” to criminalizing durags, respectability says it’s OUR fault for being dehumanized, and that if we look or act “better,” we’ll be safe.
But being policed, and policing each other, in order to be seen as “respectable” will never save us. A strong Black community means humanizing and protecting each other, NOT letting white supremacy decide who of us deserves to be treated as a human being!