hong kong police and the angry brothers . . .

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Never in my dreams as a little child did I ever think I would come to live, work and play in Hong Kong. Born in Canada to Chinese parents, I moved here in 1994 and worked as an architect for 4 years before pursuing my greater interest in photography and art. Having published my second book themed and titled \'The Asian Male\', I\'m set to continue and explore all things that make this Universe as diverse and interesting as it is.

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hong kong police and the angry brothers . . .
2007-07-06 11:05PM / 標準BLOG / 會員可以看
15個評論
Most of the time, I find myself meeting very optimistic people in Hong Kong, whether they be locals or foreigners. But today, I bumped into a couple of guys, brothers actually, near my Sheung Wan pad when I went out for some food. We decided to have dinner together and headed to the nearest food market nearby. What puzzled and annoyed me was the dinner conversation. The two of them were complaining about the legal system and about how the police harass everyone, and without right/due cause. Frankly, this was my 4th or 5th time seeing the one brother, and each time, he was in trouble with the law/police. And it appeared that he was not at fault for anything, but that he antagonized the police. He simple loved to argue against authority. Loud and obnoxioius, the guy was phased by how I was being accepting of the fact that the police could request my ID and question me on my whereabouts. Personally, yes, I have been stopped by the police here on a number of occasions. I admit to being rather perturbed by the entire process and feeling like a criminal when being interrogated on the streets. But I just answer and they let me go. Harmless. But for these two guys at the dinner table, they just went on and on about what is fair and unfair. I give it to them for being so 'just' in their thinking, but it dawned on me that these guys are really just loud and obnoxious individuals that need to listen to themselves talk. Bad energy in a major way. I said to one of them, that it would be better to leave it be, and to move onto doing something constructive and creative, than to harp on something that was rather insignificant. At least in Hong Kong, the streets are safer than most other cities, just because of the police enforcement. I'm not saying they are perfect either, but they do pretty good for a city of 6-7million inhabitants.

BLOG評論 (15)

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葉偉誠
留言於2007-07-23 9:59PM

feelings and opinions will change for the better or for the worse depending on circumstances. like i said, it is not great, but it isn't bad either. if you want me to relay a BAD experience, it would have to be the time when i was at a dance, and the venue got raided by the police. strangely enough, i completely forgot to bring my wallet! which had my ID in it. the police interrogated me for about a half hour. and it was not one officer, but about 4 of them...one after another... all spoke in Cantonese, meanwhile the last one spoke to me in English. i said, they can accompany me to my apartment and i will show them my ID and wallet, as i was sure they were in my other pants. he then tole me to leave the venue and to never show my face again. this kind of treatment was very uncessary, as i did no harm to anyone, except forget my ID (which is considered a no-no here in HK). of course, i have partied since then....
carmellarose
留言於2007-07-23 1:37PM [举报]

You have only seen one side of the HK law enforcement because you've always been let go....your opinion will change the longer you live in HK...
Taelor09
留言於2007-07-21 10:59PM [举报]

nice pics I want 2 b a photographer
stephen
留言於2007-07-21 1:54AM [举报]

I'm pretty split over this issue -- in the U.S. you're trained (at least in the Bay Area) that profiling, especially racial profiling is not just unethical, but ineffective (i.e. alot of wasted time stopping completely innocent people) as well as a waste of time and money for honest citizens. Also, I've been stopped at five times since arriving in HK at the beginning of this year. On the other hand, I agree that it seems to be an effective tactic -- Hong Kong is relatively very safe compared to other cities I've lived in that don't practice profiling AND it effectively communicates to the local community that there IS a police presence. It's annoying, but in a way I'd rather have this kind of environment at the expense of some convenience...
Etchy
留言於2007-07-20 5:24PM [举报]

yeah there are people like that everywhere, the ones who bitch and moan about how the man is picking on them... its exactly that behavior that gets them in trouble in the first place... self-fulfilling prophecy!
葉偉誠
留言於2007-07-18 1:18PM

i think all in all, i am quite impressed the police force for being able to manage peace and order, especially when there are mass demonstrations (think back a few years ago July 1...it was enormous!). on a sour note, I am less convinced by so many police raids at dance parties. there were far too many of them. i have not been out as much now, the sometimes, people NEED to party. the artistic community should understand what i'm talking about.
Dan F
留言於2007-07-17 10:47PM [举报]

I agree with much said here, the police do profile (much the same as anywhere I guess) ... and as a white guy I have never had a problem. Many of my local friends get stopped way too much, either for looking 'dark' or having slightly too many tattoos. A number of my Nepalese friends get constant shit... one of them was nearly arrested for answering "Jamaica" when they asked where he was originally from... hahaha classic. (welcome to the site as well Norm)
musicnote
留言於2007-07-17 1:41AM [举报]

I feel safer going out late at night in HK than in my own city.
RenRen
留言於2007-07-16 1:34PM [举报]

I have to agree that Hong Kong is safer than a lot of other cities. I've only been asked to show my ID once when the taxi I was riding in was stopped at a road block near Shatin. I only had my California driver's license at the time and I told them that I didn't get my HKID yet because I've only been in the city for about two weeks. They were really nice and just told me to carry a photocopy of my passport too until I get my HKID. I kinda like how they're lingering around in the wee hours of the morning in LKF. I feel less vulnerable when I'm stumbling out of the clubs/bars with my friends. I don't have to worry about being mugged!
rottendoubt
留言於2007-07-16 1:05PM [举报]

they do this in the US, just not as obviously. police will tail suspicious vehicles (and drivers), and look for any reason to pull them over to id them...
葉偉誠
留言於2007-07-13 9:25PM

first of all, to andy_lau_spain, you most likely were not picked by the police because you are white. yes, as simple as that. on the other hand, mr. shifty BOON is definitely the type they would pick on, not excluding me and any other Asian guy. come to think of it, NEVER have i seen a female ID'd. damn, the advantages of being a female....
Boon
留言於2007-07-12 12:04PM [举报]

I get stopped all the time by the cops. I've been stopped 3 times in 4 months already for no reason at all. I think its cause Iook like a triad member, sucks.
andy_lau_spain
留言於2007-07-11 6:51PM [举报]

wow, I didnt know such things can happen in Hk, I've never heard of it before...
I have been here many times, and I've never been stopped...yet o.O
葉偉誠
留言於2007-07-07 2:01PM

Pickles (fab nick-name), I don't watch much television here, but what you just described is exactly what they do here in Hong Kong. I myself (although not recently) have been ID'd and questioned at least 10 or more times over the course of 13 years of living here. They ask for my ID (passport or HK ID card) and do a check via their walkie talkie. Then then proceed to ask what I'm doing, where I'm going, where I live and what business I'm into. To them, this is their job and they just do it. How they decide to choose me or any other person to ID, is probably based on looks, as you indicate. I might look shifty to them, so that alone is enough to give them reason to ID me. I'm sure they have a quota they must fill. The philosophy or approach IS different here. They are not assuming you are a criminal. It's more like an act of authority, and in a way, perhaps a form of giving you (the public) a sense that there is security on the streets. So when I get ID'd, I just tell them what's going on and I get on my way. I know I haven't done anything wrong nor have anything to hide. They have never asked personal questions. On a lighter note, some of the guys are quite attractive! Who knows why?
Pickles
留言於2007-07-07 7:54AM [举报]

Hello! Just wanted to leave my 2 cents on this topic...

I've never been to HK before, but recently I started watching a TVB series called "On the First Beat," and I thought many of the scenes portrayed the HK police force in a negative way. It made them seem like they stop people on the streets based on their physical appearance. I don't know if they're anything like that in reality, but if they are, I would be majorly annoyed too if I were that citizen that got stopped and I.D.'ed/questioned for no reason other than the fact that they don't like the way I look/dress, or because I had a tattoo (not that I do)...They are basically implying that criminals have a specific look, and THAT irks me. I'm not saying I would mouth off to a police officer if I were ever in that situation, but being discriminated against based on my appearance wouldn't exactly make me think highly of them.

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葉偉誠

统计信息

I am a photographer-artist living and working in Hong Kong. I vary between socially outgoing to hibernating at home with a book...
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I am a photographer-artist living and working in Hong Kong. I vary between socially outgoing to hibernating at home with a book. I challenge myself in many areas of life, namely creatively, intellectually, physically and spiritually. I believe that I am ambitious in whatever I do and try to encourage others to do what they are passionate about. My three main areas of artistic interest are people photography, graphite drawing, and finally painting. All three areas weave in and of my life at different times. I self-published a photography book in 2005 called 'The Asian Male - 1.AM' and just released the follow-up volume 2.AM under the same title. Other than this, I dabble in Tarot readings and enjoy quiet nights with my fur-ball cat 'BB'. My weakness are anyone that is stunningly good looking, whether male, female or somewhere in between (these days, it can be hard to tell), bitter chocolate, gelato, and a nice pair of legs.... I like reading non-fiction books mostly, especially ones that really make me think and question myself and life. Although I am generally quite moody by appearance, it's usually because I'm thinking WAY too much for my own good.
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職業: 畫家 , 攝影師 , 雜誌編輯
年齡: 63
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