By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
A YOUNG African leader wants his peers to start joining police ranks for the sake of community harmony.
John James, 22, who heads Noble Park-based Young African Connection — a group of 10 young people — said African-Australian police would more easily command the respect of his peers.
It’s a step further than a Victoria Police plan to use young African leaders as mediators between police and young people on Casey, Cardinia and Greater Dandenong streets, as revealed by the Journal last month.
“If I meet someone in our community behaving badly, they’ll listen ,” Mr James said. “If it’s a stranger telling them, they don’t give a shit.
“We can minimise those things happening by involving police in our activities.”
The YAC last month held a 200-guest networking dinner in Dandenong to break bread with police, politicians and community groups.
Among the mingling guests were Bruce MP Alan Griffin and Endalkatchew Gage, a Victoria Police representative who liaises with the African community.
There were also representatives from migrant help agencies, African community elders and health workers.
“The question was how to bring African and non-African Australians together, get them interacting and doing things together,” said Mr James who founded the YAC.
He said such events gave opportunities for young Africans to exert their leadership, especially in front of their elders.
The dinner followed a 400-player soccer tournament held by YAC last year.
Southern Health community education worker Wudad Salim, who attended the dinner, said it was a step to eliminating prejudice.
She is riled by assumptions that any group of young African males hanging out together is a gang, saying youths of other backgrounds aren’t similarly labelled.
“We’re all brothers and sisters — we’re the same species on planet Earth. If we get to know each other, we get to now each other’s culture, we’ll break down that prejudicial behaviour.”
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