Law and Order

This week one of the mission houses broken into while its occupants were at someone else's house for dinner. The rebar grating over a window was cut, and some money, two flashlights, bagel chips, eggs, flour, sugar, a key, and nail polish were stolen (the bagel chips being probably the biggest loss). The nice thing is that, in general, people here don't have use for a computer, so the laptop was left undistrubed on the table. We talked with a few community members and reported to the police (whose response was... "sorry"). We quickly had a posse of people examining the window, ooh-ing and ahh-ing, very upset that someone would do this. With the Myhres and Pierces away, I became the de facto point man (read: man) for the whole process. The next day, I set about trying to get a new lock (to replace the one to which the key was stolen) and secure the window, and no one felt that there was ever a chance that those responsible would be caught.

But yesterday evening, as I was preparing dinner with a Ugandan friend, I heard a voice at my door shout, with great urgency and seriousness, "Nathan! Come!" I ran to my door, to find a crowd of people leading a boy up to my house with his hands tied. After seeing a group of teenage boys distributing money among themselves, one of my neighbors had run to tell someone, and they apprehended one of them, who in turn confessed to taking part in the break-in. Various members of the crowd were shouting about what we should do with him, and I felt entirely out of my element, as not only could I not understand what we being said, but I also have no idea how these things would be handled in this culture, and how my actions will be viewed by the community. In the end, we decided to delay taking him to the police, first meeting with the parents, registering the case with the village chairman (who wasn't around, of course), and trying to gather the other two boys.

Of course, by the time today rolled around, the two other boys had fled to Congo, putting a significant hole in our plan. It's been a struggle to try to figure out how to handle the situation. I find myself trying to walk the line between ensuring that there are real consequences and showing grace. I don't want to be too harsh, especially because I think that we Americans are already seen that way sometimes, but of course I also want justice, I want these boys to know that their actions are unacceptable, and I want the community to know that this isn't something that people can get away with. Being a newcomer in the culture makes it really hard for me to know how to handle it. It does make me think about how justice should be doled out (both here and in general), and how to gauge what is truly best for the community, the mission, the ones who were robbed, and the boys who took from them. Is it taking a hard line or being lenient? Sometimes I feel like these are a few teenage punks who probably just need to get beat up a few times to learn a lesson. But then I think about the lives they have lived, that we all make mistakes, and I try think about what doesn't just let me get revenge, but what teaches them and might change them. Does treating them as harshly as possible change them? It might. And it might also help deter theft in the community at large. But then again, it could just harden them, and it's possible that being more gentle is what will really impact them. Then I realize that, as a cultural outsider, I probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

Several things made this whole experience classic:
The response of the police. The police will not even leave their headquarters without getting some money out of it.
A 10,000 shilling note was taken from the boy as evidence, and it was said that we needed to present the evidence to the chairman and the police. However, two of the men who actually caught the boy and brought him to me told someone that they felt they should be paid for their services, so a community member who was holding the money (which is, remember, important evidence), has someone make change for him, and gives them 5,000. Today, he presents me with the 5,000 note (which the boy was never in possesion of) as the evidence. I almost burst out laughing when I heard him tell me the story.
The other two boys fled to Congo. I'm picturing an action movie with criminals taking refuge in a volatile country, and an elaborate scheme (undoubtedly involving Jason Bourne) to extradite them across a national border. I don't think it will be nearly that exciting (nor such a kickstart to my career as an action hero), and we'll probably just wait for them to return eventually.