On the evening of the 21/12/01, a small rally was held outside Brixton Town Hall in defence of Ales Owolade, who spoke out denouncing the police murder of Dereck Bennet, and was as a consequence sacked from his job at Lambeth Council.
After a lively rally led by young people, the group marched to the site of Dereck Bennet's murder.
The march was peaceful with the marchers shouting out for all the community to hear,
"Who killed Dereck Bennet,
the Police killed Dereck Bennet!,
How did they kill him?
They shot him in the back!
How many bullets?
Six bullets!
Who are the criminals?
The police!
Who are the murderers?
The police!"
Outside the house where Dereck Bennet was shot dead, his friends and family spoke about the need to fight for justice and for a communtity safe from Police violance and harrassment.
The group then attempted to march to protest outside Brixton Police Station.
As the demonstraters reached the road leading out of the estate, around 60 Police in full riot gear blocked the street.
They threw one demonstrater to the ground where she screamed in pain.
To avoid further confrontation with the police, the group ran back through the estate and managed to reach Brixton road.
The police armed with shields and batons pursued in 7 vans.
They attacked the demonstration and seized the brother of Dereck Bennet, whose sister continued to cling to her brother begging the police not to take another of her family.
Demonstraters tried to reason with the Police but were told to piss off!
Finally the police released the captive and he left shaking with his sister.
Somebody not so fortunate was a twenty year old asian man who was walking at the back of the demonstration.
7 Policemen threw him to the ground, two knelt on his ankles, two officers knelt on the backs of his knees and two more knelt on his elbows, while for further restraint another officer forced his face to the ground.
The crowd demanded to know why he was being arrested so forcibly, but were once again told to piss of by the Police.
A rally of twenty five, mainly young people continued to demonstrate outside Brixton Regestry office near the Police station.
Despite the fact that no violence had occurred other then brutal arrests, this small group bearing a hand made banner demanding freedom from police harrassment, were encircled by seventy cops in full riot gear with their shields and batons raised.
After sometime the riot police forced the group out of Brixton down towards Oval.
The Police response was harrasmemnt taken to extremes.
This community is being denied Justice and the freedom the feel safe.