"You Should All Be Worried"
tzigari/arusha/zak | 26.10.2003 23:00 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles
"You should all be worried because, what happened to my brother Leon could happen to anyone". These were the words of Stephanie, Leon Patterson’s surviving twin sister. Leon died in custody on 27 November 1992 in a Stockport police cell. So far, after twelve years of legal battles and a verdict of unlawful killing, no police officer has been convicted in relation to this incident.
Stephanie was one among many family members who attended the fifth national demonstration organised by the United Families and Friends Campaign (UFF) on October 25th in Trafalgar Square, London.
The UFFC was set up in 1997 as a coalition of family and friends of black and white people who have died in police custody or in psychiatric hospitals. The campaigners seek judicial justice for the family of the victims, demand the end of "institutionalised killings" and want the basic human rights of their communities to be upheld.
About two or three hundred people all wearing black gathered in Trafalgar Square where family members shared the disturbing stories of their daughters', brothers', sons' and cousin's brutal deaths.
After the speeches the procession made its way to Downing Street where a delegation of relatives delivered a petition letter to Tony Blair. In the mean time, other family members attempted to rest two wreaths of flowers by the gates of the ministerial house. This, was only accomplished after negotiations with the police who quoted anti-terrorist laws and claimed that the flowers might have caused a safety hazard.
The remembrance ceremony ended with more speeches by the relatives including Myrna Simpson, mother of Joy Gardner. Myrna’s daughter was violently restrained in her home by immigration and police who then suffocated her to death by wrapping 13 feet of surgical tape around her face. The incident took place in front of Joy's five and half year old son Graham.
"The police must learn that they are not above the law"
"How would you like your father, mother, son, daughter to be killed... to be taken naked to hospital...."
(Myrna Simpson)
Myrna and the other family members are seeking justice. Up to date not a single police has been convicted for any of these crimes.
The demands of UFFC are:
- All deaths in custody should be independently investigated.
- The Police Complaint Authority be replaced by a body independent of the police.
- Prison deaths should not be investigated by the Prison Service.
- Officers involved in custody deaths be suspended until investigation are completed.
- Prosecution of officers should automatically follow unlawful killing verdicts at inquests.
- Officers responsible for deaths should face criminal charges, even if retired.
- Police forces are made accountable to the communities that they serve.
- Legal Aid and full disclosure of information be made to the relatives of the victims.
Some of the stories of those who died in custody (Brian Douglas, Wayne Douglas, Shiji Lapite, Ibrahima Sey and Joy Gardner among others ) and the struggle of their families to get justice are portrayed in Injustice, a powerful documentary by director Ken Fero.
tzigari/arusha/zak
Comments
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More recent police violence in the UK
29.10.2003 14:01
Here's a link to an article on this matter:
I think these incidents are far more common than they used to be. This extreme use of violence only came to light because the victim died quickly afterwards. How many more have been disabled or seriously injured by baton attacks?
Witness X
Correction of anti-police misinformation
26.02.2004 01:29
as far as I'm aware, the Oxford Mail, biased as it is, should not be the kind of newpaper to indulge in reporting inaccuracy. Also, the police, bad as their behaviour can be, (in for example subconscious, institutionalized and conscious racism,) I don't think they manage to intimidate families to the extent that they 'decline to comment' regarding police investigations. Here's the quote from Witness X in context:
"The Goodenough family declined to comment on the meeting.
No officers have been suspended as a result of the inquiry.
Banned driver Mr Goodenough, 26, of Brampton Road, Barton, was pulled over by officers in Alma Place, east Oxford, at about 12.20am on Saturday because they believed he was driving a stolen car.
Witnesses say they saw him being dragged from the car, which belonged to his sister Susan Williams, 28.
She said she head "weird noises" coming from Mr Goodenough, an asthmatic. Police called an ambulance but he stopped breathing and was pronounced dead at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington.
Mr Offer said further test results were still awaited, after a post mortem failed to reveal how Mr Goodenough died. Investigators particularly want to speak to two people who were crossing Alma Place at the time the Astra, driven by Mr Goodenough, and the police vehicle arrived in the cul-de-sac from Cowley Road. "
If Susan had wanted, she could have said she heard "gasps of pain", which surely would have been the case if he was beaten up by 10 police officers. I don't think I've seen many beat-ups where I would describe the person as making 'weird noises'. (Also, there were only 4 police officers.)
Don't use lies against the police - they're an institution - you need to go about spreading *facts* to reform them - otherwise, what's the point? (you'd need to overthrow the government to abolish them). Lies will just confuse people, and make them give up on any attempt at police reform.
Rob