jean charles de menezes - solidarity in stockwell
sprout | 23.07.2006 12:53 | Free Spaces | Repression | Social Struggles | London
Indeed, many of us did this, but people from various concious hiphop collectives and 'peacenotwar' organised an open mike session in the early evening, to give everyone time to get to Stockwell after the march.
It got going about 6, with half an hour of Caporeira, then a constant stream of people took the mike, with lyrics, poetry and their personal reflections. The vibe was really lovely, with more sense coming out in rhymes than you'd hear in a month of sundays from the bbc et al.
The message was clear, no more war, no more police killings, no more impunity for state violence - not in our name.
Loads of local people stopped on their way home to listen, and the crowd swelled. Cars and buses honked their horns, and one guy on a motorbike did an impressive series of orcestrated back fires
At one point, two transport police came and lurked at the station entrance, but somebody went over to let them know they really weren't welcome and they disappeared. Apart from that, no boys in blue....not really surprising.
Big up to London's hiphop community who got this together. this is the kind of london ting we need - autonomous, creative unity, speaking out for justice and truth.
it's the kind of thing that scares the shit of the 'man'.
if anybody's got some photos, post them up.
sprout