The attack began after midnight, when a three uniformed cops stopped three teenagers yards from their doorstep. One eye witness tells us that “the lighter skinned boy was allowed to leave, whilst the two darker lads were stop and searched”. Another witness state that it took only a few moments for the situation to quickly get out of hand, with one cop screaming “When I ask you a fucking question why can't you answer it.” Within ten minutes their were two riot vans and four police cars. One local resident came to his door to see what all the noise was for, and was greeted with the sight of a dozen armed police running down the street. “They seemed so happy to be getting their guns out.” the resident tells us, “I've been here since the mid 90's and never seen anything like it.”. Another residents explains that “this incident has left me feeling uneasy now when it gets dark, and that I've lost faith in the police.”

 

Chris Leslie M.P for Nottingham East witnessed a racially motivated attack by the cops on a Forest Fields family, and did nothing to intervene. The attack which happened last August left two teenagers and their father with bruised bodies, swollen faces, burns from c.s gas and cuts to the arms. One local who came out of his house early on says “The dad who had come out to speak up for his kids was grabbed and pushed up against a car by one police, at the same time he was calling out for everyone to calm down.”. Residents consistently describe the police as constantly antagonistic towards the family, and the family as co-operative throughout the incident. So, shocked were a number of the residents by the behaviour of the police towards the family that they arranged to speak to Nottingham East Member of parliament Chris Leslie to express their concerns. These residents say that Mr. Leslie stated that he and his assistant Josie had been in the riot vans driving around Forest Fields that night. He then encouraged the residents to hand over their statements so he could “take snippets from them”. Whether Leslie was in the riot van as part of regular exercise or because it was also a night where the T.V series Coppers was being filmed is unclear. This not the first nor the last case of attacks by police officers on Afro-Caribbean or Asian teenagers. Earlier this year national newspapers highlighting police racism with two cases in particular. Fireman Edric Kennedy Macfoy who was abused, assaulted and shot with a stun gun, whilst another 21 year old man was strangled by a police officer who was recorded saying “you'll always be a n----”. Of the latter case Estelle du Boulay, director of the Newham Monitoring Project, said: "Sadly, the shocking treatment of this young man at the hands of police officers – both the physical brutality he describes and the racial abuse he claims he suffered – are by no means unusual; it compares to other reports we have received. What makes this case different is the victim had the foresight and courage to turn on a recording device on his mobile phone." There have been various complaints of police harassment by people of all backgrounds living in Forest Fields and the rest of NG7. And a number of formal complaints are currently on going. What these situations tell us is that we must look out for one another, According to one resident “the cops just pick on those who might not fight back, those who'll give them an easy time, so they can make an example of them.” its up to other residents to ensure this doesn't happen. To make sure that no other resident has to deal with police harassment and brutality alone.