STOP AND SEARCH

Stop and search is often been in the news due to the complaints of how the Police, love to search Black people. What some do not realise is, these complaints have now surpassed a generation. Most right thinking people would like to pass on generational wealth, not stop and search.

THE BUILD UP – STOP & SEARCH

When I was a wee thing growing up in the 80s, I would hear stories from my older siblings. These were of young Black men being stopped and search and usually arrested at the bus stops in Brixton. Most were charged with muggings, a phrase hardly used today, but meant robbing. They would usually be accused of attempting to rob some old woman or any woman usually white. Before that individual appeared at Court, he would have been given a ‘good hiding,’ which according to my siblings was the usual. If you left any Police Station in London without a beating, without a black eye, busted lips… you were shocked!

THE COURTS

In those days Magistrates and Judges seem to believe nearly anything Police Officers would come up with in the Police cafeteria. So if you dared to shout out from the dock that the Police did this to you, pointing to your black and purple bruised face. The Sentencers would scoff in disbelief! If you think I am exaggerating watch Director/Producer, Steve McQueen’s (the Black one) film, in Red, White and Blue.

In the film Red, White and Blue, John Boyega plays the part of real life Leroy Logan, a Scientist who leaves his job to join the Met Police. He hopes to change its racist attitude from the inside, just like many Black Police officers 40 years later who join! And I’m sure 40 years from now, not much would have changed, am I being pessimistic! We’ll discuss this later.

BRIXTON RIOTS 1981

Let’s get back to Stop & Search in the 70’s, by the 1980’s many young Black men had been criminalised. Then after the Deptford Fire in January 1981, where 13 young people died at a party and no one was charged. People in Brixton had enough.

THE WINDRUSH GENERATION

I know at least 2 people in the above image and not one is a Police Officer. Many of the Windrush generation made Brixton their home in the 1950s and 60s. They hoped for better opportunities for their children than they had when they arrived. In the 1950s and 60s, there were employment opportunities for them despite the racism, opportunities in the NHS or on London Transport. The children wanted opportunities in all spheres, however, discrimination within the education system was a barrier.

BRITISH EDUCATION

How the West Indian Child Is Made Educationally Sub-normal in the British School System: The Scandal of the Black Child in Schools in Britain is a non-fiction book by Grenadian author Bernard Coard published in May 1971 by New Beacon Books in the United Kingdom. This systematic racism within the educational system was another reason to be angry. Many parents had no idea that systems such as this exists, many were gullible. Many Black parents trusted Britain to treat them fairly, as this is how Britain presented itself abroad, even today. Parents had no idea that their children were being discriminated against systematically. Most could not understand why their children were not succeeding educationally, despite working hard.

DISCRIMINATION IN SCHOOLS

Many children knew. They knew that they were passed over for General Certificate of Education (GCEs) and recommended for Certificate of Secondary Education, CSEs. And for those in sub-normal schools they were passed over for both.

CHOOSING OPTIONS

I recall my first year in secondary school, eager and willing to learn. I had told my Primary school teacher Mrs Atkins, that I wanted to be a Nurse, she said it will take two years and lots of hard work. Two years seemed a lifetime to my happy 10 year old self. But in Year 7 in English with Miss Mills, she asked all of us who wanted to take GCEs, my hand was up like a shot. In my class at the time was mostly white and Asian girls and a handful of Black girls. I was passed over, it was like I was invisible. You know that child with the answer and not being chosen to give it every time you raised your hand.

LOW EXPECTATIONS

That’s a crap feeling and teachers are responsible for a lot of children of all backgrounds, dropping out of school. Children feeling that their education would not make a difference in their life, so why bother. Especially those that did not have the infrastructure at home, to change the Paradigm.

SOCIAL CONTRACT

Is an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection.

How it looked to many Black people then and unfortunately now, is that specifically, there is no contract with Black people. Nor is there generally, a contract with people of colour in the UK. The institutional systems do not protect us.

Let me give you an example, and lets go back to the 1981 riots, with the image below.

THE DAY AFTER

It was Sunday morning after the riots, my big sisters decide they would venture out and take a look at Brixton the day after. On our way back from central Brixton we took a side street and came across a Police cordon like in the above picture. All of us stopped to look at them. As we turned away to walk by, one Police Officer swung out his leg and kicked my sister in her lower back. We were shocked as it was totally unprovoked. She shouted out something like yeah you must be proud of yourself.

This confirmed to me that day if I didn’t know it before, we were on our own, we were not protected by the State. The Police were not there to serve us.

THE SCARMAN REPORT & THE OTHERS

I won’t go much into it as to many of us who actually read these reports its like ‘blah blah blah blah.’ But I will post this:

“The most sombre part of Lord Scarman’s report is his warning that urgent action is needed if racial disadvantage is not to become: an endemic, ineradicable disease threatening the very survival of our society and that if the police neglect consultation and co-operation with the local community unrest is certain and riot becomes probable” Lord Elwyn-Jones.

This report’s main recommendation was consultation, which was tried but sometimes seen as meddlesome by the Police, too much accountability expected. Then there were the others that recommended this and that, mixed with a reduction of stop and search, recruitment of ethnic minorities…

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

How can a Police force that for over a generation has failed to show respect to the Black community and to other people of colour. Have a read of the Young Report, which shows how young Muslims males are also being targeted. (https://www.equalcjs.org.uk/young-review-report)

How can a Police Force that has a despicable record in the treatment of Black civilians as well as not a great one with its own Black and Ethnic Officers; expect to recruit or retain diversity! (https://news.sky.com/story/former-top-met-officer-sues-force-for-500k..) (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/06/senior-female-asian…)

Moreover, its not just about recruiting a diverse group of officers, its the type of officers. Most non-white officers I see on the streets can barely look you in the eye! They do not engage with the communities that they are policing.

THE TYPE OF DIVERSE OFFICERS RECRUITED

Recently, I saw Blue lights flashing outside and heard a lot of commotion. I went out to see and saw four Police cars and countless officers. Two black men had been stopped, one was handcuffed. He told me that he was handcuffed after he got upset when one of the officers wouldn’t allow him to send his 7 year old daughter inside. She was in the car when he was stopped, he was taking her home.

The other Black male’s car was being searched and the one Black officer present was ‘hyped up’ and seemed eager to find something illegal. I got this from hearing him and observing his body language. Nothing was found so he was uncuffed. He was angry, I tried to calm him down in fear he would be arrested. He shouted abuse at the Black Officer, who offered no apology along with his white colleagues.

These kind of Officers are not helping Black recruitment and are not seen to be serving the Black community either. The Officers had no regard for the young Black child that was present. But this isn’t new, we know from Child Q of the adulterations of Black children, compared to other racial groups. The Police are their own PR for their lack of diverse recruitment.

COMPLACENCY WITH STOP & SEARCH

Many of us have become used to seeing our young Black men all over the UK being stopped and search. Some of us may believe erroneously in my opinion, that Black males are used to this so it doesn’t really matter. Some believe that if it is a means to an end (preventing knife crime and deaths) then its worth it.

I would beg to differ. Last year I was stopped and questioned. It was a summers day and I was just coming from Lidl with some shopping. I felt care-free, you know that feeling when summers here. I was literally around the corner from my home when I heard loud footsteps and someone calling out. I carried on walking because the name called wasn’t mine. Then the calling got louder so I turned around. A Police Officer who obviously had been running was behind me, trying to catch his breath. Danielle he called, I said no and tried to walk off, but he put his hand out and beckoned for me to stop. I did and all eyes from the nearby park was on me. He asked me to escort him back to Croydon Custody Suite I declined, and asked him why I had been stopped. The whole incident took about 7-8 minutes, and ended when I took out my work ID. Apparently, I had been identified from the custody suite which was some distance away from where I had turned to walk into the park.

It took a while for me to get this incident out of my head. I felt humiliated, embarrassed that he had been running after me, although unknown to me at the time. I had been identified, how I wondered. Was I just another Black woman, dark skinned with distinctive glasses, 5’4 or was it a situation where any Black woman would do on the day? This was just one incident for me and may never happen again, but the experience is lasting.

Now I know a little bit of how many of these boys and young men feel. Times this by daily occurrences’, weekly, or often. What impact does this have on one’s self-esteem, on one’s attitude, on one’s expectations in life?

Finally, despite report after report and recommendations after recommendations the Criminal Justice System has changed at a snail pace. On 25 June 2020, our Prime Minister announced that 16 of the 35 recommendations of the Lammy Report had been implemented. To be quickly challenged by David Lammy, MP himself, who accused Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of misleading the House. As only 6 of the recommendations had been implemented by the British Government.

TAKE CHARGE YOURSELF

This lack of implementation by this Government tells us that BLACK LIVES DON’T MATTER to this Government, to the Police Service to many of the institutions in this country.

Therefore, the best thing we can do in the UK is to make sure that Black Lives matter to us. In our jobs, in our role as parents, in our ability to make a difference in any way we can. We have to make our future for ourselves because everyone else has failed us.

Take care of yourself, and thank you for reading my Blog.