Updates on our support for recent campaigns including Christopher Alder, UFFC, Trayvon Martin and UEL Demonstration against MET Commissioner: Bernard Hogan Howe
Justice for Christopher Alder
Fourteen years on, on Sunday 1st April, campaigners for Christopher Alder and his family protested in Hull and held a public meeting to renew an appeal for continued campaign for justice. On 1st April 1998, Christopher sustained a head injury in a scuffle outside a club and was taken to hospital. At the hospital, after he became confused and uncooperative, likely due to his head injuries, the police were called. Christopher, a black former paratrooper, died in police custody after being dragged from the police van and taken into the custody suite. He was placed face down on the floor where he remained for a full thirteen minutes until officers realised he was not breathing. By then it was too late. Only last year, Christopher’s body was discovered in a mortuary in Hull following a mix-up, which meant a woman called Grace Kamara was buried in his grave. A coroner returned a verdict of unlawful killing. In 2002, five officers were cleared of manslaughter and misconduct in a public office. Christopher’s sister, Janet Alder, has been fighting for justice ever since.
Over 100 family campaigners, including Campaign for Justice for Smiley Culture, the family of Sean Rigg, Defend The Right To Protest and trade unionists gathered outside the Queen’s Gardens police station and then marched through the city centre to a memorial meeting hosted by the Hull trades council. The RMT transport workers’ union organised a coach to the protest from London. The meeting called for greater links between the unions and the justice movement and a campaign network that supports families and continues to fight for justice for victims of police racism and violence.
United Families and Friends
The United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC) is a coalition of families and friends of those that have died in the custody of police and prison officers as well as those who died in psychiatric and immigration detention. It also has members and supporters from campaign groups and advocacy organisations from across the UK.
The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody report published in 2011 states: in total, there were 5,998 deaths recorded for the 11 years from 2000 to 2010. This is an average of 545 deaths per year. Despite the fact there have been 11 unlawful killing verdicts since 1990 there has never been a successful prosecution.
UFFC calls for an independent judicial inquiry into all suspicious deaths in custody.
We are asking all to sign and circulate the petition widely:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26276
Please click here to listen to families speak of their ordeals:
http://massobs.co.uk/demonstration/index.html
Justice for Trayvon Martin
Defend the Right to Protest also supported a demonstration of over 100 people demanding justice for Trayvon Martin outside the US embassy in London. Protesters wore hoodies and held packets of skittles in the air - symbolising what Trayvon, 17, had been wearing and doing which allegedly made him suspicious to his killer.
The demonstration was called by by Campaign 4 Justice, Ava Vidal, Tottenham Defence Campaign, BARAC and Inquest on Saturday 31st March. Mark Bergfeld, NUS NEC, spoke on behalf of Defend the Right to Protest at the rally. There were also speeches from Lee Jasper (BARAC), Stafford Scott (Tottenham Defence Campaign), Gary Macfarlane (Tottenham Defence Campaign), Weyman Bennett (UAF), Zita Holbourne (PCS), Merlin Emmanuel (Justice for Smiley Culture), Marcia Rigg (Sean Rigg Justice and Change Campaign) and comedienne Ava Vidal. Messages from George Galloway, newly elected MP for Bradford West, and Dianne Abbott, MP for Hackney North were read out, as well as a moving message from Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence who murdered in a racist attack 19 years ago. All speakers demanded Justice for Trayvon Martin and an end to racist policing and racial profiling.
Protest Against MET Commissioner: Bernard Hogan-Howe
Join the protest called by University of East London students and supported by Defend the Right to Protest. Students plan to protest against the Commissioner who has poorly excused racism, deaths in police custody and criminalization of protesters in previous lectures at LSE and Kingston University. Join the protest on Tuesday 17th April, 4:30PM at: Duncan House Campus - University of East London, E152JB - Stratford High Street. More information available here.
Since 2005,911 declared emergency’s in Guelph,Ont have been used to inflict terror attacks and torture. I was involved in 4 of 5 that year. 1 resulted in the death of foreign national Mr Samani. I have been searching for justice ever since. If you can suggest. Please contact me.Thank you
The continued lack of justice for victims of police racism and violence will only perpetuate racists in the police force and violent police officers. The current system will only mean that people who are either racist or violent or both will know that they can join the police force and get away with behaviour that would be treated as criminal if they were members of the wider society.
Changes desperately need to be made. There needs to be an independent body to investigate and prosecute acts of racism and violence by police officers. I leave who ought to sit on such an organisation and how it ought to be elected up for debate.