Category Archives: news

Racist Bristol police Taser their own race relations adviser

Police in Bristol Tasered their own race equality adviser, 63-year-old Judah Adunbi. Racism runs deep in the British police force, as it does in the racist Tory government.

Adunbi,was walking his dog near his Bristol home on Saturday when he was ‘mistaken’ by police for a wanted man.

He argued with officers who demanded he give them his name before he was tasered and knocked to the ground by the force of the weapon.

The grandfather, who is a co-founder of the Independent Advisory Group the City,  thought he was going to die.

No Justice No peace. No Racist police.

Racists everywhere – including in the police – feel empowered by the racism of Donald Trump and the racist campaign to get the UK out of the racist European Union

British police have killed at least 11 people with Tasers in the past decade

Sorry to link to the racist Daily hate Mail. Will change as soon as we have another version of the video we can embed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1396141/Outrageous-moment-Bristol-police-officer-Tasers-man-face.html

Huddersfield man Mohammed Yassar Yaqoob shot and killed by police

From the Guardian – An investigation is under way after a man was shot and killed by police during a pre-planned operation on the M62 motorway in Huddersfield.

Police said the incident was not terrorism-related, adding that there had been five arrests: three at the scene and two in a “related stop” of another vehicle in Bradford.

The man who died was named locally as Mohammed Yassar Yaqoob, 28, from Huddersfield.

Witnesses described an “absolute hive of police activity” as armed officers swooped on a car near junction 24 of the busy motorway at about 6pm on Monday. more

Middle Tennessee State University Talented Tenth Say “Enough” To Racism

Last week (first week November 2016), a group of Middle Tennessee State University students, who call themselves the Talented Tenth, organized a week of silent protesting on campus to bring awareness to racism against minorities. From the campus naming a building after a KKK Grand Wizard, to students making careless and discriminating remarks about minorities, these students are done tolerating being treated as if their feelings and lives are of smaller importance. The Talented Tenth was formed last year because minority students felt the heat of a very real problem not just within our nation, but in the small and “non-discriminating” campus of their college.

Senior Arin Cooper explained the movement as basically, “a series of protest to bring awareness to people about what’s going on. Some people don’t care and some don’t even know.”

“Very few people even acknowledge it. I think it’s one of those subject people know about that they are afraid to talk about,” added fellow coalition member Danielle Bowden.

She went on to explain what lead to the protests and why they are needed. “We originally started fighting to get the Forrest hall name change,” said Bowden. “As we met we basically talked about recent killings. We talked about the struggles we deal with being black in a predominately white institution.”

Thus, it was time to make an effort towards change.

During a day of their protesting, I approached the students with questions. What does #BlackLivesMatter mean to them? Why were they protesting? How had they felt discriminated against on campus?

To my surprise, the students were faced with more negative backlash than questions about their movement.

Zaria Walker, Co-Chair of the Talented Tenth, touched on how people misinterpret the movement and how they react.

“We’ve had people say all lives matter and snicker and glare or they shake their heads and try not to look at us. That stuff gets to you.”

In one instance a student came up to them and told them, “F*ck you. I’m tired of this bullsh*it.”

In another instance, someone told them that all lives matter, and by holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter” they were saying Black lives were the only ones they cared about.

“No one in this movement believes that. We are saying our lives matter too, not ONLY our lives. People put ONLY at the end of it and that’s where the anger and confusion come from.”

But that is hardly excusable. These students are trying to bring awareness to their peers by speaking out and they are treated with disregard, misunderstanding, and ignorance. Why? Why aren’t more people asking questions, asking why they feel the need to protest?

“When I hear people say “All Lives Matter” I hear ignorance. People who demean the BLM movement and justify it by attempting to say that we are excluding everyone else’s life, obviously doesn’t know what the movement is for,” said Byron Bankhead, who also participates in the movement. “I see it as a way to avoid accepting credibility over this tragedy. People love to look over the main point of the movement and focus on specific wordplay, once again to avoid the realissues at hand.”

“The racial discrimination, oppression, and systematic racism that we encounter is a REAL problem and other people do not see it as such,” Bankhead goes on to describe the issues. “It is the job of the movement to bring that awareness and shed light on the problems we face or society will continue to sweep us under the rug.”

Walker followed up with how society hinders the movement by remaining uninvolved.

“The problem is people say “I’m not racist. I don’t say the N-word.” But your silence is contributing. It’s saying it isn’t affecting you so don’t bother. Once you speak up that’s when change happens. That’s why I’m glad people of other cultures are joining us.”

Racism isn’t just the use of the “N-word” or not wanting your daughter to date a Black man. Racism exists in the wage gap, the assumption that Black men and women are enrolled in college or hired at a business due to the need of diversity. Racism is the assumption that someone Black is less trustworthy than someone white. It’s falsely accusing people of color of committing “more crimes than whites” when they only commit more crimes within a specific category. It’s taking advantage of their disadvantages. It’s not listening when they cry out peacefully for equality.

“I am an advocate for fair treatment of everyone [but] I feel as if the black community is drained for its resources, culture, and [we] struggle but no one supports us.” said Bankhead.

This is a movement not with the intent to rebel, not with the intent to bring hate or disregard to the majority race, but rather, an intent to speak out and say, “We matter. We deserve to be treated equally. And we NEED your help. Please, stick up for us.”

Charlotte cop walks free after shooting to death Keith Lamont Scott

From the Charlotte Observer – No charges will be brought against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer Brentley Vinson in the September shooting death of a man in University City, District Attorney Andrew Murray announced Wednesday.

Keith Lamont Scott, 43, was shot Sept. 20 in a confrontation with officers outside his apartment.

Murray said that evidence in the case shows that Scott stepped out of his SUV with a gun in his hand and ignored at least 10 commands from the five officers on the scene to drop it.

Murray said that Scott obtained the gun – which had been stolen in Gaston County – 18 days before the confrontation. One bullet was found in the chamber of the gun, the safety was off and Murray said Scott’s DNA was found on the grip and ammunition slide.

Murray said that speculation in the community that Scott was unarmed – initial reports from a family member on Facebook said he was holding a book – were untrue.

“A reading book was not found in the front or back seats of Mr. Scott’s SUV,” Murray said.

Officer Vinson’s gun was examined after the shooting and four bullets were missing, Murray said. Guns taken from the other officers at the scene had not been fired, he said.

Marchers demand justice over deaths in police custody

Four hundred people marched on Saturday  29th October to remember those who have died at the hands of the police and to fight for justice.

The march, which went down Whitehall from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street, was organised by the United Families and Friends Campaign.

 

Many of the families fighting for their loved ones were in attendance, growing in number from last year. According to Inquest, the number of deaths in police custody currently stands at 1,578 since 1990.

Marcia Rigg, sister of Sean Rigg who died in police custody spoke at the rally as did Margaret Smith whose son Jermaine Baker was shot dead by police while he sat in a car in Wood Green. Becky Shah from the Hillsborough Justice Campaign told the crowd: “Never give up fighting… if we can do it, then so can you.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was slated by speakers for its total inability to hold murderous police to account.

 

 

Black Lives Matter Movement at huge Stand Up To Racism conference

Over two hundred people crammed into the overflowing Black Lives Matter workshop at the 1,600-strong national conference of Stand up to Racism. The organisation is being relaunched to step up the fight against the rise in racism. Kadisha Burrell (Kingsley Burrell Justice Campaign), Capres Turner (Black lives matter summer protest organiser), Gary McFarlane (Black Lives Matter Movement and NUJ Black Members Council) and US Black Lives Matter activist Sonja Patrick on video stream from Wilmington North Carolina spoke at the BLM workshop, which included a wide-ranging and lively discussion.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and newly appointed Shadow Hoome Secretary Diane Abbott also addressed the gathering. Next steps include the United Friends and Family Campaign march on 29th October and before then the fight to stop the demolition of the Calais camp is stepping up. On Saturday 15th October at 2pm a demonstration is taking place to demand that our uncivilised government does its humanitarian minimum and at the very least lets the unaccompanied children living in the Calais hell-hole into the UK. Children will disappear into the hands of traffickers if the camp is demolished without providing for the people there. The French presidential election candidate contenders are jockeying for position by competing to be the hardest on migrants and refugees.  Help Refugee Children in Calais: Enact Lord Dubs Amendment Now! #DUBSNOW

Charlotte: Protesters Demand Police Release Video of Keith Scott’s Killing

 

From Democracy Now

Meanwhile, in Charlotte, North Carolina, protests continue for a third day to demand police release video of the shooting of African-American father Keith Lamont Scott. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard. The Charlotte mayor has also imposed a midnight curfew, amid the ongoing protests. While the police initially claimed they tased and then shot Scott because he was armed, Scott’s family says he was not armed—except with a book in hand. They say he had been sitting in his car, waiting to pick up his son after school. On Thursday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney walked back the claims that Scott had a gun. more

Black Lives Matter coming to Carnival

Seventy BLM activists met last night and have agreed initial steps to take the movement forward. Central to our work will be building for a lively intervention around Notting Hill Carnival this year, where we have now been allocated space by Carnival organisers.

Activists discussed issues ranging from economics to trade unions and have now elected a steering committee to meet between the general meetings.

Keeping the core focus firmly on combatting racist policing, the legal team is now working with leading criminal defence lawyers to put together a legal handbook for the movement.

The three key legal demands we will be highlighting are all achievable and are areas in which the establishment is on the defensive:

More powers to discipline police officers;

Those who have suffered at the hands of the police should be treated by the law as victims and given free legal aid and other resources in addition to the opportunity to seek redress from police forces;

Thirdly, the Independent Police Complaints Commission is currently 80 per cent staffed by ex-police officers. Just as juries are composed of ordinary people so too can the IPCC be, with serving individuals given the required resource, tools and training where necessary to conduct and/or supervise investigations.

A model motion was also adopted for use in trade unions to enlist their active support and to raise funds.

Funding has been secured to produce an initial run of BLM t-shirts. We are taking per-orders now so we can get an idea of how many to order for Carnival. If you would like to pre-order, send your contact (not bank) details here.

Black Lives Matter UK was set up by activists in the UK and is not connected to BLMUS or BLMUK. Our members called or built many of the protests in the wake of the police killings ofAlton Sterling and Philando Castile and the group has grown organically since then. Black Lives Matter UK is an inclusive but Black-led organisation.

The meeting agreed to continue to liaise with BLMUK and build on links with other groups around the country.