An exhibition on the history of the Broadwater Farm estate should be compulsory viewing for all Londoners, young and old. ‘The story of a community, 1967-2010′, tells the history of the Broadwater Farm estate and the Broadwater Farm Youth Association, from their inception and construction to the struggles for better conditions by the black and
Theme: Alternative voices on integration
Injustice
PCS in association with Black History Studies presents a screening of ‘Injustice’, a film about the struggles for justice by the families of people that have died in police custody. Wednesday 21 September 2011, 7-9pm PCS Learning Centre, 3rd Floor, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 1EH (Nearest Train/Tube Station: Victoria) There will be a
Mikey Powell’s family struggle on
On 16 June 2011, the West Midlands Police Authority was directed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission to record a complaint made by the mother of Mikey Powell, who died in police custody in September 2003. The family have only now been able to release this information due to reporting restrictions. Mikey’s mother, Claris Powell,
Human rights: the assault continues
The government is poised to cut down the reach of human rights law, paving the way for easier deportation of foreign national prisoners. The government’s announcements in the wake of the riots that non-British citizens convicted of riot-related offences will be deported ‘at the earliest opportunity'[1] is part of a new attempt to strip foreign
The spotlight is back on black deaths at the hands of police
IRR News examines the recent killing of Mark Duggan by armed Met police officers in the context of similar deaths. The IRR has monitored black[1] deaths in custody since the 1970s as young black men tend to die at the hands of police and prison officers in disproportionate numbers. Our monitoring is also in response
Reshaping the criminal justice system after the riots
Criminologist Jon Burnett is concerned about the long-term impact on policing and criminal justice of the government’s response to the riots and its use of ‘underclass’ theories. And so the ‘social fightback’ has begun. This month’s riots and disorders were a wake-up call to Britain, according to the prime minister. Returning to his pre-election theme
Resisting the Bratton brand: lessons from the US
Rachel Herzing of Critical Resistance in California warns that zero tolerance policing will have long-term social consequences if adopted in the UK. I, like many people I know, watched the uprisings in Britain earlier this month with fascination and concern. More than merely being headline news, the uprisings and the police response to them were
The violence of the violated
The director of the Institute of Race Relations comments on the recent riots. Everyone is clutching at explanations for the riots – gangs, greed, family breakdown, lack of respect. But I would like to go into their deeper causes. Society is completely polarised between rich and poor, mediated through a culture of consumerism and quick
How to get rid of foreign prisoners
Why should a Bill going through the Nigerian senate concern us? Because it ties in with British efforts to empty UK prisons of foreign national prisoners by sending them home – without their consent. Prisoner transfer agreements with foreign governments are generally seen as benign attempts to bring British prisoners home from excessive sentences in
Bradford 12: lessons for organising
An event in London marking the Bradford 12 thirtieth anniversary was a celebration and an education for resistance. Thirty years ago, on 10 July 1981, twelve young Asians were arrested and charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and to endanger life, after a crate of home-made milk-bottle petrol bombs was found. (In fact thirteen were