E-petition launch: Families unite for justice

The United Campaign Against Police Violence is proud to support this epetition launched by the United Families and Friends Campaign.

It was simultaneously launched by dozens of family campaigns and justice activists today. We need 100,000 signatures by next January to have the chance for it to be discussed in parliament.

You can read and sign the petition here. Please read the information below, and visit the UFFC website for more information.

The United Families & Friends Campaign (UFFC) have launched an ambitious petition appeal that calls for an independent judicial inquiry into all suspicious deaths in custody.

The United Families & 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.

US civil rights veteran, Rev Jesse Jackson supports the inquiry campaign.
Campaign representatives have said; “Our joint efforts have yielded some results.

However, these have not addressed the lack of justice in the many outstanding cases.

“We believe that equitable dispensation justice in the UK must be done and be seen to be done if the general public are to enjoy high levels of trust and confidence in the fair administration of justice.

“The poor quality and speed of independent investigations conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and an Inquest process that is seriously under resourced, subject to delay and limited in remit and is not fit for purpose. Both critically fail to protect or support the rights of victims or their families”.

Amongst the demands of UFFC are the replacement of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to ensure a truly independent body. That deaths in psychiatric detention must be subject to a system of properly funded investigation that is completely independent of the Health Service and that officers and officials should never be allowed to collude over their evidence and statements of fact.

Families have also long argued the unequal allocation of legal resources in custody death cases and believe there should be an automatic right to non means tested legal aid for families. “There is a lack of funds for family legal representation at Inquests whilst officers and NHS staff get full legal representation from the public purse – this is unbalanced”.

The petition will run until January 2013.

Jesse Jackson calls for public inquiry into British deaths in police custody

Veteran civil rights activist Jesse Jackson was in London today (Thursday, 15 December) to call for an inquiry into deaths in police custody.

“The police have permission to behave in this way,” he said. “They are protected by the state. The choice is whether we adjust to oppression, or resist and fight back.”

See the video below of the meeting.



Click here for a report of the day in Socialist Worker.

Procession to Downing Street--no more deaths in custody!

This Saturday, 29th October 2011

12.30pm Assemble Nelsons Column Trafalgar Square, London, to march to Downing Street

Bring banners, wear black.

Download the flyer here (PDF).

Families of those who have died in police and prison custody and secure state care will hold a silent procession and then deliver a letter of demands to the Prime Minister.

Over 300 people have died in police custody since 1998, yet no police officer has ever been brought to justice and the families still seek answers.

This annual march takes the campaign for justice to the door of Number 10.

Supported by the families of Kingsley Burrell, Sean Rigg, Smiley Culture, Roger Sylvester, Mark Duggan, Habib Ullah, Mikey Powell, Ricky Bishop and many more.

Come on Saturday to stand with these families in demanding answers.

Organised by United Families and Friends Campaign

Speaking in advance of the march, Marcia Rigg, sister of Sean Rigg who died in police custody in Brixton in August 2008 said:

"We will be marching to remember all our loved ones and to remind the Government that we are not going away. We need justice and positive action taken to ensure that this terrible list of deaths at the hands of the state has no more victims added to it."

http://uffc-campaigncentral.net

United Families and Friends Campaign annual march for justice

By Families, For Families

Saturday 29th October 2011 – From 12.30pm
Assemble: South side of Nelsons Column, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

UNITED FAMILIES & FRIENDS CAMPAIGN (UFFC) PROTEST & RALLY AGAINST CUSTODY DEATHS AND ABUSE!

Silent Procession along Whitehall followed by Noisy Protest at Downing Street!

Download Flyer Here >

ALL WELCOME – BRING YOUR CAMPAIGN’S / GROUP’S BANNER

Three deaths in one week after "non-lethal" restraint

Three people have died in police custody in just a week—all were restrained with “non-lethal” weapons.

Philip Hulmes, 53, was shot with a Taser gun at his home in Over Hulton, near Bolton, on Tuesday.

It is believed that before being Tasered, Philip stabbed himself in the abdomen.

Just one day before, on Monday night, Jacob Michael, 25, from Widnes, Cheshire, died after he was arrested by 11 police officers and “restrained” with pepper spray.

He was taken to hospital and died within two hours.

And last week Dale Burns, 27, died in Cumbria after he was both Tasered and pepper-sprayed by police during an arrest.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating all three deaths.

As the court system strains under the weight of mass arrests following the riots, and as young people are being locked up for crimes as “serious” as stealing an ice cream cone, isn’t it time the police looked at the ever increasing scandal of deaths in custody?

Since 1998, over 336 people have died in custody. No police officer has been convicted over these deaths.

We have to make sure the cover-ups stop.

Give Our Kids a Future! A North London Unity Demonstration

A demonstration addressing the causes and concerns which led to this week's rioting has been called this Saturday by the North London Assembly.

We should not forget the role played by the police killing of Mark Duggan in the unrest, nor the everyday harassment of poor communities by police.

Details below are from the Facebook page for the demonstration:

Give Our Kids a Future!

Saturday 13 August from 1pm

Gillett Square Dalston to Tottenham Green

This march is called by The North London Assembly, a temporary Assembly which saw 70 local community activists meet at the North London Community House on Tuesday 9th August to discuss our reaction to the riots of early August in Tottenham and Hackney. It includes people from many Turkish and Kurdish community groups, like Day Mer and Gik Der, and also the Haringay and Hackney Alliances for Public Services who are all supporting this march.
We state that this is not us seeking to represent the community but it is our attempt to try to bring unity to the community in which we live. There are many different views on the events but we are seeking the most positive outcome from them.
This will be a positive and peaceful march with an Assembly at the end for people to express what they are thinking about recent events

Statement 10/8/2011

A North London Unity Demonstration

Saturday 13th August
Assemble Gillet Square, Dalston, N16 at 1pm. March to Tottenham Green, N15

Our communities need a united response to both the riots and the causes of despair and frustration that can result in riots.

We demand:
• A CULTURE OF VALUING, NOT DEMONISING YOUTH AND UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE.
• SUPPORT FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY THE RIOTING, INCLUDING THE IMMEDIATE RE-HOUSING OF PEOPLE MADE HOMELESS AS WELL AS GRANTS FOR AFFECTED
SMALL BUSINESSES.
- COMMUNITY LED REGENERATION AND RESTORATION OF DAMAGED AREAS.
• REVERSAL OF ALL CUTS TO YOUTH SERVICES IN OUR BOROUGHS
• NO CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES! INSTEAD, INVESTMENT INTO AND REGENERATION OF OUR COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING HOUSING, JOBS, EDUCATION AND SPORTS
FACILITIES.
• AN INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY INQUIRY INTO POLICING METHODS IN OUR BOROUGHS. AND AN END TO STOP AND SEARCH.
• AVAILABILITY OF LEGAL SUPPORT FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARRESTED BY POLICE - YOUNG PEOPLE FACE POTENTIAL SENTENCES THAT WILL AFFECT THEM, THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR WIDER COMMUNITIES FOR YEARS TO COME.

We are responding to the events of the last few days, in particular the Tottenham protest over the killing of Mark Duggan and the riots that followed in Tottenham and Hackney.

By coming together and calling for unity we want to encourage all sections of our local communities, young and old,
black and white, residents and workers, to work together to find solutions to some of our long-standing problems.

We know there are all kinds of strong feelings and differing views. We do not claim to represent the whole community, but merely seek to promote unity in the communities in which we live.

Simply labelling rioters as opportunistic criminals does little to relieve tensions and provides a poor explanation for the worst riots in decades. While the shooting of Mark Duggan provided the trigger, against a background of oppressive policing, especially towards ethnic minorities, the root causes are deeper.

Our communities have been blighted by high levels of deprivation, poverty and lack of opportunity for decades. Inequality is growing and recent funding cuts to local services, particularly youth facilities, along with rising unemployment, and cuts to EMA and benefits have exacerbated the conditions in which sections of frustrated young people turned to rioting, which unfortunately has resulted in people losing their homes and small/family businesses losing their livelihoods.

Britain is a wealthy country, but the economic crisis created by greedy bankers and financial speculators is further impoverishing already poor areas like Tottenham and Hackney. The £390 billion of combined wealth of the richest 1,000 people in Britain should be redirected to fund the services we all need.

In the last few months we have seen mass local protests against cuts, student occupations to defend free education, half-a-million strong demonstration on March 26, and 800,000 public service workers out on strike on June 30th.

We need to build on these and other inspiring local and national struggles. Let's work together for a decent society, based not on greed, inequality and poor conditions, but on justice, freedom, sharing and co-operation.

North London Unity Demonstration supported by the Haringey Alliance for Public Services, Hackney Alliance for Defending Public Serices, Day-Mer (Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre), NLCH (North London Community Centre), Day-Mer Youth, Alevi Cultural Centre, Fed-Bir, Kurdish Community Centre: Roj Women, Halkevi, Gik-Der (Refugee Workers Cultural Association). Britania Peace Council: Hundred Flowers Cultural Centre. TOHUM. Socialist Party, Youth Fight For Jobs, Right To Work, Red Pepper.

It's right to protest

The Defend the Right to Protest campaign have called a meeting in the light of continued police violence on protests. At a time when people can be arrested "pre-emptively" for protesting, the need for a united response to these attacks on our civil liberties is greater than ever.

Wednesday 8 June

7pm, University of London Union (ULU), London WC1E 7HY.

Speakers include: Jody McIntyre, Alfie Meadows, Tony Benn, UK Uncut, Bryan Simpson (arrested for occupying Millbank), The Guillotine 3 (under suspicion for conspiracy to commit street theatre during the Royal Wedding), John Mcdonnell MP, Sara Tomlinson –NUT & Stop Kettling our Kids.