I was utterly depressed when I read about the shooting incident which occurred on the night of the 29 March in Stockwell, where an innocent man and a young girl were seriously injured.
To have young black boys not only having access to guns but also willing to use them in such an indiscriminate manner is beyond belief. What goes through these boys' minds God only knows? The sad fact is that this is not an isolated incident and these outrages will continue. For me the obvious question is where are the parents of these boys in all this.
Most of these incidents in London and other inner cities across the country, the common denominator are that the victims and perpetrators are young and black. However, in this situation two innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. Over the years many initiatives and much government expenditure has been ploughed in trying to turn the tide of violence plighting the black community. But yet black-on-black crime spreads like an incurable cancer.
As this crisis deepens, black leaders have put the responsibility on teachers, blamed it on racism, unemployment and even slavery. However few if any never approach the heart of the matter. A stable nurturing family can help a black child beat all those obstacles and come out a decent and responsible member of society.
It is time (30 years too late in my opinion) for black people to look at their parenting skills. If black families and communities do not take as their responsibility to help keep black boys from getting astray, it makes it frankly impossible for the rest of the wider society, from law enforcement agencies to business to government to help.
Too many black "baby fathers" make children as trophies and do nothing to raise them or show them decent masculinity. There are black mothers who are also violent and hopeless and do little to stop their sons (and sometimes daughters) being drawn into the pervasive black sub-culture of drugs, rap and violent crime.
The government needs to get tougher on the failing black parents of criminal children and force them to attend classes. Black children are vastly over-represented in penal institutions and foster care. Black families must bite the bullet and start taking responsibility for their children and not blame society for the truly chaotic situation that they have themselves created. It is only when black parents, along with black community leaders, black politicians and the wider black community realise this, and only then will this tragic descent into complete self-destruction be halted. The culture of non-responsibility and self-denial among Afro-Caribbean people needs to stop or else black people will become pariahs in society; feared and hated by all.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Black Denial Black Responsibility - Smiley Culture a Case in Point
I was saddened to read about the death of Smiley Culture - real name David Emmanuel. However, it seems obvious to me that people behind this drive for a separate independent investigation into the death of Smiley Culture have their own political agendas.
The likes of Mike Franklin and Lee Jasper who are taking the lead in wanting a dual inquiry, I believe are exploiting the singer's death for their own reasons and it has very little to do in getting behind the real cause behind Smiley Culture's demise.
Its is plain that the likes of Franklin and Jasper have already made up their minds irrespective of what The Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation may bring up. They want to believe the artist was murdered by police officers and feed this message to the Black community, in order to stir elements within the community for direct action towards the police. Lee Jasper has previous form for this.
Franklin and Jasper's motives are quite simple - to achieve political power and kudos not only within the Black community but wider society as well. They are the people that governments would go to with lucrative contracts to speak on behalf of Black people. One thing is for certain is that they and their ilk don't speak for me and for millions of other Afro-Caribbean people making a honest living in this country.
Unfortunately, we are a community who are willing to indulge them and embrace their message. If as black people we were so concerned about violent black deaths we would only have to look internally and see young men and women being stabbed and shot on an almost daily basis on our very streets. But this would mean examining ourselves, taking accountability - cease the culture of denial - but we are not ready to take responsibility for any of our actions. When we realise that we have to stop seeing ourselves as victims and not blaming society for all our ills is then and only then we can progress and prosper.
I wish as many people turned up at Brixton Town Hall in an animated fashion every time a black teenager lays dieing on a London pavement as a result of a gunshot or stab wound. But this would never happen as someone may tell the unpalatable truth that we have only ourselves to blame for this carnage happening in our own community.
It is so much easier and simpler to look at the death of David Emmanuel and have our so called community leaders lead our moral indignation in order to seek the 'truth' surrounding Emmanuel's death. In reality this is not about the truth and never will be. Its about victim hood and searching for scapegoats to blame. We have been doing this for the last 40 years - whether its education, crime, jobs or mental illness - someone has to be answerable. God forbid that we take an introspective examination of ourselves.
By the way at the time Emmanuel's arrest he was on bail for conspiracy to supply cocaine. This will be lost when he is feted as a hero in the Black community in the same light as Nelson Mandela - madness indeed.
The likes of Mike Franklin and Lee Jasper who are taking the lead in wanting a dual inquiry, I believe are exploiting the singer's death for their own reasons and it has very little to do in getting behind the real cause behind Smiley Culture's demise.
Its is plain that the likes of Franklin and Jasper have already made up their minds irrespective of what The Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation may bring up. They want to believe the artist was murdered by police officers and feed this message to the Black community, in order to stir elements within the community for direct action towards the police. Lee Jasper has previous form for this.
Franklin and Jasper's motives are quite simple - to achieve political power and kudos not only within the Black community but wider society as well. They are the people that governments would go to with lucrative contracts to speak on behalf of Black people. One thing is for certain is that they and their ilk don't speak for me and for millions of other Afro-Caribbean people making a honest living in this country.
Unfortunately, we are a community who are willing to indulge them and embrace their message. If as black people we were so concerned about violent black deaths we would only have to look internally and see young men and women being stabbed and shot on an almost daily basis on our very streets. But this would mean examining ourselves, taking accountability - cease the culture of denial - but we are not ready to take responsibility for any of our actions. When we realise that we have to stop seeing ourselves as victims and not blaming society for all our ills is then and only then we can progress and prosper.
I wish as many people turned up at Brixton Town Hall in an animated fashion every time a black teenager lays dieing on a London pavement as a result of a gunshot or stab wound. But this would never happen as someone may tell the unpalatable truth that we have only ourselves to blame for this carnage happening in our own community.
It is so much easier and simpler to look at the death of David Emmanuel and have our so called community leaders lead our moral indignation in order to seek the 'truth' surrounding Emmanuel's death. In reality this is not about the truth and never will be. Its about victim hood and searching for scapegoats to blame. We have been doing this for the last 40 years - whether its education, crime, jobs or mental illness - someone has to be answerable. God forbid that we take an introspective examination of ourselves.
By the way at the time Emmanuel's arrest he was on bail for conspiracy to supply cocaine. This will be lost when he is feted as a hero in the Black community in the same light as Nelson Mandela - madness indeed.
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Tour of the Old Bailey
“The law of the wise is a fountain of life”. “The welfare of the people is supreme”. These are such two of the memorable proverbs, which encircle the magnificent Grand Hall, located in the main entrance of the Central Criminal Court, more commonly known as the Old Bailey. This was where on a bright, sunny March afternoon, I and seven others in my tour group had the unique opportunity to tour this historical site and gain a brief glimpse of the day-to-day workings of one of the most famous and revered courts in the land.
The tour guide greeted our group on our arrival. She enthralled us all by detailing the history of the court, with its origins being trace back to the 14th Century. The original building was destroyed in the 1666 Fire of London but was rebuilt in 1674. In 1834 the Old Bailey was renamed the Central Criminal Court. The present building is assembled on the site of the notorious Newgate Prison.
Our visit began with us descending to the basement where in the 19th century the condemned would be led along 'Dead Man’s Walk' between Newgate prison and the court. Riotous crowds we were told would gather and pelt the condemned with rotten fruit and vegetables. Another landmark we were shown was the shard of glass, which is embedded and preserved as a reminder after The IRA exploded a car bomb outside the courts in March 1973.
We were introduced to The Recorder of London Judge Peter Beaumont QC. He gave us a captivating insight into his work and the work of the other 16 senior judges who sit in judgment at the Old Bailey. We were invited to sit in his court whilst he summed up a terrorism case. We also had the chance to view witness testimony and cross-examination in a well-publicised murder case presided over by Mr Justice Bean.
The tour guide was fascinating as well as informative. I would definitely recommend this visit to any tourist or native Briton who has any remote interest in this country's legal history.
The tour guide greeted our group on our arrival. She enthralled us all by detailing the history of the court, with its origins being trace back to the 14th Century. The original building was destroyed in the 1666 Fire of London but was rebuilt in 1674. In 1834 the Old Bailey was renamed the Central Criminal Court. The present building is assembled on the site of the notorious Newgate Prison.
Our visit began with us descending to the basement where in the 19th century the condemned would be led along 'Dead Man’s Walk' between Newgate prison and the court. Riotous crowds we were told would gather and pelt the condemned with rotten fruit and vegetables. Another landmark we were shown was the shard of glass, which is embedded and preserved as a reminder after The IRA exploded a car bomb outside the courts in March 1973.
We were introduced to The Recorder of London Judge Peter Beaumont QC. He gave us a captivating insight into his work and the work of the other 16 senior judges who sit in judgment at the Old Bailey. We were invited to sit in his court whilst he summed up a terrorism case. We also had the chance to view witness testimony and cross-examination in a well-publicised murder case presided over by Mr Justice Bean.
The tour guide was fascinating as well as informative. I would definitely recommend this visit to any tourist or native Briton who has any remote interest in this country's legal history.
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