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In the past five years, 172,039 people have been subject to strip-searches by the MetropolitanPolice while in custody,and9,088 were carried out on children. 2,360 of these searches were on children under the age of 15. These statistics,which have left us astonished, do not cover strip-searches in schoolssuch as that experienced by Child Q, a 15-year-old Hackney schoolchild who was removed from an exam and stripped by police, because her teachers thought she smelled of weed.In the subsequent safeguarding report, which was released this week, each detail of the case is worse than the last: the child was on her period when she was searched, she was asked to remove her sanitary towel and expose her private parts, she wasnt allowed to go to the bathroom despite multiple requests, and no appropriate adult (for example, a teacher) was in attendance during the search.

The individual trauma caused by incidents like this cannot be understated, and its important that steps are taken to address the significant harm that has already been caused. This incident took place in 2020, and two years on, Child Q is reportedly a changed person, struggling with eating, panic attacks and self-harm. Child Q writes in the safeguarding report: I cant go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up... I feel like Im locked in a box, and no one can see or cares that I just want to go back to feeling safe again, my box is collapsing around me, and no-one wants to help.

In the interest of aftercare, we demand to know what will be done in terms of support for Child Q and her family. Simultaneously, to understand how this incident came about, we must look at the bigger picture. This case, while being predominately framed as a safeguarding failure, exposes a number of disturbing issues relating to institutional racism, criminalisation of young Black people, and the normalisation of sexual violence within policing.

It is easy for politicians and the police to cast this incident as an unfortunate one-off in a police force that is otherwise keeping our communities safe. This is a gross misrepresentation of what the police do, and whose interests they protect. Racial and gendered violence including towards children is the police's modus operandi. Over a third of total strip-searches by the Met in the last five years were conducted on people from ethnic minorities, with the figure appearing to be even higher in east London. It is also well known that Black people in England and Wales are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. This affects tens of thousands of young people, but also includes children under the age of ten.

Then there are the chilling stories. Last year, a report revealed that unnamed police officers had exchanged jokes about raping women and killing Black babies. The public has also become more aware of police racism and misogyny through recent cases like that of Sarah Everard, who was raped and murdered by a police officer, and Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, whose dead bodies were inappropriately photographed by police and circulated on WhatsApp. All of this takes place in a climate in which the government is calling for more police funding, more police in schools in deprived areas, and is pushing through a policing bill that encourages more overlap between schools and incarceration.

Black children are not seen as innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection and safeguarding. They deserve better

The Child Q safeguarding report has recommended changes to process. Meanwhile, politicians have called for heads to roll. But neither of these changes will prevent incidents like this from happening again. Steps must be abolitionist in nature to truly address the deep-rooted nature of police racism and misogyny, which, as demonstrated by this case, takes aim at the most marginalised and powerless. In 2020, we gave funding to the Northern Police Monitoring Project, which is currently leading the No Police in Schools campaign with Kids of Colour. The project grew out of young peoples concerns that they were being increasingly criminalised in spaces of education, and centres their calls for the removal of police from schools. They know as well as we do that police do not keep us safe we keep us safe. This is why BLMUK also calls for divestment from policing, with funds distributed to local communities who know what they need.

In our work, we have seen time and time again that when youre Black, you dont have the same expectation to be safe. Black children are not seen as innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection and safeguarding. They deserve better than to be traumatised in the spaces that should nurture them, and then sent home alone. We are tired of the endless reports, apologies and promises to do better in the future. We are tired of lessons learned at our expense. Now is the time for radical change, that takes power out of the hands of the police and puts it back into our communities. In the words of Child Q: Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period... I need to know that the people who have done this to me cant do it to anyone else ever again.

Black Lives Matter UK would like to explicitly extend our support to Child Q and her family, who can contact us directly at any point while maintaining confidentiality, at: contact@ukblm.org

Continued here:
BLM UK on Child Q: we're tired of promises and apologies - Dazed

Features

With her classic book newly republished, former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown spoke to Yuri Prasad about life in the revolutionary group, and anti-racism today

Sunday 20 March 2022

Elaine Brown is one of the last surviving leaders of the Black Panther Party. The revolutionary group was famed for its uncompromising fight against racism and capitalism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In particular, the Panthers were known for their Marxism and for being prepared to bear arms.

Brown was a talented rank and file member who joined the organisation at its high point in 1968. She rose to become the editor of its newspaper, its minister of information and, ultimately in 1973, its chairwoman. As the group struggled to survive state assassinations, bomb attacks and FBIinstigated internal fights, Brown held the Panthers together.

She talked to Socialist Worker about revolution and the themes of her republished book, A Taste of PowerA Black Womans Story. We began by discussing the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that followed the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. And we talked about the differences between those fights and the struggles of fifty years ago.

I have said many times that I dont see where theres a movement here. Theres just a slogan, Brown declared. The only thing that is similar is the process of becoming aware of the conditions that cause so much pain.

For Brown the key questions are strategy and political organisation. In this she insists there are marked differences between what was happening in late 1960s America and what is happening now.

I dont see anything like the Black Panther Party or the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee or the Southern Christian Leadership Organisation, or any other organisation that has been formed as a result of this collective rage, she said. Certainly not one that is actually addressing the causes of the problems. Who is dealing with all of the issues that George Floyds murder represents, which are the poverty of black people, the continued oppressive state, and so on? I dont see anyone challenging the United States government.

Brown has clearly thought hard about why no organisation emerged from Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. At its height this movement was able to mobilise thousands of people often in pitched battles with the police. There are things that are true today that were not true back in my day, she explained.

The conditions are such that a number of black people have arrived at a level of comfort. Theyre not really afraid of getting killed by the sheriff if they go out to vote. That comfort is something that the mass movements of the 1960s created, Brown thinks.

We kicked open doors to create these positions for elected officials who pretend to have some consciousness but dont do anything. And this comfort has in turn created a reliance on the system that promises to address all these ills without really demonstrating what unites them.

Its as though theyre not tied together, she added. And, because of that, they are not really talking about capitalism. Thats why it doesnt translate into anything concrete. Dr Martin Luther King talked about the urgency of now. Theres no sense of urgency now.

A second reason for the lack of organisation that Brown pointed to is fear. Nobody wants to give up anything at all to accomplish this. Nobodys willing to say, as Dr King said, and as we in the Black Panther Party said, Im ready to die for this. And people did diemy comrades and all the other people that sacrificed their lives.

Brown also highlights the way the establishment and the media have framed the discussion of the fight against racism in the 1960s and 70s. This has limited the narrative to one of democratic rights in the Deep South. We could see black people being hosed by the police. So today we think of civil rights as fighting against black people being hosed because thats what we saw via television.

Looking back to how she became a revolutionary in 1968, Brown said she felt there was very little choice for people like her. By the time I stumbled upon the Black Panther Party in Southern California, [party founder] Huey Newton had been involved in a shootout with police in West Oakland, she explained. He had become a national hero for black people. Not because he was a victim like George Floyd, but because he was alleged to have shot that cop that would have killed him.

Every one of the sisters that I knew were all tough broads. And we had to be tough when we joined the party. We didnt join for some man, we were revolutionaries.

Elaine Brown

I had been thinking that I was a conscious black person, doing my writing for the little newspaper in the Black Congress organisation I was involved in. Everybody was militant. Everybody was everything until the Black Panther Party came and drew a line in the sand.

They said, Well all this is nice, this conversation, but Huey Newton has just been charged with killing a cop. So youre talking about police brutality, youre talking about this stuff, but youre really not making a move. So the difference is now going to be that we have to take action.

The question the Panthers put was, according to Brown, Do you want to keep on playing around with what youre doing and thinking that youre doing something meaningful, now that you know it is not meaningful?

For Brown, the answers clear. What else can you do but surrender your life to the revolution? she asked. In the late 1960s as the revolution grew to embrace womens emancipation and gay liberation, the Black Panthers increasingly incorporated the issues into its programme.

The party was dominated by men. Even though there are people who would like to pretend that at some point it was mostly women, thats just not true, Brown insisted. But I would say that every one of the sisters that I knew were all tough broads. And we had to be tough when we joined the party. We didnt join for some man, we were revolutionaries.

The mainstream womens liberation politics of the time, represented by people such as Gloria Steinem and her Ms. magazine, wasnt arguing for fundamental change in America. They just wanted to make sure women broke through the glass ceiling, so that we too could oppress people and become corporate leaders like men did.

But the Black Panther Party, and the parties we were affiliated with, were the only organisations that identified the question of womens liberation and gay liberation as a part of our overall struggle.

Brown remains convinced that revolution should still be the aim for people fighting for change today. Is it a goal? All I know is that it is my goal. We will never be a free people without it, she exclaimed defiantly. The word might be confusing or scary. People like to think that its some kind of 1960s word.

But the bottom line is that the Empire of the United States, which has caused our enslavement, cannot continue like this. We cannot continue with this world system. Most people are poor, and yet some are so rich that it is almost unfathomable. But in order for them to have that wealth the rest of the people have to be poor. Its a requirement. Im not alright with the current scheme of accepting mass oppression and poverty.

Looking back at her time in the Black Panther Party, Brown is rightly proud of its achievements. My old comrades and I talk about it even now, and we say it was the best time of our lives and we were putting our lives on the line. We loved the party. We loved being in the party. We loved it though it was hard.

A Taste of PowerA Black Womans Story by Elaine Brown republished by Penguin Modern Classics available to buy for 10.99

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'Revolution is my goal'interview with former Black Panther Elaine Brown - Socialist Worker

Justin Gomez, a Bay Area native and creator of the Black Lives Matter mural that gained national attention in Martinez, spoke to Diablo Valley College students on Mar. 7 about the events that led to the mural, how it went viral across the internet and how the experience affected his personal life.

In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement surged in popularity following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, along with other police killings of Black people. Protests erupted across the nation, but Gomez wanted to do something different to make his voice heard.

I had found myself needing to do something, he said. Theres just a feeling of hopelessness and anxiety. And as someone who is a person of color, [I was] thinking about what this moment means for me.

Those feelings prompted him to send a text message call-to-action to 12 people, suggesting they speak out against police brutality and shut down the Martinez Farmers Market with a peaceful protest. More than 300 people showed up for the protest. But that was just the beginning.

White supremacy recruitment flyers were soon posted around Martinez in the weeks following the protest. Seeing the flyers made Gomez upset, but it also motivated him to do something more than just protest, he said. So he reached out to the City of Martinez, which co-signed an agreement to establish a temporary Black Lives Matter mural. On the 4th of July, communities came together and painted a block-long mural that read Black Lives Matter on the streets of Martinez.

But not even one hour after the murals completion, a Trump-supporting couple began to paint over the BLM mural with black paint. The couple hurled verbal abuse at the people who were recording their actions with cell phones, telling them to stop. The mural would be restored by the end of the day, but tensions didnt stop there. The video of the couple went viral, as celebrities and mainstream news outlets reposted the clip. As a result, the District Attorneys office charged the couple with a hate crime.

Within 48 hours I was on the phone with the New York Times and the Washington Post, which felt very surreal, Gomez said. For several days I was on standby with producers from CNN to do a story with Don Lemon.

As the creator of the mural, Gomez also came under direct attack from angered residents. He received many threats some 33 in all including from people photographing his residence. After I started getting all these screenshots sent to me, Im looking at my two small children and my partner and we dont feel safe at our home our home address was published online, he said. Some of Gomezs neighbors experienced harassment as well.

Gomez went online and told people what was happening to him and his family. Close friends and the community then came together to spend time with his family, watching out for them to make sure they remained safe. Finally, to lighten the weight of events and to show that the community would not be intimidated, Gomez helped organize another peaceful protest in the city.

In the aftermath, Gomez said, he felt the City of Martinez had failed in its duty to protect his family despite the numerous threats he was receiving. In terms [of] the city council, there was a complete, total failure of the elected leadership, said Gomez.

The pair of vandals that targeted the BLM mural were ultimately charged and chose to go to trial, but the case has been delayed due to the pandemic. The couple faces other charges as well.

The mural, which was always intended to be temporary, has since been removed. Now, Gomez said, Martinez city officials are trying to come up with a similar project that can be permanent to spread the same message of racial justice.

Theres definitely a desire to recreate something like that somewhere in city space where we can affirm the identities of community members of color here in Martinez.

Read the original post:
How a Black Lives Matter Mural in Martinez Went Viral and Changed Justin Gomez's Life - The Inquirer

The London Metropolitan Police have come under fire under they strip-searched a 15-year-old Black student at her school.

The incident took place at her school in Hackney, East London. Child Q was accused by a teacher of having marijuana in her possession. The teacher reported her and police then strip-searched her without an appropriate adult being present or her mother being contacted.

She was menstruating at the time. No contraband was found in her possession.

Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period, Child Q, said in a statement via her attorney. I cant go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up. I dont know if Im going to feel normal again. But I do know this cant happen to anyone else, ever again.

So theyre doing a March for #ChildQ but theyre marching for black boys and black girls. This is what irritates me. Im not denying what black boys go through in schools, but Child Q is a black girl. And what happened to her is gendered issue rooted in misogynoir.. [cont.] pretty black cute (@afrorckprincess) March 17, 2022

Her attorney also released her own statement: It is unlikely that Child Q would have been treated in this humiliating and degrading way had she not been Black. Child Q and her family are hopeful that the recommendations of the review panel will be carefully considered and implemented so that another child is not exposed to a similar traumatic experience.

Before the strip-search, officers searched the childs bag, blazer, scarf and shoes.

The Independent Office is investigating the case for Police Conduct (IOPC). All three officers are under investigation for potential disciplinary offenses over how Child Q was treated.

My heart breaks for Child Q and her family. Shame on her school and the @metpoliceuk who failed her, abused her & traumatised her. Wishing healing for her and FULL accountability of every adult responsible for this trauma inflicted upon her.

A spokesperson for Black Lives Matter UK expressed its disgust over the incident: Once again, we are reminded of the fact that the police are the perpetrators and there are no lengths they wouldnt go to inflict harm on vulnerable people.

The horrific strip search of a Black girl at school is a clear example of why police should not be in places of education. While politicians have recently called for more police officers to be stationed in schools across the capital, children are being traumatized in spaces that should be safe.

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'Black Lives Matter' Condemns Police After 15-Year-Old Black Girl Is Strip-searched at School: 'Children Are Being Traumatized in Spaces That Should...

The Met alone accounted for 5.2m of the 18m spend over six years nearly a third of the entire national total.

The findings have sparked alarm among campaigners, who point to the Mets history of using undercover cops to target peaceful activists groups, some of whom have formed romantic relationships and even had children with the people they are surveilling.

Police in Wales were secretly recorded last year trying to recruit a Black Lives Matter (BLM) activist to be an informant.

Lowri Davies, who was one of the organisers for Swansea BLM group, accused the police of grooming to entice me into being an informant, adding: I was asked to be an informant under manipulative false pretences, and asked questions that made me fear for my safety as well as the safety of my loved ones. Last month, Swansea BLM group decided to close down, citing the attempted recruitment as one of the reasons.

Last July, a former police officer turned environmental campaigner claimed the Met tried to recruit him to spy on Extinction Rebellion.

And in January, a tribunal ordered the Met and the National Police Chiefs Council to pay 229,000 in compensation to an environmental activist who was deceived into having a sexual relationship with an undercover officer. An inquiry into undercover policing is ongoing.

Using FOI requests, openDemocracy asked the UKs 48 police forces how much they had spent on informants since 2015, including on informants within BLM and green groups.

Of the 32 police forces that disclosed figures, Kent Police, Thames Valley Police, West Midlands Police, Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland were among the biggest spenders.

Kevin Blowe from the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) told openDemocracy: Policing's knee-jerk response to any question about its intelligence capabilities is always to 'neither confirm nor deny'. However the detail behind these figures matter

We know national units are particularly interested in new and emerging campaigns and there is evidence this has recently included Black Lives Matter campaigners, not least because the policing's own inspectorate body has said so.

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Police refuse to say if Black Lives Matter targeted as forces spend 18m on informants - Open Democracy