Douglas died of a fractured skull after reportedly being beaten by police using the new American style batons. He was arrested on 3 May after a car containing him and another man had been stopped by two police officers in Clapham High Street, south London. He was taken to Kennington police station where he was examined by a police doctor and deemed to be suffering from excess alcohol or drugs. Hours later, his condition worsening, he was taken to St Thomas's hospital into intensive care and subsequently died at 3.20am on 8 May. On Sunday 14 May 400 people picketed Kennington Police Station calling for the suspension of the police officers involved and for an immediate full public inquiry. Socialist Outlook spoke to INQUEST the pressure group which campaigns against deaths in custody and for reform of the coroner's inquest system about the issues raised by this controversial death. SO. What are your concerns about this tragic death? INQUEST: It raises a myriad of concerns about the police and the judicial system - racism within the police force, the oppressive policing of the black community, the militarisation of the police force, the inadequate medical care of detainees, the secretive and unaccountable investigatory system and the unacceptable death toll of black people in custody:
It confirms INQUEST's fears that increased arming of the police, be it with guns or these new batons, will inevitably lead to more tragic deaths. There is already an alarming increase in the number of police shootings.
Black people are markedly overrepresented among those who die following violent incidents. It is our experience that many of these deaths occur after the use of excessive, unlawful and unnecessary force. Since 1985 33 black people have died in police custody or during incidents involving the police. Of those 18 (55%) have been in London. SO: What is the likely outcome of the official investigation process? INQUEST: We have absolutely no confidence in current mechanisms for investigating deaths in police custody where the police are called in to investigate themselves. National Front in the 1970s and its SO: Why do so many black people continue to die in police custody? INQUEST: The level of secrecy surrounding the police force increases individual officers ability to get away with abuse and even murder. The institutionalised racism of the police is backed by racist legislation and a society which condones racist behaviour.
There have been at least two inquests into black deaths in police custody which returned 'unlawful killing' verdicts and yet no-one was charged with an offence or even disciplined. The jury at such an inquest has decided that a criminal act has been committed and yet there is no criminal trial or public inquiry.
Where there is no adequate forum for calling an institution to account in the public domain, abusive practices run rampant. Individual officers, backed by such a secret and unaccountable institution assume a stance of invincibility and a sense of being untouchable in whatever they do. Agents of the state suspected of carrying out the killing or of seeking to conceal the truth walk away unscathed. SO: What can people do to support Brian Douglas' friends and family? INQUEST: The immediate depoverty and underfunding without Tunay Hassan, Dalston Police Station 1988 Femi Adelaja, Old Bailey cell 1989 David 'Duke' Daley, Marylebone Magistrates Court Vincent Graham, City Road, London Jamie Stewart, Holloway Road Police Station 1991 Vandana Patel, Stoke Newington Police Station 1993 Joy Gardner, Tottenham 1994 Kwanele Siziba, Hackney Joseph Nnalue, Stockwell Oluwashiji Lapite, Stoke Newington 1995 Brian Douglas. Kennington Police Station mand must be to call for a fully independent, public inquiry into this death to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
Those in the labour movement should add their voices to those of Brian Douglas' family and the black community in calling for such an inquiry. This does not mean, however, aban-