Ellen Moore WHATTURNED a small, angry yet peaceful demo into a riot? In short, the police. Underlying that - state and police racism, lack of power and marginalisation of a whole layer of the community, poverty and unemployment - leading to the perception that there is no other avenue, there is The Labour Party united with the Government in reaction with an attack on Brixton youth and praise for the way the police handled the situation. Cops play hares and hounds Both ignore the anger and reject the fact of deaths in police custody.
Labour's official, but secret, policy is that MPs should say nothing critical about policing-ther than to altack the lack of resources available. To criticise the police is a si no Labour Party careerist can afford to commit.
True to form, Kate Hoey MP, whose constituency includes Brixton, supports "a thorough, independently supervised investigation. That is exactly what the independent PCA is doing.
Yet when in May 1995. Brian Douglas died after being hit on the bead with a baton only a short distance from the playground where Wayne Douglas Lost time around: 1981 police beaten back (no relation) was allegedly beaten before his arrest and death, the PCA did not bring any charges against police. It simply passed the report of its investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service, who have yet to decide whether to bring charges against any of the officers involved.
The Left's weakness since its defeats in The answer is a the 80s. and its failure to effectively combat society run on the state racism and build a basis of need not strong, united, blackled anti-racist move. greed, which is ment is also a factor. democratically The failure of the ARA cynical manipulation citizens who are of bereaved families by its leading members. part of its Institutions cynicism and sense of futility of many black people about participating in politics.
The need for a tie-up between the labour movement and the black community remains.
Atma Singh from the NBA has recently put the crisis of black leadership in perspective when he said: "Black people in the labour movement have to be concerned about what's going on in their communities, whether people are
to truly become such a run, that movement, and the empowers Its