The death of Roger Sylvester on January 19, eight days after being forcibly restrained by eight police officers in Toutenham, North London, has provoked great anger amongst the local black community His lamily called a demonstration rom their home in Summerhill Road to the police station on 24 fanuary, intended to be a quiet candlelit vigil. However, the police turned up with 4 vans and a hellcopter which drowned out the words of the family's pastor, making it clear how they viewed the event Nearly one thousand people came to pay their respects, including many local residents and workers from Islington Council, where Roger Sylvester was an administrative assistant in a day centre, and was a member of the UNISON branch. Police were called to Roger Sylvester's home in Summerhill Road by a woman reporting a disturbed naked man outside in the street.
They decided they needed eight of them to overpower him, and took him to the local psychiatric hospital, St Ann's, sectioning him under the Mental Health Act.
The hospital was short-staffed and dealing with another crisis. and the police were left alone Roger Sylvester with Sylvester in the isolation room.
By the time the doctor was able to come, he needed to be trans- His family ferred to intensive called a care at another demonstration: the hospital several miles away, police turned up a where brain. helicopter which stem tests drowned out the showed him to be dead a week later. Since pastor Sylvester's death, the police officers involved have been transferred to desk duties in another area The Lawrence inquiry has highlighted police racism and led to a renewed interest in other racist murders and deaths of black peoble in police custody Neville Lawrence attended the demonstration, and other families and campaigners have visited the family The Sylvester family attended the meeting called by the Michael Menson campaign to mark the second anniversary of Mike's death. Even The Times has words of the commented that this is not the first time that a black person has died during an encounter with the local police"
Certainly this is something that increasing numbers of black people are all to well aware of - but out of these tragedies there is a real possibility that a significant fight back will begin to develop.
I2 SOCIALIST OUTLOOK