"Peace is not just the absence of conflict - without justice there can be no peace" - Martin Luther King The Lawrence inquiry 'has marked a turning point in British politics. It has reflected and enhanced a deepening self organisation of black people.
Certainly across London, the campaign of the Lawrence family, and other similar organisations fighting for justice in the face of racial attacks, have called meetafter meeting in packed rooms. People have turned up to demonstrate their determination to fight injustice who have had no previous involvement in organised politics.
The intervention of the black community organising to support the family has forced the police onto the defensive. Of course some of the consequences of this have been further racism - as in the demand from the Police Federation that Doreen Lawrence apologise for her remark that perhaps the police didn't give Stephen first aid because they did not want to dirty their hands with black blood. It is unlikely that when Sir William Macpherson's report is published it will answer more La tiny proportion of the legitimate demands of the movement. But the pressure can and must be maintained. There is a real opportunity today to go forward, which has built not only from the family campaigns, but behind them from monitoring groups which have worked on issues of racial violence both from the police and others for long years. It is a moment that may not come again for many decades if we let it pass by. Suresh Grover of the Monitoring Group, which has worked not only around the Lawrence Inquiry but around other racist Protestors demand justice after the death of Ibrahima Sey murders such as Michael Menson and Ricky Reel argues: "The inquiry has opened many people's eyes to the reality and extent of police racism. "We now have to build on this awareness and develop a civil rights movement which will work together in a united and non-sectarian manner.... We cannot expect the Lawrences to lead the movement for another five C years."
The development of such a civil rights movement is not separate from the other main task of combating racism today - that of confronting the racist asylum legislation that this labour government is again in the process of strengthening.
Unfortunately some in the Afro-Caribbean community in particular have been slow to recognise lack and white uf that such laws increase racism against all black people - even those whose families may have lived here for generations.
But a strong civil rights movement with a genuine base across the black community and support from white activists would be a much better forum to debate this issue and develop sustained action against all forms of racism than anything that exists today.