IS IT COZ I IS BLACK?

                               

From title of this post you should know a major rant is uploading. 

I’m not here to play today, so I’m not observing my usual introductory protocol of banter or pretty pictures.  

I pray I can gather my thoughts to lay this one down exactly the way I want to as for once I’m somewhat ‘finger’ tied and not too sure what direction I'm going. 

So where do I start? I think I'm going to use the family of Stephen Lawrence as my reference point, if you live in the U.K. and don’t know who they are, there is just no point in you reading this blog post, you may as well just crawl back under the stone you've been living.

2018 marks the 25th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence's death, the black British teenager from South East London, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993. I’m not going into the details of Stephen’s death as it is well documented and quite a minefield. 

The term ‘Institutionalised Racism’ and ‘The Stephen Lawrence Police Investigation’ ran along side by side like the numbers ‘5’ and ‘6’ in fact I rephrase that, the police investigation actually morphed into ‘institutionalised racism’ both terms became interchangeable! One definition of this type of racism is: A pattern of social institutions  such as governmental organisations, schools, banks, police forces and courts of law giving negative treatment to a group of people based on their race. Institutional racism leads to inequality. 

This case led to what I can only classify as a ‘buy one get one free’ situation in that it was two-fold. On the one hand there was the tragic racially motivated slaughter of an innocent black man and as if that loss was not painful enough, WE had the failure of the police to provide an appropriate and professional police investigation to The Lawrence's because of their colour, culture and/or ethnic origin. 

Earlier in the year to mark the anniversary of Stephen’s death The BBC ran a three-part documentary series examining his murder and the police investigation that followed. The nation watched the series over 3 days with rapt attention and we all had our thoughts. I personally felt sick to the stomach, but watching the interviews of Stephen’s mother, Doreen Lawrence I just didn't quite take to her, in my opinion she came across as the ‘stereotype’ black hard, bitter, angry woman, When she spoke of the police and media in interviews she’s granted over the years you could feel, taste and hear the coldness, hatred in her voice. While the father, Neville, came across as much more personable and forgiving. I kept these thoughts to myself though. 

So where am I going with all this?

In the novels it normally starts like this:

‘It was a bright summer’s evening last Friday, England had been having a heatwave, the press had dubbed the day as ‘Furnace Friday’.  

I was chilling in Biola’s studio after work with my 9 year nephew and 10 year old niece, she was putting the finishing touches to one of her designs for a customer. The kids were having a blast generally messing around and happy that I had brought a cheeky McDonald’s for them. They are excited because the next day we have a church barbecue and also a family birthday party to attend and jollof is on the menu! They are not too pleased about their dad, my brother, not being able to attend the party though as duty called in Oxford where he would be working for the weekend. 

I sit down watching Biola working her magic fixing rhinestones on an outfit she is making, so much attention to detail and I know I should offer to give her a hand but I'm just too tired so I just chat away. The phone rings, it's my brother calling to see how she's doing, the phone is on speaker and he asks us about logistics for our outing the next day, then asks to speak to the kids and tells them he will see them on Sunday. He then rounds off the call. 

So our happy upbeat summer tempo continues for a while until our jist is interrupted by a call, Biola answers it’s my brother again . She's not on speakerphone this time but I observe her listening with rapt attention and her facial expression changes. She asks him ‘What do you mean?’ ‘What kind of raid’ Why? When? What do you mean they were banging at the door? What did they do? What do you mean they went through your stuff? Like how? Ok until they saw your ID card?

By now my antenna has raised as  ‘I am understanding’ 

The children have stopped playing they are looking at their mum with concern on their faces. Biola notices the kids are watching her and I feel that her demeanour is very calm for what I can only guess my brother is telling her over the phone.  The word ‘Police’ has popped up a few times so nothing really left to the imagination. The call eventually ends and before she can tell me what has gone down I say to her ‘Police raid right?’ And she replies ‘yes’. 

‘Police raid at where exactly?’ I ask and she says in his hotel room! ‘Biola I am not understanding’ I asked her on what grounds have they raided my brother’s hotel room, ‘Suspicion of human trafficking and slave trade’

I’m not going into much detail, as I will leave that for my other brother Ahmed (aka Alatenumo) to write a much more detailed exposè.  As I am writing from perspective of family member and the impact it has on one. 

This was allegedly a case of mistaken identity, apparently a  black male guest had lodged at the hotel sometime ago who ‘they’ suspected of human trafficking, he checks out and a few weeks later my brother checks in and because he's black (and you know we black folk all look the same!) it had to be the same person. So police come to raid his room and only back down when they stumble across his ID. I have so many questions about police intelligence like I really wondered didn't ‘they’ check hotel record for name of ‘their’ alleged suspect that purportedly stayed at hotel before! 

Then obviously following the script one of the police officers had to be a ‘Black brother’ to make up the numbers and he actually attempted to make light of the whole incidence with a ‘bruva to bruva’ quip when they realised their mistake, suggesting my brother would possibly have laugh about this later in the pub!

The aftermath of my brothers phone call was the kids asking what's going on, their mum told them nothing. My nephew said he had understood a police raid had happened and she may as well tell him. We got my brother back on the phone and part of his conversation with the kids was this:

Nephew: Daddy what happened?

Daddy: Don't worry son it's all good

Nephew: Daddy how can policemen raiding your room be good??

Daddy: That's just an expression we use, don't worry I'm ok. 

My niece was visibly upset you could just see it. We initially sat in silence after, you could have cut the air with a knife. We just had nothing to say to each other, the whole evening had been dampened. Biola just worked in silence, while I sat their shaking my head, sucking my teeth and sighing. If I felt so violated how were my brother and family feeling? Kids left the room. I told Biola I feel sick, she said she could not describe how she was feeling. We concluded ‘when it happens it happens’ and they will always hide behind ‘their’ policy. Look at them the wrong way and they will take you down all hidden under the guise of red tape and/or their fear for their safety.  She said there is no room for mediocrity for the black man as there is no system in place to fight the battle meanwhile a person from the privileged race can be who they are without judgement. 

My views on Doreen Stephen's demeanour changed immediately, I got her!

Our mind flashed to The Uncle Tom’s….I know loads. 

Uncle Tom definition: A black person who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by obsequious behaviour or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals)

We also have black people that believe that because they have reached certain standing in life they are immune from racism, I have news for you….they are coming for you! You may live in your glass house and continue pretending this thing is not happening but it is a real jungle out there. 

My brother is genuinely a humble person who plays himself down and never really credits himself for all his good work (nothing like me!) He is a consultant psychiatrist with lots of letters after his name and notches on his belt, he also teaches psychiatry trainees/resident doctors around the world. He just does not look the same as his fairer skinned ‘privileged’ peers.This incident was not a pleasant one but could have been much worst if he had been one of those delusional people that feel that they are different and have one over the less privileged Ali G’s fictional ‘Is it coz I is black?’ brigade who they perceive as only having themselves to blame when they are at the receiving hand of racism. 

Phew! I think I can breathe a bit better now that I got some of that off my chest.  

The irony of the title of the BBC documentary “Stephen: The murder that changed the nation”

Readers, do you think this case changed the nation?