YouTube Stop and Search Video
I’ve seen it outside my house, see the videoed incident here
A black man in a posh car pulls up to park outside his house. Two seconds later police stop and search him for no reason other than he is black in a posh car.
The outcome was there were no charges or arrests. The police left without apology. This was after the police deployed tasers, handcuffed a passerby, and I was accused of being a terrorist. They identified me as a BBC employee. So I’m expecting some repercussions.
I made a complaint made to @metpoliceuk The reference is CAD 7875/23MAR21. The Met make it very difficult to complain.
Watch https://bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00… to see how a badly trained uncaring police force can frustrate justice.
Mr Clarke repeatedly said, ‘I can’t breathe as he was restrained by police on the ground for 14 minutes during a mental health crisis. He died soon afterwards, his words mirroring those of George Floyd.
We need to make a change come fast.
I am the person videoing the clip on YouTube. The whole incident left me traumatised and suffering from PTSD. My heart rate still increases when I hear a police siren or see a police vehicle.
On my way back from London fields park, Hackney, London, the UK on Tuesday 23rd March 2021 afternoon I saw a police van pull up and stop 20 meters in front of me.
About half a dozen police got out and proceeded to drag a black man from a car and assault him. The man fought back and all ended up on the ground fighting.
As I got closer, I saw a passerby (the guy handcuffed in the video) remonstrating with the police for the violent assault unfolding in front of him.
It was very frightening. I did not know if the police were armed, and this was a drugs raid, or some massive crime bust. They were set to use their tasers.
The passerby was angry and upset as it seemed like the police were going to kill the guy from the car in front of him.
The police were fired-up and belligerent. My neighbours like me were scared and shocked and so stayed well back out of range of the police.
The police then handcuffed the passer-by and struggled to handcuff the guy from the car.
I am on the autistic spectrum, part of the condition means I sometimes lack common sense. So, I tried to find out what was going on (mad I know). It was at that moment I started to video and question the police.
Due to my autism, I have been arrested several times by the police and have spent many nights in police cells. The police have never charged me with an offence and have even been given me a lift back home after if it was late.
The police knew who I was, where I lived and that I worked for the BBC, although I was wearing a mask.
The police left. No one was charged or arrested. There was no apology. They just made it clear that I now have a target on my back.
They confirmed it was a ‘Stop and Search!
Short version on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ezzye/status/1374…
My employer’s the BBC’s home affairs department response was,
” It’s hard to comment on what happened on Tuesday. Of course, it’s possible the man you saw dragged to the ground was entirely innocent and wrongly targeted by the police, but it might be that the police had been following him because they had intelligence he might be on his way to commit a crime or was carrying drugs or maybe a weapon, for instance. I’ve covered these sorts of incidents for years and quite often what members of the public witness isn’t the full picture.
Lawful arrests can look very much like an assault, particularly if the person being arrested struggles or resists.
If there were no arrests, it sounds as if it was an unpleasant experience but a fairly routine one. “
I am starting a pressure group to change things. The state has to use coercion to work, but it should not be biased. All people matter including black people, women, neurodiverse, young people and other visible minorities. We should not be treated as a lesser class of citizen in any country.
Direct message (DM) me on Twitter @ezzye or email me at codingForJustice@itsHackney.com to join or find out more.