‘Sadly,
today in the inner cities of Britain and America, many people
are fearful. Some fear for their personal safety. They are
afraid of their neighbours, especially the young people. But
it is our youth whose lives are most at risk. Too many young
people’s lives have been lost or blighted by violence
and the fear of violent crime… Hysteria around the “war
on terror” have resulted in members of our Islamic community
being unfairly targeted – “stopped and searched,” without
due process or reason…Fear limits us – hope
unleashes creative genius. I want to say to you young people
especially…when young people move, the world
changes… dream beyond your age’
Rev Jesse Jackson
'Nothing has been more damaging to the relationship between
the police and the black community than the ill judged use
of stop and search powers. For young black men in particular,
the humiliating experience of being repeatedly stopped and
searched is a fact of life, in some parts of London at least.
It is hardly surprising that those on the receiving end of
this treatment should develop hostile attitudes towards the
police. The right to walk the streets is a fundamental one,
and one that is quite rightly jealously guarded.'
Bernie Grant, Former Member of Parliament for Tottenham, London,
1997
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StopWatch launched by Rev Jesse Jackson
On Monday 18 October 2010 the campaign organization
StopWatch was launched at King's College London where key speaker
Reverend Jesse Jackson called for an end to "racial profiling" on
both sides of the Atlantic. The StopWatch action group seeks
to work with communities, ministers, policy makers and senior
police officers to ensure that the reforms to the police service
are fair and inclusive, and lead to better policing for all.
Leemore Marrett Jr and Kloe
Dean followed
Rev Jesse Jackson’s
rousing speech with a description of their own and other young
people’s experiences of being stopped and searched. They
also described the ground-breaking work they have been involved
in at Second Wave working in partnership with the police and
young people to improve the quality of interaction on the street.
The Critical Encounters Programme,
set up by Second Wave in 2005, is led by young people and brings
police, young people and community together to tackle the issues
of crime and fear of crime in the community.
Go to www.stop-watch.org
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Ben
Bowling,
Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at King's College
London – also a member of StopWatch – said, "The
abuse of stop and search has driven a wedge between police
and communities. It is often unfair and ineffective and can
be counter-productive. StopWatch aims to monitor the use
of stop and search powers and focus research and public policy
on developing good policing. Together we can find fairer
and more inclusive ways of creating a safer society".
Photo: Naresh Verlander |
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'As
a young person I feel every encounter with the police
is significant. If it’s positive, you can walk
away feeling safe, valued and free to live your life.
But if it’s hostile, the impact is felt in the
wider community. I think this is particularly true of
Stop & Search…Second Wave’s message
to both police officers and young people alike is to
use their intellect rather than use force…police
officers and young people taking risks to learn from
each other.’
Kloe Dean |
'As
a young person I had a lot of energy…I was looking
for respect, but wasn’t sure where to find it…If
young people feel they’ve been treated harshly or
unfairly, it’s hard to get them to speak out…Most
young people say – if it’s their word against
the police – then forget it. In Stop & Search…it’s
the quality of the encounter that matters most. When it’s
done badly, it’s humiliating…If you are 15
or 16 and this happens to you, it’s difficult not
to be angry. And young people talk to each other about
these incidents…'
Leemore Marrett Jr |
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