Justice
Justice:noun (fairness)
Fairness in the way people are dealt with.
A little over 3 years ago. PC Andrew Harper was responding to a routine burglary case, little did he know but it would end up with him losing his life in what is probably one of the most agonising ways possible.
So horrific was this tragic loss of life that a campaign led by his grief-stricken widow has led to the government passing "Harpers Law" which mandates life sentences for the killing of emergency workers, it came into effect on 28th June 2022
We very nearly came to using this law less than 3 months later. This is an active case, so there is very little to go on, but that doesn't stop the court of public opinion shifting into overdrive. So other than the initial report that has comments of a few witness's there is very little else
Initial report including witness claims
We also know that armed police were involved in the chase because the vehicle had been flagged by ANPR as being used in a firearms incident previously
And that's all we know. Read the articles, and bear that in mind when you read the next link. I've been following this case fairly closely on Twitter mostly and I find some of the reactions quite astonishing really. But nothing could have prepared me for this astonishing opinion piece written by Michael Morgan for The Metro, this is a textbook case of "lying by omission" technically he isn't lying, but he leaves out some pertinent details in order to frame the message he want to deliver. Its cheap, its lousy and a prime example of gutter journalism.
Read it here But lets unpack it a little
Officers pursued Chris across London before reportedly boxing him in, while he was in an Audi registered to another person. A firearms officer shot him through the driver’s side windscreen, as he sat in the car.
So he missed out a whole bunch of story (lie by omission) technically he was sat in his car, but eye witness reports say he was doing much, much more than that
I felt unsurprised by the news of Chris Kaba’s death at the hands of the Metropolitan Police. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say I expected another young Black man to be killed during an interaction with our city’s law enforcement.
Yes, much as you can expect that eventually someone will be killed during an interaction with law enforcement no matter what their colour.
No. This isn’t a sixth sense or supernatural divination: it’s simply a sense of inevitability. The capital’s police force is no stranger to being called out for racism – from athletes claiming they were racially profiled in stop-and-searches.
That would be the same athlete who took 5 minutes to find a safe place to stop. I spent many a year in driving jobs, I've clocked up more miles than about 90% of the country and I have been pulled over countless times. On none of those occasions did it take me 5 minutes to find a safe place to pull over.
The Metropolitan Police is one of six in special measures in England. And it’s no shock when you learn that 90% of officers disciplined for racism keep their job, according to an investigation by Open Democracy.
Yes, an investigation by a far left organisation like Open Democracy is bound to be a bastion of irrefutable fact.
Black people are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than a white person, the Independent Office for Police Conduct says. Furthermore, we’re more than twice as likely to be subjected to prolonged taser use by cops.
He presents this evidence with no proof, which is a very good idea for him to do because his claims are inaccurate. Black people are around 3 times more likely to be stopped and searched in London. While that sounds pretty bad, they are also 3 times more likely to have made the right decision if they stop and search a black person as opposed to a white person.
But the fact that Black people are three times more likely to die following contact with the police has to be the most chilling statistic of them all.
Looking at the "actual evidence" I struggle to see why Morgan is chilled by this statistic. If Chris Kaba had just got out of his car, he would still be alive today.
Chris Kaba’s mother’s pain was evident for anyone who has observed clips from her appearance on Channel 4. Despite this, it feels as though his death has gone unnoticed by the vast majority of the public.
Well, having read the article from the Standard, and since we now know that Chris Kaba is also a career criminal with a history of gun crime its little wonder his death is of little importance to the vast majority of the public.
This vacuum leaves me enraged. In all honesty, I expected a bigger outpouring of emotions.
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
To say I was apathetic to the Queen’s death would be ignorant of the fact an entire family – and certain parts of the nation – has lost its figurehead, mantle and guiding light. But for me, this woman represents colonialism, suppression and oppression.
So?
The force can’t say it takes Black men’s deaths – at the hands of its own officers – seriously until every cop who kills someone is suspended on day one:
I don't think any cop willing to be a firearms officer would agree to that. You cannot begin an investigation with a presumption of guilt.
It hurts to see Chris Kaba’s death overshadowed by cancelled social events and delayed sports announcements. The round-the-clock coverage of the elderly Queen’s passing – while little attention is paid to Chris’ killing – is an insult to the Black community.
I'm actually glad it hurts you. He was a career criminal who decided to play a stupid game and won a stupid prize. Truth be told, if Chris Kaba was white Morgan wouldn't give a flying fuck, so why should I care that he was black?
There’s the controversial ‘gang matrix’ – a database of suspected gang members Amnesty International calls, ‘A racially discriminatory system that stigmatises young Black men for the music they listen to or their behaviour on social media.’
If Amnesty International are against it, then we can assume that its a very useful tool for the police to use.
Every time I speak out about racism in policing, I become the target of racist abuse from anonymous Twitter account holders, some of whom even claim to be serving police officers. And overall, this adds up to a very dispiriting experience of the police.
Now this is wholly amusing, I looked at Morgans tweet promoting his "article" and in spite of a a very negative reaction, not one reply was in any way racist (certainly not at time of writing this)
But then he tweets this
This is why I run interactive Twitter Spaces to draw attention to institutional racism in policing. I’ll continue to run these sessions until the family receives the answers they deserve.
Our voices ensure that Chis Kaba’s killing – and the circumstances around his passing – will not be forgotten about or pushed to the side in favour of the Queen.
Not for you maybe, most of us just don't care.
If all the info we have so far is in fact false and Chris was just cruising about minding his own business when all of a sudden the Police swooped in and boxed him into a corner and just as he was about to get out of his car they decided to just shoot him instead, then I will fully support any protest for justice for Chris. In fact, I'll probably join a protest in person.
But this isn't going to happen is it, just another stupid boy, playing stupid games trying to play chicken with armed police.
So why the initial story about PC Harper you might ask?
Don't let anyone tell you that Chris Kaba was unarmed when he was shot.
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