After recently marking 25 years since we lost Stephen Lawrence, the BBC sat down with Ashley Walters and a few young black men to talk about the changed attitudes towards crime and policing since his murder.
Musician and Actor Ashley Walters opens up the discussion discussing his experience with police. He comments, “The first time I was stopped, I was with a group of my friends when a big police van pulled up next to us pushed us towards the wall and began searching for knives. I never thought it was because of the colour of my skin but looking back now I can look back and see that.”
In terms of policing the system Temi Mwale, the founder of the 4Front Project which aims at empowering young people and communities whilst reducing serious youth violence and the systemic conditions that cause it, said, “The police need to do more than just hiring black police officers” in order to actively tackle the issue.
In the midst of the rise of stabbings in London and the government linking the violence currently taking place in the streets of London to drill music, it important to look at what role the media plays. Lippy a social influencer statesd, “The portrayal of black men being negative, I bought that. I accepted about myself and it just became reality.”
To round up the conversation, the group offered their opinions on how we can actively make a change to combat crime and police whilst being black.
You can catch the full discussion above now on GRM Daily.