Saturday 23 July, 2005
The Stockwell death
Today's news that the recent fatal shooting at Stockwell Underground station was unconnected to the bombings and the attempted bombings will come as a huge blow to both the police and the Muslim community, as well as the family of the murdered man.
The anxiety that is no doubt an undercurrent throughout London's transport network has been the cause of a seemingly innocent death. The British police, who are not renowned for their race relations, will face some serious questions over the next few weeks, and the Muslim community must be concerned about the possibility of racial stereotyping being the main driver - if a white man had acted in the same way, would he be dead now?
The fact that the man was wearing a large coat in the middle of summer, along with the allegation that he ignored the police's earlier calls to stop, would likely put him under some level of suspicion, but for him to die as a result seems so wrong.
Something quickly needs to be done about the security of the Underground to ensure that Friday's death is not repeated. If that means more security at ground level, then so be it. Given the extreme mentality of the guilty few, everything needs to be done to prevent them from getting into the Underground in the first place. How to deal with the analogous situation aboard buses is another story.
You have followed the suspect from the apartment under surveillance for several miles. He is heading towards the underground.
You challenge him to stop and he leaps the barrier and sprints towards a crowded train.
What do you do as a tangential rambler after another good lunch?
a) Watch him leap the barrier heading for a crowded tube train. It will be a chance to wring your hands on your next blog about how the police just stood there and let the suspect blow up another train.
b) Chase him down the escalator onto the train and throw your body onto his, to muffle the explosion like Aaron Gozland did, see url. Write a blog on how brave Aaron was and how wonderful The Met Police are
c) Chase him over the barrier, down to the escalator, onto the platform, into the train and shoot him dead. Write a blog on police racism against Brazil (huh?) and their over reaction
d) Go for another good dinner and write up the food on the next blog.....yawn
e) Write an insightful blogs on the American fixation with the right to bear and use arms in USA and Iraq
f) Write a relevant blog about the cynical NY political campaign that has put a meagre roaming police presence on the metros in NY where people can refuse to have their bags searched, but once the press have arrived to film the initiative?
g) Think hard about how to secure an open network that carries 3million people a day that haven't passed through American airport security. Easy to blog, hard very hard to do.
Ramble on then.
Aaron
Thanks, Aaron. I'm not sure which side you're falling on, but here are my thoughts, for what they're worth.
The guy was monitored above ground from Tulse Hill to Stockwell, an approximate distance of 3.5 miles. If there was any suspicion of this guy in connection with the bombings (which I assume there was, given that he was being monitored), then he should have been stopped above ground before being able to get even close to an Underground station.
Meanwhile, Ken Livingstone's quote below is abhorrent:
"This tragedy has added another victim to the toll of deaths for which the terrorists bear responsibility"
Until a full investigation is done, the blame cannot be determined, although I'm sure the police officer in question doesn't share Livingstone's optimism around his future.
It's an easy and cheap shot to play the race card against the police from the comfort of your armchair. I don't see how you can link police racism to this event. Sounds like you have a prejudice queering your pitch here. Grow up.
Fact is, when the rest of us run away from danger the police have to run towards it and make fast decisions.
The report so far is that the Brazilian was being followed to see if he would lead them to any other address. Then he veered off toward the metro, and leapt over the barrier.
Tell us what you would have done at that moment Dan??
You should know that The Met operate in one of the most diverse capitals of the world and are mostly unarmed. They have to use incredible tolerance to keep things calm and safe for all.
www.deadline-press.com/fotoweb/fr/Preview.fwx?position=8&folderid=5001&search=(IPTC025%20contains%20(Handicap))&sorting=ModifiedTimeAsc
Stop playing the race card against the UK Police, it is squalid.
I wasn't aware I'd played the race card, Stevens. I merely pointed out two facts:
1. The British Police aren't renowned for their race relations.
I don't think anyone could argue with that, and the debate about what can be done about it continues
2. The Muslim community must be concerned about the possibility of racial stereotyping being the main driver.
A quote below from the BBC highlights this:
"There had been some concerns from minority communities - especially Muslims - about the incident at Stockwell, even before we knew he was not connected to the inquiry."
Let's see how the Independent Police Complaints Commission's report stacks up...
There was a peice on 60 Minutes last night that readers of this thread might find interesting:
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2005_07_24/story_1451.asp
