BLM Derby - Protest In Solidarity With Child Q

ARE OUR KIDS VULNERABLE AT SCHOOL?

By Tristan Best

How do we know our children are safe at schools? We don’t – the parents give the school their trust. And of course, the school’s policies all state that they ensure a safe environment for all. CHILD Q

On one normal day at school during the exam season, a young black female of 15 years of age came into her exam allegedly smelling of cannabis, and without a second thought, the staff members of the Hackney Academy called the police. The police were then allowed into Hackney Academy’s site to perform a strip search and – still without any parents knowing what’s going on – the police themselves did not get permission from their hierarchy to do so. No guardians were alerted of this, which is breaking the law. The young girl, terrified of consequences, then allowed the officers to complete the search; but bearing this in mind, when conducting a search of someone under 18, PACE Code C says it must be done in the presence of an “appropriate adult” unless the child has expressly said they do not want that adult there and this has been documented. The attending police officers cannot act as an appropriate adult. During the search, the 15-year-old was even made to remove her sanitary pad, exposing her private area. How disgraceful! Regardless of your experience as an officer, you should know the child’s rights. How inhumane can you possibly be?

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF THIS WAS YOUR CHILD?

That’s the question I would begin to ask, how could this possibly happen? I’m not sure – maybe a lack of care from the staff? Or was it just another show of discrimination upheld by the police force? Yes, they serve the people well, but on this day, they managed to jeopardise the trust and relationship between our youth, community, and the police force, yet again. The police force needs to make amends where they can. They need the trust of the people, especially to complete their work efficiently. Firstly, the forces alike need to change their approach towards young Black people. Excluding prejudice from their practice. Information came to light in 2020 in a safeguarding report. The information clearly states that racism was likely to have been an influencing factor. I know for a fact that every single school in the country should and will encourage diversity amongst students – the staff involved in the school environment should all have been background checked to ensure they were fit enough to deal with our future. Every student at Hackney Academy walked out of school to show a firm hand to modern discrimination of young people of ethnicity, and from the eyes and ears of many, this situation is rape. It’s a very hard thing to say out in the open. But as this is a minor being strip searched, to the fullest extent, surely this is a case of rape? The child did not know her rights, nor did she

have an appropriate adult with her. Family members described her as changing from a “happy-go-lucky girl to a timid recluse that hardly speaks, who now selfharms and needs therapy” How shocking is that? It’s terrifying to say the least. Cecile Wright of BLM Derby held a peaceful protest, in which she quoted numerous relevant and factual statements made by bodies of all corners. I believe her movement is making great moves to improve the way our community is treated. Cecile Wright, described the incident as the “absolute Barbaric treatment of a child” which is exactly how I would pitch the monologue of the case. As the chair of BLM Derby, Cecile wants to enforce equality into our community. She then quoted Professor Gus John, former director of education at Hackney Academy, saying: “Could you imagine this barbaric incident happening when I was director of education in Hackney? Not only would we have gathered in similar numbers to demand that Hackney LEA deal with the management and governors of that school, I, as director, would have had the headteacher and the teachers involved arrested and dismissed straight away… and dealt with their trade unions later. But the government has placed these academies and those who run them outside of the control of and accountability to elected representatives”. Sonya Robotham of Black Community Matters said: “I simply don’t understand how this modern democracy can still dictate our poor children.” You’d think the 21st century would be different, but no. Twenty years into this century we still find the same issue, recurring nonstop.

THE FUTURE

Growing up in Derby, I, Tristan Best, have personally seen numerous accounts of prejudice towards Black, White and Asian people. From all sides of the discussion, I’ve heard people make remarks; all unnecessary. Its people in general who are at fault. Either uneducated or arrogantly ignorant. The future depends on our teachers, elders, and parents. If they fail to encourage, they’ll be unsuccessful in helping us develop forward. To be better, I also hope healthcare and training of people paid to serve the people improves, guaranteeing better healthcare and treatment of Black people, as even in hospitals, White and other non-Black doctors and nurses don’t fully understand the needs of Black people, whether it regards finding veins or other simpler procedures. It all can be changed for the better, with more research and development into ethnic healthcare. NHS England admitted that action was needed to ensure that people from all minority ethnic backgrounds received better care when using NHS services. A spokesperson said: “While this survey finds that most older black patients – those over 70 and who therefore typically use the NHS most – are positive about their experience, there is no doubt that more needs to be done to improve the experience of all black and minority ethnic people using health services.”

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