Read on Twitter
To those who say the UK isn& #39;t as bad as the US, a short thread on a personal experience of #racism in the justice system.
Waiting at a Crown Court (out of London) for my trial to be called on - the trial ahead is delayed. 3 black males walk out of court and sit opposite me.
Waiting at a Crown Court (out of London) for my trial to be called on - the trial ahead is delayed. 3 black males walk out of court and sit opposite me.
The males had been in the public gallery (ie watching proceedings, not defendants) are impeccably behaved and appropriately dressed for a court building. 2 appear to be together, 1 is set apart from the others and says good morning to me which is why i notice them.
Enquire from usher why the trial ahead is delayed. "A juror has complained that she feels intimidated by the defendant& #39;s gang". Assume the case is gang related - no, no, it& #39;s a drugs case and the "gang" is the 3 lads now sat outside court
"So the juror saw 3 black males supporting the defendant and assumed they are a gang?" I enquire.
"Oh no they were being ever so intimidating"
Perhaps i have missed something happening in court so enquire from the usher as to what had been intimidating.
"Oh no they were being ever so intimidating"
Perhaps i have missed something happening in court so enquire from the usher as to what had been intimidating.
"Well 2 of them were sat over there and one on the other side".....that& #39;s it. The fact they were watching court proceedings and not sat together is what a juror (and the usher!) thought was intimidating gang behaviour. I pointed out they may not know each other - the response was
"well they all look like they know each other so why aren& #39;t they sat together?" I gently enquired whether 3 white women not sitting together would have been "intimidating", she seemed genuinely stumped as to the comparison being made.
I& #39;m sure that juror and the usher would say they weren& #39;t racist. But this is why the micro aggressions, attitudes and perceptions made by the white community to the black community matter as much as atrocities like #GeorgeFloydMurder
The police officer driving past a black male and deciding to pull him over, the misperceptions of a juror deciding someone& #39;s fate, crossing the road to avoid a black male walking towards you are all racist attitudes you may not even be aware you hold
Don& #39;t just be "not racist" be #antiracist Call out the small acts of racism as much as the big acts #silenceiscomplicity
