2020 Vision
From a young age the Golden Rule is instilled in us, treat others the way you want to be treated. We follow the rule staying home to protect the NHS in these difficult times, we are all humans we want to be safe; we want to protect our loved ones and cover them with a blanket of safety. We supported captain Tom on his quest to raise money for the NHS, we have complimented his humanitarianism.
It has been a hard time for us all. But in a time of uncertainty we have come together as a community to support each other. We have all had a sense of worry, if we leave the house to buy the necessities, the fear of the invisible killer plagues us. We have all helped play the part in flattening the curve. We have felt sadness for the families that have become victims to this killer. But we have not lost hope, we are still hoping for a vaccination to be ready to protect us. Its great that we have the NHS to help us if we are attacked by this enemy. The police were given extra powers to prevent us from breaking the rules and whatever the opinion is of the police we have to acknowledge that these powers that they have been given symbolises law and order and the order being the contribution to stopping the spread of this horrific virus which in essence will help to protect us.
I am contemplating on this because although there have been bumps in the road throughout this lockdown, we all have the same goal……… to live. If we didn’t want to live we would leave our houses unmasked, ignoring all government advice. If we didn’t want to protect our loved ones and our community we wouldn’t support the NHS.
I am going into deep thought……….
Imagine a world where you are not protected, imagine being at war every time you leave your house, imagine a world where you are not safe in your house……..
Picture this an intruder walks into your house, is outraged by the colour of your skin BANG she shoots you in cold blood. The offender uses the excuse she thought she was being robbed, she thought you were the intruder. However, she was the one who let herself into your house. The media and the police sympathise with this woman, as she is a police officer. In their eyes she does not look dangerous, the victim of this crime is seen as a danger to society based only on the colour of his skin. She is not arrested straight away because she has a thing that is more powerful than anything in America, she has White privilege. Imagine a loved one is killed in this way and during the sentencing of the murderer, the judge hugs the offender as if she has done nothing wrong and disregards the feelings of your loved ones. How would you feel?
This did not happen during the civil rights movement, this happened in 2019.
Imagine going for a for some much needed exercise, you are jogging, listening to your music, taking in the fresh air. You are thinking about getting your physique ready for the summer. Two men hunt you down like cattle where they shoot you in broad daylight and they are not arrested straight away. instead your innocence is debated because you are a BLACK man that has left your neighbourhood and entered theirs…..
Imagine it is not a secret that your race can and is used as a weapon against you.
I have seen people gossip about the activities of others during lockdown. I have witnessed the police being called on youths that are skateboarding in a skate park. I have seen the outrage of the people who have been reported by the police for leaving their houses and seemingly not following the rules. Imagine going to the park, having a picnic, going for a walk and being told by a stranger they are going to call the police on you and they can use your race as a weapon, they know by telling the police the colour of your skin it will have an automatic punishment. After all, All Black people are criminals right?
Imagine the police are called on your father as he is suspected of committing a non-violent crime. He is handcuffed and pinned to the floor by a police officer. The officer is leaning on your father’s neck. He can’t breathe, he is begging for mercy, he is calling out for your grandmother, his mother…… he’s an EX con, a criminal, he took drugs, he robbed somebody, he went to prison. But I ask this should he have been executed?
Imagine the people who can see this crime being committed, imagine your 17 year old sister, daughter, friend recorded the execution of George Floyd and she could only record the crime because she fears that the other officers will turn their guns on her if she speaks out.…..After all we must protect the police from these ANGRY BLACK WOMEN they are a big problem with society……
Imagine being BLACK in America.
In recent months I have struggled to go on Facebook. The reason why is because, while many people enjoy the platform discussing current issues and sharing pictures, more and more I have seen subtle tokens of racism becoming more and more prevalent. I refuse to argue with morons who seemed to have lost all sense of humanity. It is gut wrenching when you have Facebook friends who think it’s acceptable to be outright racist. I understand we do not all hold the same values, I understand we do not all advocate for the the hurt and pain of others. But I do not stand with people who do not want to try and understand that their actions destroy communities. No, I’m not talking about the ones who use the sentiment #All Lives Matter, I agree all lives do matter. But there is a deeper message to the Black Lives Matter movement. And so many people of different colours have been understanding of this notion and want to get an understanding of the disproportionate treatment of the Black community and for that I appreciate your support.
I’m talking about the ones that use George Floyd’s reputation to try and denounce the feelings of the Black community. I’m talking about the ones who act surprised that police brutality against the BLACK community is not a new phenomena. I’m talking about the ones who have a problem with #Blackout Tuesday, #Black Lives Matter and the ones who have jumped on the band wagon to make their businesses and institutions look like they are progressive when they have done nothing but use oppressive practices keep BLACK people in their place. I SEE YOU!
It is very hard to understand how people have been so sheltered by this phenomena, even though social media has been covered with news footage of the Breonna Taylor’, Oscar Grant’, Ahmaud Arbery’, Jordan Davis’ the Tamir Rice’ murder I could go on……..
So, I’m going to round this post off by saying a few small words. For the ones who I have a problem with. I am not your bredrin, don’t use me as the Black friend when you run your mouth and show your true racism and need a token Black friend to save you from your mess. It’s cool when you want to dance to our music, eat our food, wear our fashion, appropriate our hairstyles and when you have a fifth cousin twice removed that has mixed race kids or you decide you want to experiment by dating someone that is Black I SEE YOU! don’t try and hide behind the smoke and mirrors and don’t use your relationships as a platform to validate your racism. You have no right to talk negatively about our oppression, you have no right to invalidate our pain. Don’t pretend you see us as your equal, don’t pretend we are accepted into your circle. Stay silent while we are being brutalised, stay silent while we are disproportionately dying of Covid! continue to stay in your bubble I hope you never need to call on the Black community to speak up for YOU! A lot of people have said 2020 is a year they will cancel, as it’s been a year of devastation, but I say 2020 has given me the 2020 vision to see people for exactly who they are.
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The Voice Behind the Music
Marginalised voices were the focal point of my dissertation.
My dissertation explored social issues through the musical genres of Rap and Hip-Hop. During the time period of writing my dissertation there was the rising debate surrounding the association of a new genre, Drill music, being linked to the rise in violent crimes by young people in England (London specifically). The following link to an article from the Guardian newspaper will provide a greater insight to the subject matter:
The idea of music having a direct correlation with criminality sweeps issues such as poverty, social deprivation, class and race all under the rug; when in reality these are just a few of the definitive issues that these marginalised groups face. We see prior examples of this in the late 80s, with rap group N.W.A with their song “F*** the police”. The song surrounded the topic of police brutality and…
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Racism in the work place
Growing up in a small town and having dealt with racism from a young age; I felt as if getting a degree would prove that I deserve to sit with the top dogs and that would be the end of me experiencing racism.
But I was sadly mistaken. I have experienced racism at 3 out of the 4 jobs I have had since graduating. I never dealt with it head on. I would just apply for other jobs and pray that the next job would be different. Thinking of reporting people for the comments they said was never an option for me as they were managers or supervisors.
Until I had the 3rd person who said a racist comment and I broke down. At this point I was done with running. I reporte d it and it was dealt with. But since then I have been dealing with covert racism…
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News Flash #BlackenAsiaWithLove #SpokenWord
This Spoken word piece was inspired by watching the TV news with my aunt Shirley. Shout-out to Evelyn from the Internets, because I’m calling in Black tomorrow.
Audience/Reader: Hum, snap, step, clap, sing ‘Another One Bites the Dust’
Newsflash at dawn:
After several overnight reports of disturbances,
Police are on thelookoutthis morning for a smart negro male,
Accused of bringing up racism and angering the masses.
The suspect is considered armed with intelligence,
and other deadly weapons such as pen and paper.
Bang!
9 0’clock morning News:
Police are on thelookout for a smart negro male,
Accused of bringing up racism and angering the masses.
Suspect is considered armed with intelligence and other deadly weapons.
The public is advised NOT to approach the suspect,
And notify authorities immediately…
Immediately…
Sohe can be shot.
Bang!
Bang!
News at noon.
Police are on thelookout for a smart negro male,
Accused…
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How literature failed me as a black student
My name is Francine Bitalo, I am 21 years old and a Criminology undergraduate at the University of Northampton. Coming from a black African background I have always had a strong interest in the Criminal Justice System and its treatment towards different groups in society.
My dissertation was based on the impact of police practices such as stop and search on young black men and their families. Whilst statistics present the alarming racial disproportionately which exist in many areas in the criminal justice system, it fails to portray the long-lasting effects it has had on Black families. For example, the daily harassment and differential treatment subjected to young Black men has forced black families to reinvent themselves to conform to institutional racism. Coming from a Black family myself and having male family member, the findings in my dissertation quickly became personal to me, as I could constantly relate them to…
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Ask the expert, if you can find one
It was around four years ago I discovered the title of ‘Doctor’ extended beyond medical staff. I’m not sure many people outside of the academic world fully understand or have any reason to know the order in which post nominal letters are awarded or titles are given. Gaining the title of ‘doctor’ at the very beginning of any academic journey, seems so distantly part of any future plan, its barely imaginable. Some career paths seem wildly ambitious. Wanting to be an ‘expert’ in your field for the humble student, feels much like aspiring to become an astronaut midway through a physics degree.
Once you enter the world of academia, the titles people hold seem to determine an awful lot of their credibility. It’s rare to find a university lecturer who isn’t working towards doctoral qualification, most already have one. The papers, books and research journals are filled with the knowledge of individuals who once were nothing more than students. I often wonder though, at what point someone becomes an expert? At what point, (if ever) do the most academically qualified individuals refer to themselves as experts within a narrow area of their field.
The government often talks about relying on ‘expert’ evidence. Watching the experts stand beside the PM discussing the current pandemic, they appear uneasy, particularly when questions are raised about a different expert having a contradicting opinion. One thing I feel quite sure of is that experts seem to rarely agree. As Bertrand Russell (1927/42) states, “even when all the experts agree, they may well be mistaken” . Maybe that’s because it’s questionable if anyone can ever truly know everything on a given subject area.
The scientific committee seems to be buzzing with accusations that the experts are not quite what they seem. The ‘data scientists’ advising government and sitting on SAGE are not all from a background which comfortably implies they are qualified to discuss virology or immunology. In the background lingers the fact with such a new virus, with so little known about it, expert knowledge in a narrow sense, is undoubtedly in its infancy and will probably require some degree of hindsight later on.
In the past week one of the UK’s leading experts has resigned from his job after breaking his own guidance. Meanwhile the public watched Matt Hancock ‘snap’ at an opposition MP in parliament. A woman who despite being no more of an ‘expert’ than himself, at least has experience as a qualified A&E doctor to base her opinions and views on. It seems last week’s experts and heroes are this week’s victims in the ongoing witch-hunt for someone to blame.
I’ve started to wonder if labelling someone an ‘expert’ is something other people do to install confidence that a piece of research being relied upon is credible, rather than the experts referring to themselves that way. There’s almost an assumption of arrogance for anyone who dares to protest that their knowledge should be recognised with a title, outside of the academic world anyway. Maybe people simply don’t understand what it took to reach that level of knowledge in the first place.
I’ve looked a lot at ‘labelling’ within the criminological context and it seems to me the labels that are attached to us, almost always seem to come from someone else. In an age of self-proclaimed ‘internet experts’ the real experts, it seems are hard to find.
Reference
Russell, Bertrand (1927/1942) cited in The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell: A Fresh Look at Empiricism, 1927-42, edited by by John Slater and Assisted by Peter Köllner, (London: Routledge)
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This is America: Riot is the History of US
Photograph: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images
Riot does not roll off the tongue so nicely these days but it is not possible to talk about the history of the United States without telling a story written in violence. A story written with the blood of slavery, and nearly one hundred million Indigineous bodies when Columbus and his soldiers came. Stories of Bostonian patriots who threw imperial tea into Boston Harbour. Tales of slaves inciting rebellion in a slave-stricken South – Nat Turner and the Southampton Insurrection; Harriet Tubman on the railroad; Frederick Douglass as a pioneer of abolition. On Edmund Pettus Bridge, (named for the KKK big shot), in 1965 state police go to work on peaceful protesters. What US history shows us is that there is a pattern of rebellion and dissent.
Once, the United States was a beacon of anti-colonial rebellion and radical opposition to British rule, perhaps this is a chance now for the US to show us who they are
Now, in light of the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, the tear-gassing of protesters and the attempted murder of Chris Cooper, Black America shows its teeth. America is a tinderbox. London marches in solidarity. Social media, well… there is some hope that they are not just more hashtags that amount to nothing. The riots in Minnesota show me America hasn’t lost its touch under Trump. Not beaten blue by America’s first-born son, the scurge of public executions and White supremacy.
Here, I will not condemn the violence. I applaud it. Violence against the American establishment is not only necessary but completely justifiable. White Power did not like the peaceful protesting. Not when Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parkes set the ball rolling; not when Colin Kaepernick took a knee or when activists marched with Black Lives Matter. You murdered Malcolm, Martin, and Medgar before they reached 40. You killed Fred Hampton at 21; you nearly put Angela Davis on death row and forced Assatta Shakur to flee the country. Anti-establishment dissent is as American as apple pie.
We must stand in solidarity with antifacists; we have defeated facism before and I know we will do it again.
I have no time for naysayers; I have no ears for their brand of “wokeness” and liberal piety, that riot is unacceptable at a time when Black lives are on the clock, from both COVID and a police officer’s footprint, like a confederate flag. Disease or the noose, public executions are not a thing of a bygone era of cotton pickers and segregated schools, and water fountains in a southern state come hell or highwater. “There is no chip on my shoulder, that’s your foot on my neck” and Malcolm’s words have not aged a day.
“I incite this meeting to rebellion” said Emmeline Pankhurst and when I see White allies in Kentucky weaponising their whiteness against the forces that feed it, this is how you use your White privilege for good; that is antiracism in action
I once believed there were good police and bad police. Now, I’m not sure. It’s like saying there were good slave masters. NWA wrote that song ‘Fuck Tha Police‘. Today, I think of bad police and police that are silent. However, silence is violence “cause they’ll slam ya down to the street top / Black police showin’ out for the white cop.” Whiteness is a psychosis and Black police and other police officers of colour are also complicit in holding up racist structures, like police departments that do not care about them and theirs.
Freedom is never gifted, it is fought for. Suez. Haiti. Independence is never gifted it is fought for. Ghana. Jamaica. India. Human rights are never given, they are fought for. Votes for Women. Stonewall. Apartheid. What about when the Jews and the Irish kicked Oswald Mosely out of Cable Street? What about when Lancashire’s white working class stood in solidarity with American slaves during Cotton Panic of the 1860s? Nelson Mandela wasn’t “one of the good ones” in his time, he was branded a terrorist. Martin Luther King was on the FBI’s radar. They tapped his phone for God’s sake.
marking a turning point in the gay rights movement (Summer, 1969)
When we study anti-colonial movements (incl. independence struggles), I struggle to follow how people condemn Black America for this uprising, knowing the story of America’s conception (Hamilton, Burr and Washington in toe). That even when Black America is having its rights and dignity as human beings curtalied, people still say but. That in what Harvard’s Michelle Alexander calls a “new Jim Crow”, there are many out there who would gladly see over forty million citizens back on slave plantations.
“If men use explosives and bombs for their own purpose they call it war, and the throwing of a bomb that destroys other people is then described as a glorious and heroic deed. Why should a woman not make use of the same weapons as men?”
Christabel Pankhurst (1913)
I still have not brought myself to watch the video of George Floyd’s murder. The stills of his body were enough. I’ve heard versions of “violence is not the answer” and “rioting is counter-productive.” At this point, when the bodies keep mounting, some want the angry to write sternly-worded letters (how very British, might I add). I don’t think one can blame folks for taking to the streets. If violence is not the answer to attack White supremacy and systemic racism in a country born out of violence, what is? March? Vote in a different president? (White supreamcy far predates the days of Trump).
But change has never come by waiting around, change has always come from civil disobedience and rocking the boat; at what point in history has change come from being nice?
Obama showed us that the ballot will not stop the bullet. I have not seen a worldwide reaction to US police violence in this way since Fergurson in 2014. We are seeing sometimes violence is all that’s left. We like to pretend that the best of us are not capable of such things but we are all capable of anything given half a chance. And this part of the Civil Rights movement is glossed over, how “non-violent” political movements like women’s suffrage are sanatised, because they are not as clean-cut as we’re taught they are.
Once, to harbour runaway slaves was a crime. Once, caught runaways would lose a half a foot to stop them running. Once, slave women were raped by Master. Once, slaves would kill their babies to stop them becoming slaves. Once, black bodies swayed in the breeze of a Louisianan sunset. Violence is not always the answer but when you’ve been oppressed so long, it looks like the only answer. When is enough, enough? When do you stop watching people being kicked when they’re down, saying “I can’t breathe.”
Post-traumatic slave syndrome tells me that police violence is not just police violence, but a single part of a racist system that’s been allowed to fester for over 400 years; and more importantly, begs the question: when will Black men and Black women be able to move freely in a society where they can love themselves without fear of (social) persecution?
Thoughts from the criminology team 