RIP Sarah Everard, who went missing from Brixton in March 2021

[DaveCinzano]

Met fucked up - OFFICIAL

Met police breached rights of organisers of Sarah Everard vigil, court rules

Reclaim These Streets welcomes judges’ decision as ‘a victory for women’ and calls for Met reform

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gramsci]

Just read Guardian piece. By local Labour Cllr who was a main organiser of Reclaim the Streets.

When Met refused to let them do it Reclaim the Streets cancelled it. Vigil/ protest happened spontaneously anyway. With Sisters Uncut taking a leading role.

 

[Gramsci]

Two Guardian articles. This one by Cllr Anna Birley,

The police banned our vigil for Sarah Everard and that was illegal – how can women trust them? | Anna Birley

A court found the Met was wrong to block our attempt to stage a vigil for Sarah Everard. It may appeal, but it would be better advised to start rebuilding trust, says Reclaim These Streets founder Anna Birley

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gramsci]

The Met response to the Judgement that they had acted unlawfully is below. From the Guardian article.

Hardly suggests the Met is listening or willing to change. To rebuild "trust".

It comes across to me as Met resentment that judiciary didn't back them up.

Met assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: “The Met is mindful that this judgment has potential implications in other circumstances for how a proportionality assessment is to be carried out when considering enforcement action. This may apply beyond policing the pandemic. Even in the context of the regulations that kept us safe during the pandemic, this may have important consequences.

 

[Gramsci]

Sisters Uncut who went ahead with the vigil when Reclaim the Streets cancelled it have protest this Saturday.

Sisters Uncut: ‘Police are the perpetrators’: Sisters Uncut set to take action one year on from Clapham Common vigil

Feminist action group that launched Kill the Bill movement mark one year since Clapham Common vigil, where women were brutalised by police officers Hundreds expected to gather at New Scotland Yard to withdraw consent from British policing Sisters Uncut say when policing bill passes, “more...

www.sistersuncut.org

At 5pm on Saturday 12 March, feminist activist group Sisters Uncut will host a mass direct action at New Scotland Yard for the public to withdraw their consent from British policing.

 

[Gramsci]

Sisters Uncut want police defunded.

Given the repeated reports of misogyny embedded in the institution, the group states that there is no way for women to consent to police power. Sisters Uncut maintain that more police powers will lead to more police violence and a society without police would be much safer.

Sisters Uncut advocate for police budgets to be cut, and funding for domestic and sexual abuse services reinstated.

 

[Gramsci]

I actually think "defunding" the police as it's called is idea that should be taken seriously. Came out of US BLM but still applicable here

 

[Gramsci]

The full Met response to the Judgement.

Looks like they are seriously thinking of appealing. Throughout this the Met have shown themselves to be not listening to women or being willing to change.

Statement following the issuing of a judgment by the High Court

The following is a statement on behalf of the Metropolitan Police following the judgment issued by the High Court.

news.met.police.uk

 

[Gramsci]

From the Met statement.

They see judgement as restricting there ability to shut down protest. That the judgement goes beyond pandemic restrictions being the issue. That bit I don't understand. Would have thought that this judgement was specific to a public event whilst specific restrictions were in place.

"The Met unreservedly endorses the principle that fundamental freedoms, such as those exercised by the claimants in this case, may only be restricted where it is necessary and proportionate for a lawful purpose. Consideration of an appeal is in no way indicative that the Met do not consider such protections to be of the utmost importance. It is, however, incumbent on the Met to ensure that this judgment does not unduly inhibit its ability, and that of police forces across the country, to effectively balance competing rights in a way that is operationally deliverable.”

 

[Pickman's model]

From the Met statement.

They see judgement as restricting there ability to shut down protest. That the judgement goes beyond pandemic restrictions being the issue. That bit I don't understand. Would have thought that this judgement was specific to a public event whilst specific restrictions were in place.

They are utter scum

 

[ddraig]

"operationally deliverable" jfc
Typical bullshit

 

[two sheds]

From the Met statement.

They see judgement as restricting there ability to shut down protest. That the judgement goes beyond pandemic restrictions being the issue. That bit I don't understand. Would have thought that this judgement was specific to a public event whilst specific restrictions were in place.

I read it as "if we can't repress women, we won't be able to shut down the crazy anti-vaxxers either"

 

[Pickman's model]

I read it as "if we can't repress women, we won't be able to shut down the crazy anti-vaxxers either"

If we can't repress women what's the point of being a cop I think you'll find

 

[SpookyFrank]

I read it as "if we can't repress women, we won't be able to shut down the crazy anti-vaxxers either"

But they've always been happy to let the antivaxxers do whatever stupid shit they like.

 

[two sheds]

But they've always been happy to let the antivaxxers do whatever stupid shit they like.

Yes that did also cross my mind as I was typing it.

 

[existentialist]

I read it as "if we can't repress women, we won't be able to shut down the crazy anti-vaxxers either"

I wonder how that sounds in Russian :hmm

 

[Torpid Scorpion]

I actually think "defunding" the police as it's called is idea that should be taken seriously. Came out of US BLM but still applicable here

This is a good read on the subject:

“Policing Is Fundamentally a Tool of Social Control to Facilitate Our Exploitation”

The brutality we have repeatedly seen meted out by American police all over the country isn’t a bug of our political-economic system — it’s a feature.

jacobinmag.com

I think the name is counterproductive and mobilises votes for the right wing. This isn't an opinion I formed a-priori; it was drummed into me by progressive local politicians in the usa (state and county level) I work with.

Im deeply afraid with Putin’s outrage we are sailing into another era of mass acquiescence to/worship of the police as we had after 9/11 and 7/7

 

[two sheds]

Totally agree it needs a different name. I really liked AOC's take on it:

 

[two sheds]

I do wonder too whether "Black Lives Matter" should have been "Black Lives Matter Too"

 

[Gramsci]

This is a good read on the subject:

“Policing Is Fundamentally a Tool of Social Control to Facilitate Our Exploitation”

The brutality we have repeatedly seen meted out by American police all over the country isn’t a bug of our political-economic system — it’s a feature.

jacobinmag.com

I think the name is counterproductive and mobilises votes for the right wing. This isn't an opinion I formed a-priori; it was drummed into me by progressive local politicians in the usa (state and county level) I work with.

Im deeply afraid with Putin’s outrage we are sailing into another era of mass acquiescence to/worship of the police as we had after 9/11 and 7/7

I read Vitales book last year. Its refers to US not here. Its well worth a read.

The book here that I've read is Black Resistance to British Policing by Adam Elliott Cooper. Which covers more on class ,race and policing. As well as relationship to resistance against Imperialism with policing. He looks at role of women in campaigning against police mistreatment/ violence. He doesn't put the White Supremacy line. Rather looks at Race and Class. Which I prefer. Its a very good book. That covers a lot.

Sisters Uncut would be on the Defund/ Abolition side and Reclaim the Streets the reform policing and the law side.

Defunding the police In my understanding is not necessarily getting rid of them altogether. It can be that. But there is I think a range of opinions.

I take Defund to move resources to deal with social problems but not get rid of police entirely and the Abolitionists who want police removed entirely. It's totally unreformable.

The argument would be that the police response to women organising a Vigil was not out of the ordinary. This is the police functioning as they should. As agents of social control. Can see that in Met response to the judgement.

 

[Gramsci]

Must say the reporting on Friday in the Guardian erases the involvement of Sisters Uncut. I've kind of thought recently the Guardian is leaving out people with less than centre views.

Though it says something when my local on the right of the party Cllrs find the Met treats them with the contempt it normally reserves for people with "extreme" views.

 

[Pickman's model]

Must say the reporting on Friday in the Guardian erases the involvement of Sisters Uncut. I've kind of thought recently the Guardian is leaving out people with less than centre views.

Though it says something when my local on the right of the party Cllrs find the Met treats them with the contempt it normally reserves for people with "extreme" views.

The people on the right of the party are extremists

 

[Gramsci]

Reclaim These Streets’ girl boss feminism will never set us free – gal-dem

gal-dem.com

This is a bit harsh imo. If it's right and RTS did refuse requests from Sisters Uncut I'm not surprised. Labour right Cllrs are good at excluding others who aren't politically reliable by simply ignoring them.

It's a bit harsh as I think Cllr Birley and others have put a lot of work into this. And have persisted in the case.

I also think what they are asking of change in policing isn't wrong. It's that is it going to happen?

 

[SpookyFrank]

I do wonder too whether "Black Lives Matter" should have been "Black Lives Matter Too"

Sounds like a disappointing sequel.

I think the very fact that the phrase 'black lives matter' riles so many people up is evidence that we must all keep using it.

 

[Torpid Scorpion]

The book here that I've read is Black Resistance to British Policing by Adam Elliott Cooper.

thanks, will check that out.

 

[ddraig]

I do wonder too whether "Black Lives Matter" should have been "Black Lives Matter Too"

the "too" is implied and people need to get their heads around that to understand why it really really matters

 

[two sheds]

yes - I was thinking that it makes it clearer but it is indeed clear enough to anyone who's not a proper racist.

 

[bmd]

The Met response to the Judgement that they had acted unlawfully is below. From the Guardian article.

Hardly suggests the Met is listening or willing to change. To rebuild "trust".

It comes across to me as Met resentment that judiciary didn't back them up.

What gets me about the police response to any kind of critique of their working practices is that it feels like they believe they cannot acknowledge that criticism because it would undermine the public's view of them.

 

[bmd]

I do wonder too whether "Black Lives Matter" should have been "Black Lives Matter Too"

I get what you're saying. However, I have only ever found that 'misunderstanding' happens when it's someone who raises the issue to suit their agenda. Like blokes who are against women's rights. I was talking about bodily autonomy in a relationship the other day and a bloke said that if women want to refuse to have sex then they should be prepared for a man to leave the relationship. He's probably waffled on about the Too thing.

 

[two sheds]

Yep can't argue with any of that on reflection