News Newsletter INQUEST Newsletter: Summer 2024 SUBSCRIBE 9 August 2024 CONTENTS Statement in response to racist violence No More Deaths campaign The UK is not innocent: the story of INQUEST film Prisons Police Mental health Hillsborough Law Now Unlawful Killing podcast INQUEST team news Family updates: upcoming events and opportunities for bereaved people working with INQUEST STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO RACIST VIOLENCEWe are appalled by the racist and Islamophobic violence we are seeing across the country. These are not isolated events - they are the predictable outcome of decades of racist and anti-migrant rhetoric by politicians and the media.We know that the government calling for more police powers, surveillance & imprisonment will disproportionately harm all racialised people. The bereaved families we work with know this only too well.Rather, the government must act on what the evidence has long been telling us: policing, prisons and immigration centres cause harm and death.They must eradicate racism and Islamophobia at its roots and stop changing the subject.Arguing against police powers is not enough. Abolitionist Futures have compiled a list of resources about how we can build alternative infrastructure for supporting our communities beyond the police. NO MORE DEATHS CAMPAIGN Our No More Deaths Campaign is calling for the creation of a National Oversight Mechanism to ensure that recommendations following deaths are implemented, and tragedies like Grenfell and Hillsborough are not repeated. As part of a coalition of 40 other organisations, we sent a letter to the new Prime Minister to address the lack of accountability, transparency and action on recommendations arising from deaths. Families bereaved by the Grenfell Tower Fire, the COVID pandemic and the Infected Blood Scandal joined our call. On the seventh anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire, they came together to demand change. Take action now and help us put an end to further preventable deaths in the UK. SIGN OUR PETITION THE UK IS NOT INNOCENT: 40 YEARS OF INQUEST FILM On 22 July, we hosted a sold-out screening of The UK is Not Innocent at Rich Mix in Shoreditch, London. The film shines a light on 40 years of state violence and resistance. This was followed by a Q&A with Lucy Brisbane from INQUEST and Lee Lawrence, son of Cherry Groce. Keep an eye on our socials for information about future screenings in Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh! We’re also looking for other venues – from art galleries to community centres and schools - to screen the film across Britain. Get in touch if you, your group or organisation have a venue to offer. PRISONS Our prison system, both in England and Wales and in Scotland, continues to be in perpetual crisis. New statistics published by the Ministry of Justice revealed a record high rate of self-harm in prisons. Responding to these appalling statistics, Deborah Coles said that Government plans to build 14,000 more prisons “does little to address why people end up in prison in the first place or how we can prevent further deaths.” We joined over 70 campaigners calling on the new Government to finally reform of the Imprisonment for Public Protection Sentence, which was abolished in 2012. The harm caused by IPP sentences was yet again evidenced in the recent inquest into Shaine Tester’s death. In November 2022, Shaine died a self-inflicted death in HMP Garmtree As an IPP prisoner, he felt ‘forgotten by the system’ and punished for his mental ill health. In Scotland, the family of Allan Marshall, who died following restraint by 17 officers in HMP Edinburgh, are suing the Scottish Prison service over his death. Our Director Deborah Coles spoke to the Guardian about how this should send shock waves through the Scottish parliament, police, and prison service. POLICE Last year, our report ‘I can’t breathe’: race, death, and British policing found that Black people are seven times more likely to die than White people following the use of restraint by police. Now author of the report, Raekah Prasad, wrote about the people behind these statistics and their families’ long waits for justice in the Guardian. One of these people was Sean Rigg, a 40 year old Black man, who died following police restraint whilst in mental health crisis. Institutional racism in policing is also endemic in Scotland. Sheku Bayoh, a 31 year old Black man, died in 2015 following restraint by Scottish police officers.In June, our Director Deborah Coles was called to give evidence as an expert witness to the public inquiry into his death. She stated that "the lethal pattern of disproportionality continues’, as ‘no death of a Black person following police custody or contact has led to officers being effectively disciplined for racism or held to account." Campaigner, and INQUEST Family reference Group member and trustee Marcia also gave evidence about her experiences following the restraint death of her brother Sean Rigg. WATCH MARCIA'S EVIDENCE MENTAL HEALTH Inquests into self-inflicted deaths continue to reveal structural failures in our healthcare system. A second inquest into the death of Megan Davison, who died a self-inflicted death aged 27, recently concluded that the lack of support from mental health services contributed to her death.Megan had Type 1 Diabetes with Disordered Eating (T1DE). Now the coroner has called on the government to act. An inquest into the death of Matty Sheldrick, a 29-year-old autistic person, has been adjourned until next November. This marks another challenge in their family’s struggle for justice and accountability. In 2022, Matty died after ligaturing outside after ligaturing outside the Royal Sussex County Hospital. They had left A&E less than two hours before. Giving evidence at the inquest, their mother Shelagh said, “All that was required was kindness and compassion. The actions and non-actions of both trusts contributed to Matty’s decline in mental health and his death.” HILLSBOROUGH LAW The new Government has committed to enact Hillsborough Law in the recent King’s Speech. This would finally mean that public servants have to tell the truth in public inquiries and parity of arms for bereaved people and survivors. This would not have happened without the longstanding campaigning from bereaved families and survivors. Speaking to Inside Housing, our Director Deborah Coles, said: “For too long, organisations have been more concerned with reputation management, concealing the truth and defending their practices even where there is clear evidence of systemic and individual failure.” UNLAWFUL KILLING PODCAST Series 2 of Unlawful Killing, our podcast exploring death, resistance and the fight for justice, is now out! In the latest episode, we hear from Kevin Blowe, coordinator for Netpol and longstanding campaigner against police violence, about the myth of 'police accountability'.Lucy and Lee reflect on different forms of accountability & how communities have responded to police violence then and now. A BIG THANK YOU! We’re so grateful to all the amazing supporters of our work. You go above and beyond to ensure we can continue to support bereaved families in their fights for truth, justice and accountability. A big thank you to Bhatt Murphy, Hickman and Rose, and Deighton Pierce Glynn who participated in the London Legal Walk on 18 June. And also to Gemma Vine, Megan Spurr and Cara Wiltshire of Ison Harrison’s ran the Ilkley Half Marathon and raised an amazing £1,555 for our work. Finally, we’re so inspired by Rebecca Montacute, one of our Family Trustees whose mother died following failures by mental health services. Rebecca is running a half marathon in October and is raising money for INQUEST. DONATE FAMILY UPDATES Upcoming events and activities for families who have worked with INQUEST, past and present. Connection Cafes - online events The regular connection cafes are an online space for families supported by INQUEST, past or present, to come together, share, reflect, connect and build community, in a facilitated space. Morning - Second Wednesday of every month (10:30am-12pm) Next session 14 August & 11 September. Evening – Fourth Wednesday of every month (6:30pm-8pm) - Next sessions 28 August & 25 September. To register for reminders and joining details please fill in this form. Communications & No More Deaths Campaign We are delighted that Mya is back with another series on communication, media and press this time with a specific focus on the No More Deaths campaign. This series is six sessions long, and will be held every two weeks on Tuesday evenings on Z.oom, from 6:30pm-8pm from 17 Sept – 26 Nov 2024.We hope that people can commit to attending the full series to get the most out of the sessions, as they build on each other. Register here.Here Together We had hoped to be running another set of events across the country at the end of August but our Family Reference Group feel that we should focus on recruiting more volunteer families who are willing to host events. Training and support will be provided, and we will open the recruitment in September. If you would like to be sent more details about this, please email [email protected] Banner ProjectWe have had some great chats and creativity during our banner making sessions so far this year. Scottish Banner This banner will be created using a similar process to last years, and we're asking families to send us squares they have made to commemorate their loved ones. If your loved one died in Scotland and you'd like to get involved, please register for more details here. 2024 Banner This project follows on from last years banner. However, we are trying a different approach for this year. We are now working with a large piece of fabric that has moved from location to location as people add to it. We aim to have this collaborative banner ready to bring to the UFFC March on Saturday 26th October in London. We’d love to see you at our next banner collaboration session When: Saturday 31st August, 11:30am – 3pm Where: The Pavillion, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6UW More information here and register here. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT Did you like this newsletter? We are entirely independent of government and rely on grants donations from people like you to continue our vital work. We'd be so grateful if you'd consider supporting us. Become a regular donor today. DONATE SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER