Dug out a poster for a play I wrote with AIR
Theatre in 1987. Black and Blue dealt with deaths
of Asian & African-Caribbean people in police custody.
Back then da play caused alot of controversy, was
banned from several places and we recieved threats
from da National Front as well near riot scenes in one
place we performed it. I'll always remember putting
it on in leafy Wimbledon at da Polka Theatre as part
of a Youth Drama festival in '88 and having da Specials
'Ghost Town' as da intro music. When we dropped that
tune with the police light and sirens blaring peeps in
da audience didn't know what hit 'em. Thankfully I have
been told that I still have this wicked sense of humour.
Problem still exists of Police harrassment, brutality
and deaths. More and more it is people of Asian and
Arab origin and those who are Muslim who are under
da cosh. There still continues to be a disportionate
number of deaths related to the population of our
communities in this country.There have been more
than 1,000 deaths in police custody in the UK
since 1969 and not one officer has ever been
convicted. Flyer image is from United Families &
Friends campaign website who have been fighting
back.Check out these sites or put some of
these names into Google:
United families website
Institute of Race Relations
Injustice film
Inquest
Guardian.co.uk story
Winston Rose
S. Singh Grewal
Colin Roach
Anwar Kureshi
Clinton McCurbin
Tunay Hassan
Vandana Patel
Joy Gardner
Orville Blackwood
Brian Douglas
Alton Manning
Christopher Alder
Asif Dad
Derek Bennett
Zahid Mubarek
Mickey Powell
Paul Yorke