The public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayo police custody, which begins gathering evidence this week, should be a “turning point” with the potential to spur a broader dialogue on racism in Scotland, activists said.
The hearings began almost seven years after the father of two died after being detained by officials in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3, 2015, and marks the first major public survey of institutional racism in Scotland since the Black Lives Matter movement riots over the assassination of George Floyd in 2020
Bayo died after police responded to reports of an agitated black man carrying a knife. He was beaten with batons, CS spray and pepper spray, then detained on the sidewalk with wrist and leg ties. The post-mortem examination documented 23 individual injuries to his body. A toxicology report confirms that Bayo took some drugs that night, but no weapon with a blade was found.
The nine police officers involved, some of whom have since left the police force, have always denied any wrongdoing and have not been prosecuted or disciplined for any aspect of his death.
Strong pressure from Bayo’s family, including his partner Colette Bell and his sister Cady Johnson, finally persuaded the Scottish government to launch an independent investigation in 2019, which began gathering and reviewing tens of thousands of pieces of documentary evidence a year later.
The family’s faith in the criminal justice system has been “destroyed” over the past seven years, said their lawyer, Aamer Anwar.
“They believe that Sheku Bayo was systematically criminalized and anointed to justify his death, and they expect much more from these attacks during the investigation, as it seems to happen every time a black man dies in custody in the United States or the United Kingdom.” “Said Anwar.
Described by him and his family as “bitterly disappointing”, the head of the investigation, Lord Brackdale, asked Scottish police and the Royal Office in March to provide commitments that officers would not be prosecuted for individual evidence they provided to his inquiry. to guarantee “complete, frank and unhindered” testimony, but this request was denied.
The Bayo family has since warned that it will undermine the spirit of the investigation if police officers resort to “no comment” answers.
Bracadele, a retired appellate judge, had previously promised an “inquisitorial” investigation that would investigate the entire case, focusing on the beginning of the police confrontation with Bayo, their behavior after his death, subsequent investigations by the Commissioner for Police Investigations and review and royal service and whether racism is a factor.
The first of these five blocks of evidentiary hearings will take place in Edinburgh on Tuesday, and members of the public can attend in person or watch their broadcast on YouTube’s inquiry channel.
Deborah Coles, executive director of Inquest, which has supported the Bayo family from the start, said the investigation “should be a turning point for Scotland in addressing issues of institutional racism, police restrictive practices and defective death response systems”.
She said it was “very important” that the race was specific to the terms of reference, “because it’s often the elephant in the room” with such deaths.
Coles noted that Tuesday’s hearing will begin with a family statement. “It’s important that it starts with pen portraits, which have been used really well in the Grenfell and Hillsborough investigations. This humanizes the process and reminds everyone that a black man, much loved by his family, has died at the hands of the state and that this must be properly investigated. “
Hannah Lavery, the poet and playwright whose most famous work, Weeping for Sheku Bayo, was performed for the first time at the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival, will attend the Sheku Bayo Vigil in Edinburgh on Tuesday morning.
“Many people say that Sheku is our George Floyd, and his name, along with George’s, was called out many times during the Black Lives Matter protests in Scotland in 2020,” Lavery said.
“Now is the time for those who were excited to show support, to stand by Sheku’s family and friends now. They fought so hard for this investigation that the long struggle must be honored by all of us. They need to know that they are not alone. “
Whether this investigation marks the beginning of change in Scotland, whether it reaches the front pages and provokes a broader dialogue on racism, we do not yet know – but there is potential for retribution, a moment to reflect on Scottish exclusivity and the lives destroyed by this rhetoric is “no problem.”
Add Comment