BLACK ORGANISATIONS in Wolverhampton are calling a national demonstration on 7 March to protest at the killing of Clinton McCurbin. Clinton died from asphyxia on 20 February after police tried to detain him in a city-centre shop. According to eyewitnesses he was beaten and placed in a necklock after protesting at his arrest.
Bystanders objected to the excessive force of lne plice were mind your fucking several were ar rested after scuffles which broke out when it became known that Clinton was dead.
Outrage The killing of Clinton has outraged Wolverhampton's black Within 24 hours of his death a 300-strong meeting was held to discuss action.
larger VIl February, representatives from black attended organisations from London and Birmingham, decided on ine acmonsuladon.
While the details of the route have to be confirmed the targets of the communiwhere Clinton was killed; police; and the local Expres Star whose racist reporting of the event has fuelled their anger.
In an editorial on 23 February it argued that the scuttles following Clinton's death due 'the assumption among deltall.
black people that the police hibit anyone of their race, no matter what they are doing'. Nownere ca ine Ex• press and Star ask whether racist assumptions amongst the police might explain the recent spate of deaths and serious injuries suffered by black people at their hands. No doubt The black people at the 25 February meeting were in no doubt about this. Ther saw Clinton's death as the lalest in a chain or ponce assaults on members of the Diack cluding the killing of Cynthia Jarrett in lottenham. the of Cherry Groce in Brixton, and the savage beating of Trevor Monerville Stoke As a statement from the Wolverhampton for Community Relations explains: 'The death black people is becoming a regular result of the process of contact between black the police.
Moreover, black people have the state's OCCI response to these crimes. They have seen the 'unbiaseu invesuganons •Ine press and Star talks about alongside the trials of black youth from Handsworth, Brixton Broadwater Farm. Protest Is it any surprise in these circumstances that black people take to the streets to protest against this violence?
response of the police to these events has immediate aftermath of Clinton's death they issued a statement suggesting that drug abuse was to blame. 1 nis raclansi siticulype was seized on by the gutter press which polnica is nnger al the victim rather than the police.
When the post mortem revealed no evidence to support this police said this had merely been a possibility and they were sorry they had 'caused any distress to the deceas. ed's family.
Because of incidents like inis lne black community is demanding an inacpenuent pubne cnquly and is refusing to cooperate Will ple Colliplants authority. Birmingham District Labour Party Black Section have come out in support of this demand.
Experience in a statement they argue that the experience of black people leads them to belleve that the police complaints. authority enquiry will not reveal the truth in order to protect the police, will not lead to the prosecu tion of those responsible for the death. and will not ex amine police racism police institutionalised, brutality.' They have demanded Ladl Lne police responsible for Clinton's death be charged with murder and all those arrested for public order offences in subsequent scufTies be released. Black organisations are raising Trevor Monerville: funds for such an enquiry The Wolverhampton Labour-controlled council has also offered financial support. Paul Boateng has taken on the case and Clinton McCurbin's mother has beert flown, at the council's expense, hom der nome m New York. An independent be carried out.
The stance of Wolverhampton's Labour leadership has LIVE challenged however. Local Alliance politiclans are whipping up a racist campaign of opposicash valky that Wolverhampton council is to provide councillors claim to have received a stream of calls from local ratepayers and petitions are reportedly being raised.
Alliance candidates in the Midlands West by-election, to be held on 5 March, have publicly con demned the funding and claim Labour voters sup. port their view.
Campaign
The constituenc cludes the three Wolverhampton Westminster seats. Labour's candidate is the leader of Wolverhampfingerprints? Why, imInculatcy alici lilis oracar. did Trevor see three doctors within six hours? What happened?
* Why did the police not inform us they were holding Trevor once they discovered his identity on 3 January 1987?
* Why did prison officers destro some of revor's clothes?
* Why did police invent a brain tumour for Trevor?
* Why did Stoke Newington police suddenly drop all charges against Trevor?
•Support to: Family and Friends of Trevor Monerville Campaign Committee, 42 Brooksby Walk, London E9. 01-985 6878 ton council.
The Express and Star has loined in this campaign In its 27 February edition it printed 11 letters attacking the council's decision, not one defending it. One letter complained was not working for the communily while another claimed to speak TOT minorit known as CROWS (CaucaRatepaying Old Wulfrunians).
In the light of this campaign the task an u trial by media Court observers and detence campaign judicial reporting.
have been presented youths who murdered PC Keith Blakelock (Guardian, 22.1.87)
court, was entirely false. (Not reported.)
tee who have sat in the public gallery.
by jury?' March, Tottenham proach Road, London N/5.
racists is clear. The 7 March must be massive, and il must be sup ported by labour movement vitanisallulls i he stance of Wolverhampton council must be defended and the call an public enquiry should be backed As Birmingham District Labour Party Black Section have argued, white socialists HOUS Wolverhampton's black lUld SUJJULE AS THE trial of the six defendants charged with the murder of PC Blakelock continues the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign is organising a public meeting to get the truth across against a backlash of media racism.
speakers the Broadwater Farm Youth Association will give an up-date on the situation facing the six defendants and Tottenham's black community. In a statement issued to advertise the meeting BWFDC say: THE trial of three men and three juveniles ing. As was feared, the prosecution case has been blazoned across the newspapers and TV screens in an orgy of inaccurate and preIn any trial, the prosecutions case consists simply of unproven allegations which they seek to prove against the defenants. In English law, a defendant is presumedd innocent until proven guilfr. But. in this case the prosecution allegations by the media in a highly PHONE MACR ИСС ОТОЧНЫРА00 0 planned to cut off his head and plant it on a pole.' On the occasions where the defence have succeeded in discrediting prosecution witnesses under cross-examination, this has scarcely been reported. For example, one prosecution witness admitted that he is living under 24-hour protection in accommodation provided by the police, and that the evidence he had given against the defendants in is interested our version of what has been said in court to date. The information given will be based on the notes of members of the Defence Commit.
• BWFDC public meeting 'Trial by media or trial , takes place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 1I Town Hall, Town Hall ApLABOUR PARTY BLACK SECTION STATEMENT:
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charged with the murder of PC Blakelock in the Tottehnam Uprisings of 1985 is continu-