5 December 2020 4WardEver UK

New evidence, fresh questions about death of young Black Londoner Rashan Charles

source: Open Democracy
published: 26 November 2020

Police claimed the man who helped an officer restrain and handcuff Rashan Charles was “a member of the public” with no police connection. CCTV evidence raises doubts. Shine A Light exclusive (distressing content).

Rashan Charles was a healthy young man out with friends in East London when a uniformed police officer from the elite Territorial Support Group chased him into a convenience store. Without any verbal warning, the officer grabbed Rashan from behind, threw him to the floor and heavily restrained him.

A second man assisted the officer. Rashan, who was unarmed and presented no threat, died on the floor of the Yours Locally shop on Hackney’s Kingsland Road in the early hours of 22 July 2017. He was 20 years old, the eldest of seven children and a father himself, his daughter coming up to her second birthday at the time.

5 December 2020 4WardEver UK

Exclusions lead to criminalisation of London black working class

source: SalehMamon.com
published: 25 November 2020

It has been common knowledge for decades that black youth are disproportionately excluded from school permanently.

No significant progress has been made to significantly change this reality in spite of many reports. The most recent data show that black pupils are nearly four times more likely to be permanently excluded than their school peers.

The London case study by Jessica Perera of the Institute of Race Relations is ground breaking. It shows that exclusions and criminalisation of black working class youth are not isolated issues that should be confined to school level without relating them to wider social and political developments over five decades.

In response to the media and commentators who deliberately sensationalise serious black youth crime by projecting black youth as a menace and racialising it, Perera reviews the evidence thoroughly to present a more nuanced view.

12 November 202012 November 2020 4WardEver UK

National Family Fund & UFFC Gift Fund announce 2nd funding round

source: 4WardEverUK
published: 12 November 2020

4WardEverUK are extremely pleased to announce (following Round 1 Grants), the second round of National Memorial Family Fund grants opening on 7 December 2020 (as well as the UFFC Children’s Christmas Gift Fund) which families can apply to immediately.

Important: Affected families and/or campaigns will need to be registered on the NMPMFF website before applying for grants from the fund – various partners are available to assist with applications.

The second Family Fund round officially opens on 7 December 2020 and will close on 7 February 2021.

The main difference in this second round (compared to round one) is that grants will not be awarded/issued on a rolling basis, but rather final decisions will be made after the closing date on 7 February 2021.