United Kingdom

Launch of StopWatch (10/18/2010)

mandy — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

London, England

Recent studies show that in England and Wales Black people are stopped and searched seven times more than Caucasians; and Asians at twice the Caucasian rate. Jesse Jackson has formed a new coalition of NGO’s and academic societies to combat racial profiling and power abuse in UK policing. The organization, StopWatch, was launched at King’s College in London with an address from Reverend Jesse Jackson followed by a panel discussion.

Jackson didn’t mince words as he began his speech by saying that Britain and the U.S. are cut from the same cloth culturally, but also in their inequality of civil rights. He observed that Britain is seen as an "enlightened" society with high culture districts and universities, but that racial discrimination is alive and well there. He continued his speech saying English police are just as bad as, if not worse than, the U.S. when it comes to abusing their powers, and he warned England to clean up their act before London hosts the 2012 Olympics by saying “don’t let this ugly behaviour blemish your reputation with the whole world watching.”

Similarly, Barron Victor Adebowale expressed concern about the current rise in racial profiling in Britain. He said he has a “horrible fear of déjà vu” from when the south of England was hit with race riots in the 1980s. He warned, “If we don’t discuss this in a civilized, planned, and appropriate way then it will arise; it will bite society in the way it did in the '80s in the riots of Brixton and throughout this country.”

Karen Chouhan, Director of Equanomics, an organization fighting racial inequalities through economics, spoke out against the principle of policing by consent. She said, “I don’t recall consenting to my son being stopped eleven times in eleven months and then being denied a record of the event.” Chouhan went on to say, “What worries me most is when it is normalized that the civil rights of our young people are eroded.”

StopWatch brings together academics and activists in order to research racial discrimination by the police, inform the public about police abuse, and offer alternatives. Their solutions to stopping searches are to establish integrated police cars, by both race and sex, to place cameras in police vehicles; provide mass education to young people about their rights; train police to use different tactics; and encourage community intelligence on the matter.

Throughout the conference, the speakers encouraged community organization not only amongst activists but also in choosing which officers should police which neighborhoods. Jackson argued for a form of Affirmative Action saying, “unless the police reflect the population they are policing they are an archetypal force.” Adebowale candidly responded that Affirmative Action in England in the next five years was as probable as his grandmother landing a UFO on the end of his nose. He credits this lack of policy making to the current conservative party’s control of the UK government. However, he ended on an optimistic note by concluding that the current administration’s focus on a self-sufficient society could lead to more freedom as the activist leaders involved in groups like StopWatch will also step up to lead in their own communities.

Written by: Sara Custer, November 1st 2010

Kicking On

admin — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 02:12:00 +0000

By Gin Palace

Artrocker

On their website, Gin Palace are described as “a 3 piece: lady singer, no bass guitar, no hi-hats” and Kicking On is their début LP. Emerging not from the dusty deserts of Dakota or from tornado-famous Kansas, but from the indie riddled smog of London, singer Meaghan Wilkie can drive one hell of a rowdy herd. Exhibiting a controlled ferocity comparable to Lydia Lunch and lyrical articulation that Toms Robbins might admire, this woman’s luxurious baritone drawl holds sway over the tangiest of guitar tones and crash of cymbal-filled drums. Although the musical maulings of guitarist Jon Free and drummer Stuart Bell career along on the brink of nose bleed, Wilkie’s undulating voice sports a mocking curl and saunters - hips swinging - through the mess, like the roll of a rocking chair on the porch of preach. And yet, the dominant element of this album is its frantic urgency which hits you a smack in the mouth, giving you only a moment to contemplate the event before shaking some dust and setting off on another thigh slapping, microphone toting, "knicker sniffin’’ thrash happening.

Written by: Emily Aoibheann McDonnell, March 9th 2007

Black Velvet Magazine (Issue #50)

admin — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 20:13:00 +0000

blackvelvetmagazine.com

Black Velvet(http://www.blackvelvetmagazine.com) is officially a fanzine based out of the UK. It's aimed at young hipsters who have opinions about music. I'm certain that I'm not in that group, but I can appreciate the amount of work and dedication that has gone into creating this magazine. Shari, Black Velvet's editor, does most of the work herself and keeps only a small staff of contributors. Everyone working on the magazine is highly passionate about rock music and the bands that are covered in every issue.

I can also appreciate that Shari is blazing a trail that few other women have. By stereotype, being overzealous about rock bands has been typically a male-dominated industry, but she has definitely created a piece of media that has the ability to rival any other fanzine out there. Professionally printed on glossy paper, the 50th issue brings about Black Velvet's first ever full-color spread. The reviews are poignant, the articles are informative and the layout makes the 'zine easy to read. At only $7 through the website, it's well worth the money for anyone who has a penchant for the popular rock music scene.

Written by: Jonna Vercellini, March 4th 2007