Decima Francis, MBE, Trident Advisory Group Member It used to be the case that when there was a violent death involving a child or teenager it used to evoke shock and disbelief; but as a sad indictment of the times we are living in it is no longer shocking and the familiar sentiments of the waste of a young life and empathy for the families of the victim still persist. Incidents such as the recent death of 15 year old black teenager Kiyan Prince,who was stabbed to death at his school gates usually provoke a knee-jerk reaction. In this instance campaigners called for the the government to take stronger action against illegal knives and they duly responded by announcing a knife amnesty. But will this stop the killing? In November 2000 ten year old Damilola Taylor was stabbed to death in Peckham, South London. In June 2004 15 year old Kieran Rodney- Davis was knifed to death in Fulham West London. And there are others who didn’t make the headlines. A Youth Justice Board Survey revealed that 51 per cent of pupils carry a knife and 38 per cent of them carry knives to school. But are young black kids becoming more violent or is this just a perception and if they are becoming more violent then who is to blame? Decima Francis, MBE, is a member of the Trident Advisory Group, a community group that monitors the way the police deal with crime within the black community and which also works with Operation Trident, the tactical police unit that deals with black on black crime. When Black Britain asked Francis why black kids are more violent towards each other she responded by saying: "Everyone is more violent than they have ever been. It has got steadily worse over the last twenty years...we now accept violence as a part of life" But Francis was quick to point out that what we are witnessing is not new at all: "Look at the sixties – the rockers carried knives and the black men carried machetes to protect the black community. The skinheads carried knives – people have always carried knives." The major difference between then and now asserted Francis is the fact that whilst knives were carried in the past, they were not used, whereas today: "Under-age children are using weapons and killing each other in places where it should never happen – in schools." This is the strongest indicator that adults have crossed the boundaries and children have followed suit, but the level of fear experienced by young people is the cause: "Kids are afraid of kids because of the way society is at the moment. They don’t think that adults can protect them and they don’t think that the police can protect them. If someone pulls a knife on you, by the time you pull out your mobile phone you could be dead," Francis told Black Britain. She warned of the "intimidation and violence" spreading in society, recalling stories from young people that she speaks to during the course of her work with youths. One eighteen year old said that when he has been to Brixton he has been asked by local youths whether he had a "passport" to walk in Brixton. Another youth who attends drama school recalled another incident where a group of youths sitting on a bench formed a line across his path blocking him from passing and he turned and ran. Black Britain caught up with Social Intervention Specialist Twilight Bey, founder of the Social Solutions Institute dealing with social literacy development, youth work, conflict mediation and gang intervention. He was giving a presentation at B.L.A.K FRIDAY (Black Liberation African Knowledge); an educational initiative centred around historical and contemporary issues affecting the global African Diaspora involving monthly presentations by respected black scholars;which is the brainchild of Dr William Lez Henry. Twilight told the audience that it is important to look at the role of parents in ensuring that their children feel safe: "The parents are the ones responsible for protecting the child but if they don’t feel protected then they will find someone to protect them." Referring to the tendency of youngsters to go about their daily lives in groups on the streets, he said it is merely "a means of protection." |
