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| Myron Yarde and the community grieving a lost generation | |
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| In the African-Caribbean tradition, nine nights after the death of a loved one family and friends get together to celebrate their life. The ghost of the deceased is believed to mingle with guests, gathering food and saying goodbye, before finally departing this world. | In the African-Caribbean tradition, nine nights after the death of a loved one family and friends get together to celebrate their life. The ghost of the deceased is believed to mingle with guests, gathering food and saying goodbye, before finally departing this world. |
| Such events are normally quiet family affairs. But at the Nine-Nights for Myron Yarde, the 17-year-old stabbed to death earlier this month, badged security manned the doors. At strategic points nearby were vans full of police. The atmosphere was tense. | |
| Police officers found Myron bleeding to death in a residential street on 3 April. They had been responding to reports of a fight between up to 10 youths on New Cross Road. He was rushed to hospital, but died a couple of hours later. A 15-year-old boy, who can’t be named, has been charged with murder and will stand trial in the autumn. Others have been arrested and bailed. | Police officers found Myron bleeding to death in a residential street on 3 April. They had been responding to reports of a fight between up to 10 youths on New Cross Road. He was rushed to hospital, but died a couple of hours later. A 15-year-old boy, who can’t be named, has been charged with murder and will stand trial in the autumn. Others have been arrested and bailed. |
| Hundreds turned out to the community hall on the Woodpecker estate in Lewisham, south-east London, on Monday to mourn for Myron. But there was a wider grief hanging over the occasion, for what many fear is becoming a lost generation of young people. | Hundreds turned out to the community hall on the Woodpecker estate in Lewisham, south-east London, on Monday to mourn for Myron. But there was a wider grief hanging over the occasion, for what many fear is becoming a lost generation of young people. |
| I don’t know if there’s a generation that’s not had a war that’s been exposed to so much death | I don’t know if there’s a generation that’s not had a war that’s been exposed to so much death |
| “We are crying for Myron, but remember, there’s a young man who has been arrested and charged, and people are grieving for him too,” said Darna Sepaul, who had worked with Myron at the adjacent Woodpecker centre youth club. Young people, she said, had been caught up in a “brute madness” on London’s streets. “I don’t know if there’s a generation that’s not had a war that’s been exposed to so much death,” Sepaul added. “A lot of these young people have lost very, very dear friends.” | “We are crying for Myron, but remember, there’s a young man who has been arrested and charged, and people are grieving for him too,” said Darna Sepaul, who had worked with Myron at the adjacent Woodpecker centre youth club. Young people, she said, had been caught up in a “brute madness” on London’s streets. “I don’t know if there’s a generation that’s not had a war that’s been exposed to so much death,” Sepaul added. “A lot of these young people have lost very, very dear friends.” |
| Although still below peaks four years ago, gun and knife crime are on the rise again. Last year 15 young people were stabbed to death on London’s streets, almost as many as the previous two years combined. There were more than 6,200 victims of serious youth violence in the city over the past 12 months. | Although still below peaks four years ago, gun and knife crime are on the rise again. Last year 15 young people were stabbed to death on London’s streets, almost as many as the previous two years combined. There were more than 6,200 victims of serious youth violence in the city over the past 12 months. |
| Politicians, police and the press have often blamed gangs; millions of pounds have been ploughed into initiatives to tackle gang violence. But parents, community elders and, increasingly, academics say the problem is far more complex and nuanced. | Politicians, police and the press have often blamed gangs; millions of pounds have been ploughed into initiatives to tackle gang violence. But parents, community elders and, increasingly, academics say the problem is far more complex and nuanced. |
| “Gang”, they say, is a convenient but misleading catch-all term used by those with little idea of how to deal with those youths increasingly excluded from mainstream society. Critics also say that the notion of the gang, often identified with black culture, racialises the problem of youth violence. The backbench Labour MP Chuka Umunna, whose constituency is also badly affected by the problem, has called for his colleagues to “consign it to the bin”. | “Gang”, they say, is a convenient but misleading catch-all term used by those with little idea of how to deal with those youths increasingly excluded from mainstream society. Critics also say that the notion of the gang, often identified with black culture, racialises the problem of youth violence. The backbench Labour MP Chuka Umunna, whose constituency is also badly affected by the problem, has called for his colleagues to “consign it to the bin”. |
| Young, black and an aspiring rapper, some might say Myron fitted the lazy stereotype of the teenager who might run with gangs. Under the stage name MDOT, he postured in YouTube videos, with lyrics that were peppered with expletives and references to sex and violence. Yet locals on the Woodpecker estate say Myron absolutely did not “run road”. Despite his stage persona, Myron was just as likely to be found performing in a school assembly, teachers have said. Last September, the “respectful” teenager had earned a place at Big Creative Academy, a Walthamstow college that specialises in creative industries, to study music performance. His tutor there, Tor Cesay, described him as an “exceptional talent”. Others described him as a local role model and a rising star. | Young, black and an aspiring rapper, some might say Myron fitted the lazy stereotype of the teenager who might run with gangs. Under the stage name MDOT, he postured in YouTube videos, with lyrics that were peppered with expletives and references to sex and violence. Yet locals on the Woodpecker estate say Myron absolutely did not “run road”. Despite his stage persona, Myron was just as likely to be found performing in a school assembly, teachers have said. Last September, the “respectful” teenager had earned a place at Big Creative Academy, a Walthamstow college that specialises in creative industries, to study music performance. His tutor there, Tor Cesay, described him as an “exceptional talent”. Others described him as a local role model and a rising star. |
| Myron’s violent death has deeply shocked both his peers and his elders. They expected he would be the one to escape deprivation in an area they call the ghetto. There were others they expected to lose, but not Myron. | Myron’s violent death has deeply shocked both his peers and his elders. They expected he would be the one to escape deprivation in an area they call the ghetto. There were others they expected to lose, but not Myron. |
| “This is a travesty, to be honest,” said Sepaul, who built the studio at the Woodpecker where Myron recorded much of his music. “Myron was a beautiful young man, taken too soon. He was always willing to contribute to the things Woodpecker was doing, never talked about having payment for anything. If we had any discussion groups, Myron would be leading. He was a peer mentor. | “This is a travesty, to be honest,” said Sepaul, who built the studio at the Woodpecker where Myron recorded much of his music. “Myron was a beautiful young man, taken too soon. He was always willing to contribute to the things Woodpecker was doing, never talked about having payment for anything. If we had any discussion groups, Myron would be leading. He was a peer mentor. |
| “He was just a lovely guy. If he was in a different area I don’t believe Myron would have gone today, but this area is so volatile. You can have months and months of silence and then another person is just taken.” | “He was just a lovely guy. If he was in a different area I don’t believe Myron would have gone today, but this area is so volatile. You can have months and months of silence and then another person is just taken.” |
| Myron did his best with the cards he had been dealt. The youngest of five siblings, he had been effectively left an orphan after his mother, Marcelle, died of cancer last year. Neighbours on the estate said that the day after Myron’s death his estranged father had come down to a memorial event there, but how much involvement he had in his son’s life is not known. It is understood that his sisters, in their 20s, had been caring for him. | Myron did his best with the cards he had been dealt. The youngest of five siblings, he had been effectively left an orphan after his mother, Marcelle, died of cancer last year. Neighbours on the estate said that the day after Myron’s death his estranged father had come down to a memorial event there, but how much involvement he had in his son’s life is not known. It is understood that his sisters, in their 20s, had been caring for him. |
| But growing up on the Woodpecker estate, Myron was immersed in a youth culture that is faced with almost day-to-day violence. One local mother, who declined to give her name, told the Guardian she believed Myron was the 14th young murder victim from the neighbourhood in 17 years. In 2013, a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace identified Lewisham as the “least peaceful area” in England and Wales. | But growing up on the Woodpecker estate, Myron was immersed in a youth culture that is faced with almost day-to-day violence. One local mother, who declined to give her name, told the Guardian she believed Myron was the 14th young murder victim from the neighbourhood in 17 years. In 2013, a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace identified Lewisham as the “least peaceful area” in England and Wales. |
| Even Myron’s brother, Aaron, said he wasn’t surprised by the killing. “It’s not a shock, really, in that Woodpecker estate a lot of people have been dying there,” he told the Guardian. “But it’s a shock because it’s my little brother. That’s why it’s a shock, because I was supposed to be protecting him.” | Even Myron’s brother, Aaron, said he wasn’t surprised by the killing. “It’s not a shock, really, in that Woodpecker estate a lot of people have been dying there,” he told the Guardian. “But it’s a shock because it’s my little brother. That’s why it’s a shock, because I was supposed to be protecting him.” |
| In the days following Myron’s death, tensions were running high on the Woodpecker estate. Community activists said work had been done to dissuade anyone from attempting reprisals against those they believed had been involved. One group which had come down to help keep the peace was Stop Killing Our Kids On Our Streets, whose red-shirted activists kept watch over the youths. | In the days following Myron’s death, tensions were running high on the Woodpecker estate. Community activists said work had been done to dissuade anyone from attempting reprisals against those they believed had been involved. One group which had come down to help keep the peace was Stop Killing Our Kids On Our Streets, whose red-shirted activists kept watch over the youths. |
| Nicola Calica-Myall, an activist with the group, had experienced the worst. Her own son was stabbed 37 times – with 11 different knives – when he was just 17. He survived, but the experience left her with a stern message for parents. | Nicola Calica-Myall, an activist with the group, had experienced the worst. Her own son was stabbed 37 times – with 11 different knives – when he was just 17. He survived, but the experience left her with a stern message for parents. |
| “We’re not advocating that any parent starts taking a very heavy-handed approach with children and start chastising them in a very physical way,” she said. “However, if your child needs to get a grip, you grip your child. I’m all in favour of that. I’m not telling you to beat your child, but if your child needs a grip isn’t it better that, as a parent, you can take control? Before either the police do, or somebody out on the road.” | “We’re not advocating that any parent starts taking a very heavy-handed approach with children and start chastising them in a very physical way,” she said. “However, if your child needs to get a grip, you grip your child. I’m all in favour of that. I’m not telling you to beat your child, but if your child needs a grip isn’t it better that, as a parent, you can take control? Before either the police do, or somebody out on the road.” |
| At Myron’s Nine-Nights, there was also anger among guests at what they believed was a demonisation of black youth, who are overwhelmingly targeted by police. More than three-quarters of those the Metropolitan police identifies as gang members in London are black or mixed race. Black youths are four times as likely to be stopped and searched as whites. | At Myron’s Nine-Nights, there was also anger among guests at what they believed was a demonisation of black youth, who are overwhelmingly targeted by police. More than three-quarters of those the Metropolitan police identifies as gang members in London are black or mixed race. Black youths are four times as likely to be stopped and searched as whites. |
| “Their understanding of the problem is wrong,” said Richard, a bouncer at the event, who declined to give his surname. “It’s not necessarily a gang problem. Let’s say I grew up in block C and I grew up with five guys from primary school right through to secondary school. We become like a brotherhood and what happens is we start looking out for each other. And that’s what it is. It’s not to do with all this nonsense to do with gangs.” | “Their understanding of the problem is wrong,” said Richard, a bouncer at the event, who declined to give his surname. “It’s not necessarily a gang problem. Let’s say I grew up in block C and I grew up with five guys from primary school right through to secondary school. We become like a brotherhood and what happens is we start looking out for each other. And that’s what it is. It’s not to do with all this nonsense to do with gangs.” |
| This understanding is now beginning to finally penetrate into the minds of academics, and even politicians. Umunna has called on the government to establish a new independent commission to identify the root causes of serious youth violence and its links to gang culture. | This understanding is now beginning to finally penetrate into the minds of academics, and even politicians. Umunna has called on the government to establish a new independent commission to identify the root causes of serious youth violence and its links to gang culture. |
| Questioning the value of gang terminology in a Commons debate on the issue last month, Umunna, MP for Streatham, south-west London, said: “Let us face the fact that using the term enables officialdom to put all these young people in a bracket – ‘Oh, they’re part of a gang. If they lose their lives, oh well, that doesn’t matter. They’re part of a gang,’” Umunna told a Commons debate last month. “I am not sure we should allow this to carry on.” | Questioning the value of gang terminology in a Commons debate on the issue last month, Umunna, MP for Streatham, south-west London, said: “Let us face the fact that using the term enables officialdom to put all these young people in a bracket – ‘Oh, they’re part of a gang. If they lose their lives, oh well, that doesn’t matter. They’re part of a gang,’” Umunna told a Commons debate last month. “I am not sure we should allow this to carry on.” |
| Umunna cited the work on UK gangs being done by Ian Joseph, an ethnologist from the University of East London, who says the notion of the gang – as a cohesive group involved together in criminal activity – has become a criminological construct with little grip on reality. | Umunna cited the work on UK gangs being done by Ian Joseph, an ethnologist from the University of East London, who says the notion of the gang – as a cohesive group involved together in criminal activity – has become a criminological construct with little grip on reality. |
| Worse, Joseph fears that the notion of the gang, constantly thrown back at young people through the media, youth work and the criminal justice system, is self-defeating. “It’s become part of what’s called a double hermeneutic,” he said. “You have a representation of me, that gives me some credence and credibility in my social networks, I take that on to myself and then I align my behaviour to the typification: tough, resilient, independent, earns money, attractive to women, good fighters. | Worse, Joseph fears that the notion of the gang, constantly thrown back at young people through the media, youth work and the criminal justice system, is self-defeating. “It’s become part of what’s called a double hermeneutic,” he said. “You have a representation of me, that gives me some credence and credibility in my social networks, I take that on to myself and then I align my behaviour to the typification: tough, resilient, independent, earns money, attractive to women, good fighters. |
| “Youngsters take that on and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That’s the danger that the current definition of the gang and its use within the police and the criminal justice system have now embarked us on.” | “Youngsters take that on and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That’s the danger that the current definition of the gang and its use within the police and the criminal justice system have now embarked us on.” |
| Tackling the problem of youth violence requires a more nuanced approach, Joseph says. He calls for a tripartite analysis of youth behaviour as either gang-like, gang-type or gang-related. | Tackling the problem of youth violence requires a more nuanced approach, Joseph says. He calls for a tripartite analysis of youth behaviour as either gang-like, gang-type or gang-related. |
| “Then we can move away from that and actually begin to say: is this youngster really at the core of what’s happening, or are they actually on the margins of it? That’s what [the three categories] begins to do. It begins to break down the gang into smaller chunks which are then useful for practitioners if they meet a youngster who is displaying the symptoms of exposure to criminal activity, to give them another instrument or hanger to interpret that behaviour so that they don’t automatically engage youngsters in a punitive approach.” | “Then we can move away from that and actually begin to say: is this youngster really at the core of what’s happening, or are they actually on the margins of it? That’s what [the three categories] begins to do. It begins to break down the gang into smaller chunks which are then useful for practitioners if they meet a youngster who is displaying the symptoms of exposure to criminal activity, to give them another instrument or hanger to interpret that behaviour so that they don’t automatically engage youngsters in a punitive approach.” |
| To get a job you need experience. Who’s going to give that to them? | To get a job you need experience. Who’s going to give that to them? |
| But alternatives require funding, and that is not forthcoming. Emmanuel Amuere, head of Lewisham’s stop and search monitoring group, said that even if he and other activists are able to get the ear of youngsters, there is little they can offer them. | But alternatives require funding, and that is not forthcoming. Emmanuel Amuere, head of Lewisham’s stop and search monitoring group, said that even if he and other activists are able to get the ear of youngsters, there is little they can offer them. |
| “What the community is starting to say time and time again is nothing ever gets done,” he said. “We are promised things, but it is hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we often say. Myself and other community leaders organised a meeting. They all downed tools and said: ‘Yes, we are willing to start a new life.’ But what can we offer them? | “What the community is starting to say time and time again is nothing ever gets done,” he said. “We are promised things, but it is hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we often say. Myself and other community leaders organised a meeting. They all downed tools and said: ‘Yes, we are willing to start a new life.’ But what can we offer them? |
| “To get an apprenticeship you need five GCSEs. A lot of them don’t have that. To get a job you need experience. Who’s going to give that to them? What have we put in place for young people to leave this culture?” | “To get an apprenticeship you need five GCSEs. A lot of them don’t have that. To get a job you need experience. Who’s going to give that to them? What have we put in place for young people to leave this culture?” |
| Myron created a chance for himself with his music, but his bright future was cruelly cut short. On the Woodpecker, one local mother, Angie, said she felt the killing of someone like Myron, who had so much promise, would only make the alienation worse for the estate’s children. | Myron created a chance for himself with his music, but his bright future was cruelly cut short. On the Woodpecker, one local mother, Angie, said she felt the killing of someone like Myron, who had so much promise, would only make the alienation worse for the estate’s children. |
| “It takes hope away. Why bother? Why not run road? Because it’s open season on the lot of us, unless someone puts a stop to it,” she said. “We need to give back hope. We need to give back a future. And until we start to do that, we are going to find ourselves in these situations where boys are just dying.” | “It takes hope away. Why bother? Why not run road? Because it’s open season on the lot of us, unless someone puts a stop to it,” she said. “We need to give back hope. We need to give back a future. And until we start to do that, we are going to find ourselves in these situations where boys are just dying.” |