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| How many more young black men will have to die like Rashan Charles? | How many more young black men will have to die like Rashan Charles? |
| (30 days later) | |
| In the early hours of 22 July 2017, a tall, slightly built young man walked into Yours Locally, a mini-supermarket off Kingsland Road; a lively street in an increasingly gentrified area of east London. Many of the nearby bars and clubs would have been starting to fill up. | In the early hours of 22 July 2017, a tall, slightly built young man walked into Yours Locally, a mini-supermarket off Kingsland Road; a lively street in an increasingly gentrified area of east London. Many of the nearby bars and clubs would have been starting to fill up. |
| In contrast to many of the clubbers and partygoers out that evening, the man was black, and had been born and bred in the area. He was father to a little girl just shy of her second birthday. He had plans for the weekend. On Sunday, he was going to visit his grandmother. She was going to teach him how to make his favourite chicken stew. | In contrast to many of the clubbers and partygoers out that evening, the man was black, and had been born and bred in the area. He was father to a little girl just shy of her second birthday. He had plans for the weekend. On Sunday, he was going to visit his grandmother. She was going to teach him how to make his favourite chicken stew. |
| The next five minutes were captured on CCTV. The footage shows a police officer follow the man into the shop, grab him from behind and throw him to the floor, landing heavily on top of him. The police officer grabs the man’s face. He is joined by a second man – a bystander – who has wandered into the shop. Together, they pin down the young man. The young man’s face turns grey, his body becomes limp. | The next five minutes were captured on CCTV. The footage shows a police officer follow the man into the shop, grab him from behind and throw him to the floor, landing heavily on top of him. The police officer grabs the man’s face. He is joined by a second man – a bystander – who has wandered into the shop. Together, they pin down the young man. The young man’s face turns grey, his body becomes limp. |
| Rashan Charles never made it to his grandmother’s house that weekend. Lying on the shop floor, he went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the Royal London Hospital at 2.55am. Charles was 20 years old. | Rashan Charles never made it to his grandmother’s house that weekend. Lying on the shop floor, he went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the Royal London Hospital at 2.55am. Charles was 20 years old. |
| The footage is difficult to watch. Any reasonable viewer might wonder what would be done to bring those involved in Charles’s death to justice? | The footage is difficult to watch. Any reasonable viewer might wonder what would be done to bring those involved in Charles’s death to justice? |
| The Independent Office for Police Conduct last week published the results of its investigation into Charles’s death. The watchdog said that the police officer who had restrained him during the course of a drugs search, relying on the assistance of a random member of the public, had no case to answer. It said his behaviour had fallen short of “expected standards” but didn’t amount to misconduct. It categorised his behaviour as “unsatisfactory performance” best dealt with by a meeting with “senior management”. | The Independent Office for Police Conduct last week published the results of its investigation into Charles’s death. The watchdog said that the police officer who had restrained him during the course of a drugs search, relying on the assistance of a random member of the public, had no case to answer. It said his behaviour had fallen short of “expected standards” but didn’t amount to misconduct. It categorised his behaviour as “unsatisfactory performance” best dealt with by a meeting with “senior management”. |
| Police officer who arrested Rashan Charles cleared of misconduct | |
| The IOPC published its findings in a report that included statements from eyewitnesses, experts on police use of force, police officers and medical professionals. Expert police evidence described the way Charles was restrained as “unorthodox” and not “text book in application”, but maintained it had been wholly proportionate. This conclusion carries with it the troubling implication that the police may use “unorthodox force” and act outside the rulebook. | The IOPC published its findings in a report that included statements from eyewitnesses, experts on police use of force, police officers and medical professionals. Expert police evidence described the way Charles was restrained as “unorthodox” and not “text book in application”, but maintained it had been wholly proportionate. This conclusion carries with it the troubling implication that the police may use “unorthodox force” and act outside the rulebook. |
| What makes Charles’s case distinct from most other deaths in custody is the evidence. It’s rare to have video footage of a police-related death. The CCTV and the evidence compiled in the IOPC report and heard at the inquest clearly demonstrate serious failings. The officer’s failure to recognise a medical emergency and act fast; his departure from the rulebook in attempting to search Charles’s mouth without waiting for backup; his delay in calling an ambulance; his complete lack of control in allowing an untrained, unknown member of the public to take part in the restraint. | What makes Charles’s case distinct from most other deaths in custody is the evidence. It’s rare to have video footage of a police-related death. The CCTV and the evidence compiled in the IOPC report and heard at the inquest clearly demonstrate serious failings. The officer’s failure to recognise a medical emergency and act fast; his departure from the rulebook in attempting to search Charles’s mouth without waiting for backup; his delay in calling an ambulance; his complete lack of control in allowing an untrained, unknown member of the public to take part in the restraint. |
| The decision not to hold anyone to account for Charles’s death comes after a year of scrutiny over state impunity for deaths in custody and a spotlight on the disproportionate number of black people dying after contact with the police. | The decision not to hold anyone to account for Charles’s death comes after a year of scrutiny over state impunity for deaths in custody and a spotlight on the disproportionate number of black people dying after contact with the police. |
| Last year 23 people died in police custody, an 11-year high according to figures collated by the IOPC. But this headline figure doesn’t include the deaths of Charles and two other young black men who died shortly before him last summer. Edson Da Costa, 25, died in Newham, east London, a week after restraint by police. Shane Bryant, 29, died in Leicestershire two days after restraint by members of the public and police. When questioned, the IOPC said these deaths didn’t meet its definition of deaths in custody. About Charles’s death, it said: “Because Rashan Charles was never actually arrested and read his rights, he will not be one of the 23. It’s because of the way we define ‘in custody’.” | Last year 23 people died in police custody, an 11-year high according to figures collated by the IOPC. But this headline figure doesn’t include the deaths of Charles and two other young black men who died shortly before him last summer. Edson Da Costa, 25, died in Newham, east London, a week after restraint by police. Shane Bryant, 29, died in Leicestershire two days after restraint by members of the public and police. When questioned, the IOPC said these deaths didn’t meet its definition of deaths in custody. About Charles’s death, it said: “Because Rashan Charles was never actually arrested and read his rights, he will not be one of the 23. It’s because of the way we define ‘in custody’.” |
| In April, a panel of experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed “serious concerns” over the disproportionate use of force by the police on black people and other ethnic minorities in Britain. “The deaths reinforce the experiences of structural racism, over-policing and criminalisation of people of African descent and other minorities in the UK,” they said. | In April, a panel of experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed “serious concerns” over the disproportionate use of force by the police on black people and other ethnic minorities in Britain. “The deaths reinforce the experiences of structural racism, over-policing and criminalisation of people of African descent and other minorities in the UK,” they said. |
| While reporting on the inquest into Charles’s death, a heartbreaking moment that stands out for me was seeing family members of another black man who died recently in police custody turn up day after day, watching what one member of Charles’s family described as a “farce”, readying themselves for what was to come. A reminder that Charles wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. | While reporting on the inquest into Charles’s death, a heartbreaking moment that stands out for me was seeing family members of another black man who died recently in police custody turn up day after day, watching what one member of Charles’s family described as a “farce”, readying themselves for what was to come. A reminder that Charles wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. |
| • For details of the case, Shine A Light’s reporting on the death of Rashan Charles can be read at https://opendemocracy.net/shinealight/rashan-charles | • For details of the case, Shine A Light’s reporting on the death of Rashan Charles can be read at https://opendemocracy.net/shinealight/rashan-charles |
| • Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi is a writer who co-edits Shine a Light, an investigative journalism platform | • Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi is a writer who co-edits Shine a Light, an investigative journalism platform |
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