Are you convinced by the Met police’s excuse for incident with Linford Christie athletes?
I’m not.
The Metropolitan Police say they were well within their rights to stop – and handcuff – athletes Ricardo dos Santos and Bianca Williams while their three-month-old son was left in their car.
Linford Christie – yes, that Linford Christie, the UK’s most successful sprinter, and a mentor of both athletes – posted video of the incident on Twitter. It’s quite disturbing:
https://twitter.com/ChristieLinford/status/1279464555547168768
He also posted a statement:
— Linford Christie (@ChristieLinford) July 4, 2020
“Two of my athletes were stopped by the police today [July 4], both international athletes, both parents of a three month old baby who was with them and both handcuffed outside of their home,” he wrote.
“Can Cressida Dick or anyone please explain to me what justication the Met Police officers had in assaulting the driver, taking a mother away from her baby all without one piece of PPE and then calling the sniffer dog unit to check the car over?
“Was it the car that was suspicious or the black family in it which led to such a violent confrontation and finally an accusation of the car smelling of weed but refusing to do a roadside drug test?
“This is not the first time this has happened (second time in two months) and I’m sure it won’t be the last but this type of abuse of power and institutionalised racism cannot be justified or normalised any long #BLM #MetPoliceRacist.”
Now here’s the Met’s rationalisation:
The stop took place at about 1.25pm and was executed by the Territorial Support Group, which was patrolling the area in response to an increase in violence involving weapons.
The Met said the vehicle had blacked-out windows and was “driving suspiciously”, including being on the wrong side of the road. It said when officers indicated for it to stop, the car sped off. Officers caught up with the vehicle when it stopped on Lanhill Road, but the driver initially refused to get out of the car, the Met said.
The occupants, a 25-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, were detained for the purposes of a search under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the statement continued. After nothing was found on their person or in the vehicle, no arrests were made and the pair were released.
Has anyone seen evidence that these athletes were driving on the wrong side of the road? I haven’t.
And the “blacked-out windows” excuse has been used on black people before – and been found to be false, with the tints found to be within legal levels.
“The car sped off.” Did it, though? If you’re travelling in a built-up area – in London! – and the police turn up behind you, telling you to stop, it seems unlikely that’ you’re going to get too far. Maybe that’s just my impression.
Linford Christie is, of course, intimately familiar with institutional racism, after he won Olympic Gold in the 100m in August 1992 and the press belittled the achievement – he was only the second British athlete to manage it since Harold Abrahams in 1924 – by cultivating an unhealthy obsession with his euphemistically-titled “lunchbox”.
I think there’s more to this than the Met have admitted and the facts should come out.
Why did police really stop this car?
Was it because the occupants were black?
Reports say the couple are seriously considering taking the Met to court and I think they should. Agreed?
Source: Met police deny misconduct after Linford Christie athletes stopped | UK news | The Guardian
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Question why did one male police officer have his baton over his shoulder given this was supposedly a ‘routine stop?’ The male’s stance was aggressive in itself and everything about the Metropolitan police lies – oops I mean their claims stinks!
Metropolitan police have a history of lying and targeting black women and men so I don’t believe their lie ‘car was being driven on wrong side of the road!’ Where’s the evidence boys?
Why the need to have a sniffer dog given there was no evidence whatsoever of drugs! Everything points to deliberate metropolitan police male dominant oppression and terrorising of a woman and man who just happened not to be white and male!
Sincerely hope these two athletes do instigate a civil case against the xenophobic and terrorist metropolitan police but as usual such cases cost money and the Met police have their fascist tories supporting them!
No I am not. The police can check a vehicle registration and the owner within seconds these days. Why the Met police aren’t doing that is something they need to explain.
I creid laughed at the police response to we smelled weed oh dear bill and Ben policing if it wasn’t so serious has a baby involved it should never have happened but whot is terratoryal police is that the joking police
With their equipment at the ready to smash and slash these ‘officers’ look more like terrorists or Nazi stormtroopers than police officers. One holding a baton at the ready and the other with a specialist glass breaker. Equipped for violence and vandalism both! Enough to strike terror into the most law abiding citizen!