On Wednesday 27th April 2022, around the hour of 15:04pm, a young Black Muslim girl was victim to a traumatising encounter with the police in Lambeth, Stockwell. The young girl who attended Platanos College was arrested on suspicion of burglary by policemen PC Bamber who, after seeing her trying to open a Shutter to a shop, acted on a prejudicial narrow thinking judgement. The event caused a public uproar as the suspicion to which the arrest was made can be seen as racially motivated to a great degree from the perspective of stereotypical thinking. The young 16 year old was mishandled and forced into a nearby store with handcuffs tied around her wrist. Her Hijab was told unto news outlets that it was 'already partially removed before the incident began' upon encounter; she was denied access to seeing her parents and was instead comforted by a senior teacher from the School.
This gives rise to a myriad of issues- for starters, the young girl’s right to protection was denied by those who were sworn in to protect young girls like her, and instead perpetuated direct harm towards her mentally, emotionally, and physically. The scene erupted into a state of chaos with PC Bamber, upon feeling panic from the attention his iniquity had caused, called for reinforcements via the arrival of 14 police cars with over 60 police officers as company. Parents of the young 16 year old give a detailed account of their daughter's treatment: she was pushed into the premises whilst screaming for the officer to let her go; the officer did not think to prioritise the condition nor state this choice of action would leave her in; she was fasting throughout the month [Ramadan] and so there was already pre-existing stress felt by the young girl.
Many are able to call into relation with this crime the case of Child Q, a young 15 year old girl in Hackney who was unlawfully searched for possession of marijuana amidst her menstrual cycle. Not only did the Police not find anything, but they have imprinted trauma into her psyche so deep that it will disrupt her process of healing for many years. The relation is made on the very basis that the treatment of these girls was a direction alluding towards adultification. These young girls were treated as a policeman would treat an adult as opposed to a child. Black youth are often viewed in society as far more mature than their peers, leading them to be seen and treated as adults, when they are merely children. Failure to acknowledge the difference is akin to being blind to the lines between what is right and what is wrong; what is justified and where accountability needs to be taken. The police should be utilised as a force to protect the well-being of the youth, especially young Black girls. This case is evident that much change is needed in accordance with it being a vital necessity if we are to continue living in this society.
In the year ending with March 2021, 695,009 stops and searches were conducted under section 1 PACE by police residing in England and Wales. With deeper insight into these statistics, young people of a Black ethnicity were 7x more likely to be searched than their white counterparts. Children aged 10-to-17 accumulated to 17% of the initial stops and searches where 115,633 became victims of searches with this nature. 13% of these searches were drug-related. In connection to this case, and that of Child Q, females aged 15 and 34 accounted for 7% of the stops and searches. These statistics in hindsight showcase a dismissal of Black Trauma- Child Q and this young girl are children who should have never had exposure to such a thing. As a result of all of this- the young girl felt feelings rooted in humiliation in addition to being mentally unable to take her GCSEs which she was due to sit the following month.
Our children, once taken out of this idea that they are our future, are just children. It is our responsibility and duty to protect them from the evil workings of a society that forces them to grow up before their time. In order to flourish as the futures of our society, they first need to know that we stand for and with them: in protection, grace and compassion. Let us show our support by ending our means for silence.