Stop and search is inherently unfair, unjust and ineffectual | David Lammy

By pandering to the right of his party Sajid Javid risks deepening society’s divides

I was 12 years old when I was first frisked, groped and harassed by the police. I was walking down Lawrence Road in Tottenham, rocking big hair and NHS prescription glasses, when I was abruptly ambushed by three police officers. Ferociously patting me down, they said I matched the description of a mugger. The reality was that they could not tell one black boy from another. Many years later, the fear and embarrassment of the first time I was stopped and searched for a crime I did not commit remains with me. Speaking to young black men in my constituency and looking at the statistics, it’s clear that nothing has changed.

Related: Racial bias in police stop and search getting worse, report reveals

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2OmsA0t

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