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With concerns that have been raised resident’s groups for years about its potential to be a “firetrap,” the tragedy at West London’s Grenfell Tower on 14 June seemed eminently preventable. (1) The Grenfell Action Group claimed in November 2016 that ‘only a catastrophic event’ would expose issues residents had. (2)
To date, the police are saying the official death toll has risen to nine although the presumed dead remained at 79. (3) The police say they are following protocol in not speculating about the fatalities, yet for many the figure is probably in the hundreds. The leader of Kensington Council says it’s of the order of “several thousand.” (4)
The Chief Executive of Kensington and Chelsea council Nicholas Holgate has resigned in the wake of the tragedy, claiming his continued presence to be a “distraction” amidst widespread criticism of his authorities handling of the crisis. (5) The fact that government has not denied that was forced to quit his post probably means that Holgate may feel emboldened to bide his time before submitting an unfair dismissal claim. (6)
However, Theresa May’s new advisor Gavin Barwell remains in post even though he “failed To Review Tower Block Fire Regulations – Despite Four Years Of Warnings” (7) Some of the that should have been carried out under Barwell’s watch – including on the cladding that helped set Grenfell Tower ablaze in just 15 minutes – have seen at least 34 buildings fail tests in 17 local authority areas, including Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Hounslow, Brent and Camden. Last week Camden Council was first local authority to evacuate residents as a precaution. (8)
Social media is replete with tales of heroism and fortitude and also of heartache and calamity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8A8KgBV6J4; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LGHEq8Mhpo; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qxSon8vDFs) but the reality of Grenfell is that it is symptomatic of the conditions that Afrikans and so-called “BME” communities endure daily. Census information reveals that housing inequality worsened between 2001 and 2011, the last decade of Labour’s last tenure in office. (9) These communities experience more overcrowding (10) and homelessness. “…the number of statutory homeless households fell by slightly over 8% while the number of non-white BME homeless households increased by 14.5%.” There is even more revealing from the census data is that “in England, the majority of children living on the fifth floor or above were not of white ethnicity.” (11)
To compound the situation there now reports of 30 households of survivors being evicted from their emergency hotel accommodation at short notice after the local council was unable to extend their booking. (12) And giving lie to notions of ‘great British tolerance,’ residents of nearby luxury flats (in the UKs richest borough) are reportedly complaining and even threatening to move if Grenfell residents are housed too close amid concerns about falling house prices and waived service charges. (13)
In a bid to shake off the sluggish performance in the recent general election campaign and reverse plummeting personal ratings prime minister Theresa May quickly announced there would be a judge led inquiry into the tragedy that would leave “no stone unturned.”. (14) However, this has raised fears among those favouring an inquest, of a “whitewash,” a lengthy, costly exercise that will be “a deliberate attempt to avoid close scrutiny of the various public bodies involved in the running and maintenance of Grenfell Tower.” (15) On the other hand, advocates of an inquiry assert that “by law a coroner cannot proceed with the substantive part of an inquest until any criminal investigation has concluded. But a public inquiry is not hampered in the same way. The scope of a public inquiry is also wider. Beyond doubt, a public inquiry is a better option than an inquest.” (16) Unlike an inquest, an inquiry can apportion blame. (17) A 16,000 strong petition has called for “an inquest which is truly independent from government, not set up and controlled by government”. (18)
Although the actual cause of the fire has now been confirmed as a faulty Hotpoint fridge-freezer, the police are considering manslaughter charges. (19) the police say they are considering “every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards, we are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.” (20) Such pronouncements will meet the approval of Labour MP David Lammy, who lost a friend, Khadija Saye in the fire, who commented the day after the blaze: “this was a monstrous crime – there must be arrests after Grenfell Tower” (21)
His Labour colleague went further and declared that “victims of the Grenfell Tower fire were murdered by political decisions.” He added the decision to “view housing as only for financial speculation” meant the Grenfell Tower victims were “murdered”. He also said closing fire stations “contributed” to the deaths. (22)
(1) Grenfell Action Group (26/08/14) Is Grenfell Tower a Firetrap?. https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/is-grenfell-tower-a-firetrap/
(2) Richard Hartley-Parkinson (14/06/17) Grenfell Action Group warned of a catastrophic fire at tower on fire in West London. http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/14/grenfell-action-group-warned-of-a-catastrophic-fire-at-tower-on-fire-in-west-london-6706867/
(3) Haroon Siddique (23/06/17) Grenfell Tower fire: police considering manslaughter charges. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/23/grenfell-tower-fire-police-considering-manslaughter-charges
(4) Mikey Smith (22/05/17) What is the official death toll from Grenfell Tower – and why isn’t the number as high as people think? http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/what-official-death-toll-grenfell-10641711
(5) Matthew Weaver and Press Association (22/06/17) Kensington and Chelsea chief ‘had to go’, say Labour and campaigners. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/22/kensington-chelsea-chief-nicholas-holgate-had-to-go-say-labour-campaigners
(6) Patrick Butler (23/07/14) Sacked Baby P chief Sharon Shoesmith won payout of more than £600,000. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/23/baby-p-chief-sharon-shoesmith-won-payout-over-dismissal
(7) Owen Bennett (14/06/17) Theresa May’s New Advisor Gavin Barwell Failed To Review Tower Block Fire Regulations – Despite Four Years Of Warnings. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/grenfell-tower-fire-gavin-barwell_uk_59410ecbe4b09ad4fbe45929
(8) Lizzie Dearden (25/06/17) Grenfell Tower: Thousands of residents could be evacuated from tower blocks across UK over safety risks. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-latest-tower-blocks-evacuations-uk-manchester-plymouth-camden-safety-cladding-gas-a7806706.html
(9) Nissa Finney and Kitty Lymperopoulou with Nisha Kapoor, Alan Marshall, Albert Sabater and Ludi Simpson (2014) Local Ethnic Inequalities: Ethnic Differences in Education, Employment, Health and Housing in Districts of England and Wales, 2001−2011. p. 4. https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/Inequalities%20report-final%20v2.pdf
(10) Ibid.
(11) Professor Danny Dorling (2010) How does green space inequality compare to other inequalities?. Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. http://sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/presentations/cabe/
(12) Sarah Marsh (24/06/17) Grenfell Tower survivors evicted from hotel accommodation. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/24/grenfell-tower-fire-survivors-told-to-leave-emergency-hotel-accommodation-kensington-london
(13) Tanveer Mann (24/06/17) Kensington resident says she’ll move out of luxury block if Grenfell survivors move there. http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/24/kensington-resident-says-shell-move-out-of-luxury-block-if-grenfell-survivors-move-there-6731142/#ixzz4l6bOZREh; Mark Chandler (21/06/17) Outrage as luxury flat residents complain rehomed Grenfell Tower families will lower house prices. http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/outrage-as-luxury-flat-residents-complain-rehomed-grenfell-families-will-lower-house-prices-a3570331.htm
(14) Robert Mackey (15/06/17) Theresa May Avoids Survivors of Grenfell Tower Fire During Visit to Scene of Disaster. https://theintercept.com/2017/06/15/theresa-may-avoids-survivors-grenfell-tower-fire-visit-scene-disaster/
(15) Chris Baynes (17/06/17) What is an inquest, how is it different to a public inquiry, and why are Grenfell fire victims calling for one? . http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/what-is-an-inquest-different-public-inquiry-grenfell-tower-victims-a7794661.html
(16) Louise Christian (19/06/17) Why the Grenfell Tower tragedy needs a rapid public inquiry, not an inquest. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/19/grenfell-tower-tragedy-public-inquiry-inquest-fire-victims
(17) Baynes (17/06/17)
(18) Ibid (17/06/17)
(19) Richard Spillett, Martin Robinson and James Tapsfield (23/06/17) Grenfell Tower inferno was started by a Hotpoint fridge freezer say police who are looking at manslaughter charges as part of the investigation. : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4632232/Grenfell-Tower-insulation-tiles-FAILED-fire-tests.html#ixzz4kpjlAvpp
(20) Siddique (23/06/17)
(21) David Lammy (15/06/17) This was a monstrous crime – there must be arrests after Grenfell Tower. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/15/crime-grenfell-tower-burning-homes-police-fire
(22) BBC News (26/06/17) John McDonnell: Grenfell victims ‘murdered by political decisions’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40401314
we ask the question:
Grenfell Tower tragedy: Is it “Murder”?
1. Are the numbers of deaths being deliberately supressed?
2. Should there be an inquest of a public inquiry – or both?
3. Why are the majority of children living above the 4th floor not white?
4. What can be done to address this situation?
5. What is the best way to transform the condition of Afrikan people in the UK?
Our very special guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and UNIA-ACL Ambassador for the UK and national co-Chair of the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of over 30 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Guide To Excellence.
Ras Asheber: is an activist and the Musikal Medicine Man, Spearhead of the Roots Renaissance Movement and Afrikan Revolution Collective Originator of Sankofa Beat. Ras Asheber is currently on the ground running one the Grenfell Tower collection and distribution centres handling clothes, food, toiletries and other sundries.
Hear weekly discussions and lively debate on all issues affecting the Afrikan community, at home and abroad. We talk it straight and make it plain!
ASwA Hosted by Sis Kai Ouagadou-Mbandaka and Bro ShakaRa
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