TREC was present at the recent vigil at Victoria Park. Those present took a knee for 8mins 46 seconds in remembrance of Floyd and for all BAME people who have been unjustly killed at the hands of police brutality. At the event TREC gave a statement.

Derek Chauvin should be charged with 1st degree murder and manslaughter, and, J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao should be charged with aiding and abetting murder. Kneeling on someone’s neck who is handcuffed for nearly nine minutes and ignoring the plea ‘I can’t breathe’, signals intent.

For those individuals arguing the situation in the UK is better than what is being experienced in the USA – the question is: better than what? As humans we should not be in a league table of devastating, terrible, worst, and better.  Where is the best - where is just good?

Let us get this into perspective.  Racism is not a black person’s problem.  Black people are struggling, suffering, and dying because of racism.  There is a distinct difference in where you locate black people in this debate. Wrong location leads to wrong outcomes arguably, sometimes intentionally.

For those who have been carrying placards over the last weeks stating, ‘I stand beside you’ and other similar messages, let us be clear, there are times when you need to be in front.  In front loudly ‘calling out’ the problem.

Even when it means those perpetuating the problem (your friends, your neighbours, your colleagues, your seniors) will be dealt with appropriately – be that through disciplinary and/or court actions.

It is only when individuals are tackled the way you would tackle black people for actions and crimes (sometimes falsely) can we visibly accept the words of ‘I stand beside you’.

TREC’s independent reporting programme (which has been interrupted due to the Covid19 lockdown) will be resurrected immediately upon our return to work and this is clearly needed. 

There are now choices to be made: a) wait for the next reason to protest and do so, or b) engage in collective activities/actions which are determined to bring about the much-needed change.   Actually you can do both!!!

A man accused of racially abusing a BBC reporter as she prepared to go live on air will stand  trial in September, a court heard today. Russell Rawlingson, 50, allegedly targeted the TV and  radio journalist in Leicester city centre on May 10th, forcing her to abandon her planned on-air  report. Ms Kotecha was in Leicester reporting on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement on  coronavirus restrictions and had lined up guests to interview about the pandemic lockdown. For  more information please click here: https://tinyurl.com/yc2bzo7m 

The workout guru Mr. Motivator has told of the stares and the racism he encountered growing

up in Leicester. The 67 year-old, whose real name is Derrick Evans, was a staple of breakfast

television in the 1990s, leading workouts on GMTV. But he told Radio Times magazine his rise

to success had been a struggle. He said: "When I came to Leicester aged 10 from Jamaica,

everyone would look at me as I walked by so I would turn around, smile and wave.

"Later, when I walked into my very first job interview and the guy said to me, 'Why didn't you tell

me you were black?,' I replied, 'Why didn't you tell me you were white?"' For more information

please click here: https://tinyurl.com/y8azj6s7

Demonstrations have taken place across the US and further afield in response to the death of Black

US citizen George Floyd. On June 6 hundreds of people gathered at a protest in the city centre.

Organisers of the city centre protest asked people to join them at the Clock Tower at 1pm. Their

intention was to honour the memory of 46-year-old Mr. Floyd and to highlight racial injustice at

home and abroad. The Leicester Mercury website provided live updates of the peaceful protest as it

happened. For more information their coverage and updates can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/ydy5geon

Unfortunately Woody Wood has passed away. Woody was our electrician when TREC had its

offices at Phoenix Yard. All of us at TREC are saddened at his loss and we want to send our most

heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.

The Race Equality Centre condemns the actions of the police in Minneapolis in terms of the death of George Floyd (and others) and the ongoing oppression and brutality directed towards Black people and Black communities in America.

Between 2013 – 2019 7666 people have been killed by police in America.

There are events being organised in Leicester by individuals/groups who, although feel helpless, want to express their anger and frustration in some visible way. 

Whilst some say ‘it’s not as bad here as in the USA’ there have been a number of controversial incidents where Black people have died in custody and/or have been treated completely different to white people. ie. Mark Duggan (2011), Christopher Alder (1998 former British paratrooper), Joy Gardner (1993) to name but a few. 

TREC have been engaging with Leicestershire Police for a number of years in an attempt to address issues of current policies and practices, disproportional ‘Use of Force’, the over policing of Black communities and recruitment of Black officers.

With support from The Big Lottery Fund TREC recently hired two new equality officers, Joe, and Jaz. They will be working together as health navigators to set up and deliver a mental health support service. Their programme will provide support, assessment, advice and guidance sessions enabling participants to enhance and develop their mental health and well-being strategies to access services. They also plan to assist with demystification of mental health with community organisations through training and support and advise health care professions. We would like to The Race Equality Centre The Race Equality Centre actively promotes, seeks, and implements a racially just, fair and equitable society, which will enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Leicester and Leicestershire. take this opportunity to extend our warmest welcome to our new colleagues. It is still early days yet for their work but we will provide more information on this new programme when it is developed.