Lord Scarman R.I.P.
In 1981, I was a children's charity co-ordinator in Stockwell and lived in Brixton. I witnessed the so-called race riots which were, in my view and that of the vast majority of residents, triggered by the racist and heavy-handed policing of the Special Patrol Group out of Brixton police station.
Lord Scarman lanced the festering boil with his even-handed, respectful approach to all who appeared at the inquiry into the 1981 Brixton riots, which he chaired, and which led to community policing and the creation of the Police Complaints Authority.
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Lord Scarman became a popular figure in Brixton, making frequent informal visits to the area. His inquiry found that the disorder was caused by serious social and economic problems affecting the inner cities. He also blamed "racial disadvantage that is a fact of British life".
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He was ahead of his time in being in favour of treating people as equals and not treating them as subjects but as people with rights."
He died on Wednesday aged 93. Obit
here.
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