News - Another black man dies in West Midlands police custody

Wow I just came across this story reading the Voice. Like I stated in my blog on Kingsley this is something that has been happening for years but is becoming more identified now. There will be a March for Kingsley Burrell 2nd July 2011 at 12:00 Noon Starting At Abbey Street, Winson Green, b18 5sQ.

-Fonz
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Family cries foul play as another black man dies in West Midlands police custody
(By Trudy Simpson)

ANOTHER MAN has died following contact with police just months Kingsley Burrell and Smiley Culture.

According to reports, Demetre Fraser, a 21-year-old black man, from Peckham in South London, is said to have jumped from the 11th floor of a tower block where he was temporarily staying in Birmingham on May 31, during a visit by two police officers from the West Midlands.

West Midlands police told The Voice today (June 23) in a statement that police officers discovered the body at the foot of the tower block when they came to speak with Fraser about a reported breach of curfew conditions imposed by a court.

But his mother, Jossette Fraser, disputed West Midland police’s claims, telling a blogger on Operation Black Vote's (OBV) website that neighbours have told her they heard a huge commotion on the morning Fraser died.

“There is no way he jumped from that 11th floor window and committed suicide,” she told The Voice.

Demetre, whose story was published on an OBV blog earlier today, was said to have been temporarily staying in Birmingham's Druids Heath area. It is reported that he was on bail as a result of a petty assault charge after a dispute with his girlfriend but the compliant was subsequently withdrawn. His bail conditions were that he was to reside outside of London and on the 31st May at around 9 am West Midlands Police visited Demetre for a reported tag check. He was outside of his curfew time and there was no requirement for him to be home at that time.

“They are trying to tell me my son jumped off an 11th floor balcony and killed himself. Why? His girlfriend had withdrawn the charge against him and he knew that. He was waiting for the Crown Prosecution Service or the Police to formally tell him so he could come home to Peckham,” Fraser’s mother said. “He was reunited with his girl and looking forward to coming home and his friends spoke to him every day. My boy was happy and was just waiting for the charges to be dropped so he could come home."

She told the OBV blogger: “My family and Demetre’s friends are all in a state of deep shock and disbelief. His girlfriend is beside herself and we are demanding that West Midlands Police immediately suspend the two officers concerned whilst we get to the bottom of what actually happened. The idea that my son committed suicide is some sort of sick joke. Black men are not safe in police custody. Demetre, Smiley Culture and Kingsley Burrell proves that.”

Campaigners Maxi Hayles from Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU) and Lee Jasper, expressed outrage at Fraser’s death, coming so soon after the deaths of reggae singer Smiley Culture in Surrey on March 15 and Kingsley Burrell in Birmingham on March 31.

“It’s taking us back to the 1980s,” Lee Jasper told The Voice. “We have (had) this increase in deaths in custody in a short space of time.”

Hayles added: "They need to immediately suspend the officers involved in Demetre's case. We have just lost Smiley then Kingsley Burrell and now within weeks this young man. How much more can we take?”

A West Midlands spokesperson told The Voice: “West Midlands Police can confirm that the IPCC was informed on 1 June about the death of a 21-year-old man from Druids Heath in South Birmingham whose body was found at the foot of the tower block in which he lived. The discovery was made after officers had visited the address in an attempt to speak to the man about his alleged breach of court-imposed curfew conditions. The referral to the IPCC is standard procedure under protocol relating to the death or serious injury of anyone who may have had recent contact with the police. Having considered the circumstances, the IPCC has since referred the matter back to West Midlands Police’s Professional Standards Dept who will carry out an internal inquiry into the matter.”

On Saturday (July 2), Fraser’s mother, Burrell’s sister, Kadisha Burrell and Smiley Culture’s nephew, Merlin Emmanuel are expected to speak at a second march for Justice is to be held in Birmingham. They are calling for a public enquiry and more action and accountability to prevent more deaths. Burrell, a young father, had called the police to help him because he feared gang intimidation but he was forcibly arrested and later ended up dead in hospital. Smiley Culture’s family members have also disputed claims that he stabbed himself after officers raided his home in Warlingham, Surrey. The July 2 march is also being supported by celebrities such actor and pop star Ashley Walters.