The Stephen Lawrence affair

Résumé du document

Stephen Lawrence was born in 1974; he was the first child of Doreen and Neville who emigrated from Jamaica in the 1960s. He had one brother Stuart and one sister Georgina. By the age of seven he had already resolved to become an architect. He lived at Plumstead, south-east London, which is a mixed community. Stephen had friends from different racial backgrounds. He didn't know what a racial incident was and he didn't see why the fact of being black may have endangered him. His family life was based on religious faith and education and he grew up with confidence in himself and others. In 1993 he was studying A-levels in English, craft, design and technology and physics at Blackheath Bluecoat School so as to become an architect and a local architect had already offered him a job. But Stephen was successful not only in the classroom. He loved athletics and once ran for Greenwich. Besides as a Cub, then Scout, he won an armful of badges for everything from cooking to sailing. And like others teenagers, Stephen liked going out, girls and music.

Extraits

[...] Besides as a Cub, then Scout, he won an armful of badges for everything from cooking to sailing. And like others teenagers, Stephen liked going out, girls and music. To conclude, Stephen Lawrence was a normal young man gifted with maturity and charm. He was a young man who just could be loved by everyone. Stephen's parents say their son was good-natured to see evil in others”[1]. echo of tolerance and equality shaped Stephen's character at home and school”[2] his father said. On 22 April 1993 a “racial incident” happened to him. [...]

[...] There had been significant progress to increase trust and confidence in policing amongst minority ethnic communities too. For instance in the case of the recent London bombings, police wouldn't have made any arrests without the relationship between the community and the police. Moreover this case has focused on the need to improve the relationships between the different communities in England: The tragedy of Stephen Lawrence's death shows how much more needs to be done to promote social justice in our communities. [...]

[...] This night, the police were at the scene within minutes. But the inquiry didn't begin really good : the police didn't think of dealing with a racial crime and considered Duwayne Brooks as a suspect and not as a victim or a witness. In spite of receiving numerous tip-offs, just after the murder, as to those who might have been responsible for the attack, officers adopted a lacklustre approach to the investigation. For them it was just a common fight with the common consequences it may have in a suburb of London . [...]

[...] That learning comes from within the home, at school and the wider community. That is why we are promoting the teaching of citizenship at school, to help children learn to grow up in a society that cares and to have real equality of opportunity for all.[11] To conclude I want to hint at a poll done by the BBC on September 2004 entitled death that changed our lives” said that the Stephen Lawrence murder has had the greatest influence on British society . [...]

[...] In 1998 the decisions brought to an end a five year reinvestigation into Stephen's murder by Scotland Yard detectives. The police officers considered evidence for more than two years. For Scotland Yard and the police the case was highly sensitive because of errors exposed by public inquiry and because the CPS (police forces) first decided not to launch any prosecutions, which led the family to launch their own private inquiry and which had been a devastating blow for the Lawrence family. Mrs Lawrence, who struggled for justice for her murdered son, won support from anti-racists and rightwing newspapers. [...]