"Do you understand how the legal system works? Are you interested..?" read the flyer. The two-hour introductory session fell in a free slot in my mid-week diary, with the venue just across the road, and an offer of food. So I chanced attending. Our membership of the Broomhall Group of Groups (GoG) has delivered access and invitations to an interesting range of local community activities. I mostly find myself a novice and a listener.
"Turn to the person next to you and discuss what you want to get out of this course." Led in our facilitator, Rosie. The flipchart bore the words Information, Issues, Action. "I'm clueless," I turned to my table-neighbour. "I've just come to see what I can learn". Over my shoulder I caught, "What's this all about? I came expecting a Hari Krishna meeting. It was on last week. You'd think they'd let you know if they scrapped it". Oh-ho, I was looking forward to what would go down on the flipchart for that feedback contribution. Call me a dinosaur or subversive if you wish, but I hate those group sessions that descend to the level of sharing ignorance, or opinions.
I need to explain some background. Some four years ago, there were unhappy rumblings about the level of street drugs crime in the neighbourhood. The Police mounted an unannounced Operation Mach to flush out supply - dealers. It resulted in an impressive haul of convictions. Over 20 custodial sentences were handed out. However, the local community was outraged. Broomhall is home to the largest population of Somalis outside of Africa. The local residents lacked the cultural familiarisation to accommodate such intrusive Policing methods. There were suspicions of entrapment. When arrested, suspects were given little information about access to legal representation. Seemingly disproportionate bail conditions were imposed. Some convictions were followed up with deportation orders. And inevitably, some parents denied their children could ever do such a thing. Success came at a high price. In fact, GoG largely came into existence to patch up the torn social fabric.
Around the room we divided equally between immigrants - essentially these who experienced the heavy handed treatment, and a more detached long-term resident contingent. Ali and Saeed were vigorously translating, as the sense of powerlessness and injustice poured out. The flipchart pen squeaked. My pose of respectful silence was well chosen. Eventually, Rosie passed round a suggested timetable for future sessions, and announced that chicken and rice was now up for grabs.
Session 2 produced a group agreement, and then we were post-it-noted to death, as seems to be obligatory in learning events these days. But the heartfelt personal accounts continued to flow. One mother had heard youths arguing adjacent to her flats. Fearful for her son, she rushed outside 'without even realising I wasn't wearing my veil'. The asymmetry between the halves of the room grew. "Concerns and Opportunities" clustered around safety of children, lacking a voice, and poor communications with the Police on one hand, and on the other amenities for recreation, cultural and educational events. We pored over a flowchart of the journey from crime to sentence (www.cjsonline.org/lcjb/dorset). I was getting hooked.
I discovered, however, that the Jesus Centre hasn't penetrated into subconscious of the locality. No-one included it in the post-it notes of identifiable community resources. But as I walked back from last Sunday morning's church meeting, Mary and I passed Sahra in her dark chador. She smiled - slightly self-consciously - and wished me (in Jesus Army jacket) good afternoon. An unprecedented moment. I was even more hooked.
For Session 3 a local defence lawyer agreed to take questions. He distinguished between pre-charge and post-charge bail terms. After Operation Mach, one young guy, finishing his A levels, had been excluded from the area and his education was wrecked. Ali and Kaltum, both fluently bi-lingual, added to the grim litany, relating how they'd been sent away from arrest situations blatantly so that the suspects shouldn't be able to access legal representation - or even know that they could. They'd both also been Police challenged to give their names and details at incidents, but knew their rights sufficiently to refuse.
Our man described the difficulty of getting fingerprints and DNA records destroyed when suspects are found innocent, or even when a case is dropped. His firm has been fighting one case for 12 years. Even after winning the appeal at the European Court of Human Rights, the records remain on database. In 2014, there'll be a massive cut in Legal Aid access and average suspects will get a raw deal. In my morning prayer time I'd read chapters four to seven of Matthew's gospel. I'd arrived at the training with my spirit strengthened by the dynamic justice of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now I sat dismayed at the broken state of everyday life for my neighbours, not least the clash of modern UK societal values with expatriate African Muslim culture. Christ came to reconcile all things: how should I, in His name, respond?
Next week we get representatives from the Police, and the week after from the Youth Justice Service. It's a totally compelling experience.
"Turn to the person next to you and discuss what you want to get out of this course." Led in our facilitator, Rosie. The flipchart bore the words Information, Issues, Action. "I'm clueless," I turned to my table-neighbour. "I've just come to see what I can learn". Over my shoulder I caught, "What's this all about? I came expecting a Hari Krishna meeting. It was on last week. You'd think they'd let you know if they scrapped it". Oh-ho, I was looking forward to what would go down on the flipchart for that feedback contribution. Call me a dinosaur or subversive if you wish, but I hate those group sessions that descend to the level of sharing ignorance, or opinions.
Around the room we divided equally between immigrants - essentially these who experienced the heavy handed treatment, and a more detached long-term resident contingent. Ali and Saeed were vigorously translating, as the sense of powerlessness and injustice poured out. The flipchart pen squeaked. My pose of respectful silence was well chosen. Eventually, Rosie passed round a suggested timetable for future sessions, and announced that chicken and rice was now up for grabs.
Session 2 produced a group agreement, and then we were post-it-noted to death, as seems to be obligatory in learning events these days. But the heartfelt personal accounts continued to flow. One mother had heard youths arguing adjacent to her flats. Fearful for her son, she rushed outside 'without even realising I wasn't wearing my veil'. The asymmetry between the halves of the room grew. "Concerns and Opportunities" clustered around safety of children, lacking a voice, and poor communications with the Police on one hand, and on the other amenities for recreation, cultural and educational events. We pored over a flowchart of the journey from crime to sentence (www.cjsonline.org/lcjb/dorset). I was getting hooked.
I discovered, however, that the Jesus Centre hasn't penetrated into subconscious of the locality. No-one included it in the post-it notes of identifiable community resources. But as I walked back from last Sunday morning's church meeting, Mary and I passed Sahra in her dark chador. She smiled - slightly self-consciously - and wished me (in Jesus Army jacket) good afternoon. An unprecedented moment. I was even more hooked.
For Session 3 a local defence lawyer agreed to take questions. He distinguished between pre-charge and post-charge bail terms. After Operation Mach, one young guy, finishing his A levels, had been excluded from the area and his education was wrecked. Ali and Kaltum, both fluently bi-lingual, added to the grim litany, relating how they'd been sent away from arrest situations blatantly so that the suspects shouldn't be able to access legal representation - or even know that they could. They'd both also been Police challenged to give their names and details at incidents, but knew their rights sufficiently to refuse.
Our man described the difficulty of getting fingerprints and DNA records destroyed when suspects are found innocent, or even when a case is dropped. His firm has been fighting one case for 12 years. Even after winning the appeal at the European Court of Human Rights, the records remain on database. In 2014, there'll be a massive cut in Legal Aid access and average suspects will get a raw deal. In my morning prayer time I'd read chapters four to seven of Matthew's gospel. I'd arrived at the training with my spirit strengthened by the dynamic justice of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now I sat dismayed at the broken state of everyday life for my neighbours, not least the clash of modern UK societal values with expatriate African Muslim culture. Christ came to reconcile all things: how should I, in His name, respond?
Next week we get representatives from the Police, and the week after from the Youth Justice Service. It's a totally compelling experience.
1 comment:
really pleased you are trying to bring kingdom justice into your local community. So many Christians feel there is no need as "Gods in charge", or "well we are living in end times!" I burn with (I hope) righteous anger at the injustices I see, and as a middle aged+ mum of 4 see my boy (32yrs),and a dad struggle through being unemployed and fighting to get his money against a system that seams to try every way it can to not give him what the law says he is entitled to. A daughter who juggles 2 part time jobs and cant get a full time one, and another daughter 22 now back at home as she cant afford to rent as her hours of work vary so much she doesn't know what her wages will be in one weeks time, if anything. And then theres the dearly beloved of 23 yrs,(husband) now disabled and boy have we had to fight the system, (ATOS) over that one! And yes. 2014 and the cuts for legal aid will hit many trying to get justice, not to mention the reduction in funding (effective this year) for CAB. As Christians we are so needed not only to show Gods love to folk going thru these things, but whenever poss. to fight to change the wrongs. And it can only be done by getting involved and learning. Well done bro. KEEP IT UP.
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