BLM ‘set for role’ in Sheku Bayoh probe
CAMPAIGNERS from Black Lives Matter are hoping to take part in the public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh who died in custody.
Mr Bayoh, 31, died in May 2015 while being pinned to the ground by police officers after he was seen acting erratically in the street amid claims he was carrying a knife in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Nine police officers responded to 999 calls about the father-of-two, but the Crown Office confirmed no prosecution will be brought in relation to his death.
A public inquiry, expected to last for up to four years, will cost millions of pounds and will be chaired by retired judge Lord Bracadale.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf confirmed the inquiry would appoint ‘assessors’ to bring a ‘diversity of perspectives’ earlier this year, as well as evidence from police, family and witnesses.
Campaigners from Black Lives Matter (BLM) are hoping to be included, to discuss whether race played a part in the death.
An organiser for the campaign group said: ‘BLM wants to be involved in what is likely to be a landmark event for race relations in Scotland.
‘You cannot have an inquiry projected to last up to four years discussing whether race played a part in the death of a black man at the hands of the police without black voices explaining what it is like to be black and live in Scotland. As well as looking at what happened physically to Sheku Bayoh, it also needs to ask key questions about our society.’
Jatin Haria, executive director of the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, added: ‘The inquiry is most concerned with finding out what happened and why Mr Bayoh died.
‘But if it reaches conclusions without hearing from black people in Scotland and their experiences of racism then it cannot expect to be taken seriously.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘This is a complex and wide-ranging inquiry, one that needs to be properly resourced and supported, and we will ensure that it is supported to do its important work effectively.’