Mother’s Cry Over Mass Youth Murder Rate

As our children return to school, they have had to come to terms with the massive numbers of young people like them who have been violently murdered in London this year. Despite the fact that we are only three weeks into September, three young men have already lost their lives this month: 17 year old Marcel Addai on September 3rd in Pitfield Street Hoxton; 17 year old Shaquan Mario Fearon on Wednesday September 2nd on Turnham Road Brockley; and most recently, 16 year old Mohammad Dura-Ray who lost his life in Canterbury Place, Walworth on September 14th.

In relation to just these three young lives, at least 15 young black men have been arrested or charged, which means that in addition to the bereaved families of these three young victims, another 15 mothers or more have been directly impacted.

If we include the mothers of the other seven youngsters senselessly murdered this year with the mothers of those young people who have been arrested for their murders the number rockets to 47 mothers who have been directly impacted by these killing in just 9 months. When we add the fathers, siblings, friends, other relatives and professionals who knew them, we begin to see the direct impact that these senseless killings are having on our communities. Nine of the ten youths murdered this year were black, which is a shocking figure. The overwhelming majority of perpetrators are also young black men, which means that at least 47 black mothers have been profoundly impacted in the last 9 months.

It is important that we begin to unpack these underlying details, because only then can we begin to understand the massive and lasting impact that this violence is having on our communities and society as a whole. We know from the extensive work carried out by the EGYV (Ending Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Reviews), across more than forty Local areas nationally, involving literally thousands of professionals and community members both young and old over the last three and a half years, that these mothers and their communities want genuine action.

They want leadership from the black men in their communities, they want leadership from local politicians, and they want leadership from their local schools which continue to unsafely exclude young black boys at shockingly disproportionate rates, with no real regard for their safety, thus leaving them exposed and even more at risk from unscrupulous adults out on the streets. Ultimately it will fall to the mothers, fathers and other responsible adults and professionals at a local level to begin taking action and holding authorities to account where appropriate.

As part of our effort to begin mobilizing a meaningful response to this issue, Kush Films and The Choices Consortium will be screening a film about the death of black teenagers and addressing the broader question about just how much ‘black lives matter’ with a panel of experts. Join us at the event on September 24th to make your contribution to projecting the lives of our teenagers and to creating better opportunities for them than currently exist - unemployment for young black men is running at more than 50%.

Watch the TRAILER for the provocative, powerfully emotive and current award-winning documentary film.

Book Tickets here: http://www.regentstreetcinema.com/programme/3-12-minutes-ten-bullets/

Special Guest Host: Ms Ellen Thomas (Eastenders, Rev, Teachers)

Date: Thursday 24th September 2015

Event starts: 7.00pm – Networking and Press

Film Starts: 8.25pm – 10.03pm

After-film Panel Discussion – Do Black Live Matter ?: 10.05pm – 11.00pm

Venue: The Regent Street Cinema, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW

Thanks to our partners Choices Consortium - and fellow supporters: The Voice Newspaper, Operation Black Vote, Association of Black Probation Officers & Dogwoof Films.

Viv Ahmun, Senior partner of Coreplan, a Director of the Choices Consortium and independent advisor to the Home Office’s EGYV team