Unity in the Community

North Kent Caribbean Network and Kent Equality Cohesion Council arranged for community members to come together with appropriate social distance measures in place to reflect on the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of American police officers in Minneapolis. With racial tensions and protests rising so rapidly the event provided an opportunity for those attending to gather for a moment of silence and the symbolic taking of the knee as a sign of solidarity.

Alan Pughsley the Chief Constable for Kent was in attendance and stated that “It was important to me for us to take part in this show of solidarity. We at Kent Police stand with all those who are horrified at the manner in which George Floyd lost his life. It is right there is accountability and justice should follow.  I am fortunate to lead a Force whose officers share my passion and pride in policing. I am extremely proud of this and our communities can be confident we listen, we work with them to solve problems and we are accountable for the service we provide. We are never complacent and always strive to be better.”

Michelle Bramble, Chair of the North Kent Caribbean Network said “This case in particular has hit us hard. How many times do we have to hear the words ‘I can’t breathe’ before people begin to accept that all lives don’t matter until black lives matter. The responsibility lies with everyone, not just people of colour so I’m asking everyone to educate themselves, have a conversation and more importantly challenge racist behaviour with the support of our community partners. The pandemic has changed the way the world works forever, as has the killing of George Floyd and countless others who did not go viral. We cannot go back to how things were before.”