Anger in West Dublin over George Nkencho shooting

Anger, in its various forms, was the prevailing mood on a gray day in West Dublin.

Offended anger. Raging anger. Solemn anger.

The fallout from the assassination of George Nkencho by armed Gardaí on Wednesday afternoon has boiled the tense situation between Gardaí and ethnic minorities in parts of Dublin.

At an impromptu protest outside the Blanchardstown Garda station, different sentiments were expressed. There was great anger from the younger generation, those who claim to have experienced the brunt of the alleged intimidating treatment by the Gardaí. Things got heated and aggressive.

But, when the protest came to an end after almost three hours, older people also began asking questions.

Why did this happened? Would it have happened to a white person with mental health problems? Why was George Nkencho called a “bully” by certain sections of the media? What should be done about how the Gardaí police these communities?

A statement from the Nkencho family early Thursday morning said George “was not a thug or a criminal.”

“George suffered from a serious mental illness and those who knew him know what kind of person he was,” it said.

Greg Umeh, from the local Igbo community that Nkencho belonged to, said he had never seen the 27-year-old behave in an aggressive manner.

“The few times I met him, he was always smiling, always greeting me. He was not a criminal, he was sick, “he said.

“From what I can understand, Gardaí knew George, as they had been at his facility for incidents involving his mental health in the past.

There are many, many incidents involving people with mental health problems in Ireland, involving the Gardaí. Not everyone ends with someone’s death. ”

The main message was that something must be done, and an investigation by the Garda Ombudsman, GSoc, into the individual incident that saw five shots fired at George Nkencho when he allegedly wielded a knife outside his home, will not be enough.

“We want something to be done about the Garda processes, the policies,” said Greg Umeh.

Our young people tell us that they are afraid, that they are afraid to leave their homes because they are being racially profiled, they pick them up for no reason ”.

He said this profiling was not limited to the Blanchardstown area.

“It’s happening everywhere, we hear it constantly,” he said.

The protest did not end at Blanchardstown Garda Station, but instead continued, through the local marquee mall and onto Hartstown, and the store where a violent incident that first involved Mr. Nkencho occurred on Wednesday, one that eventually led to him to the death. As the march progressed, he grew more enraged.

At approximately 3pm, the Eurospar in question abruptly closed its doors, with the manager present citing that an incident was looming.

“We have to close for a few hours,” he informed his clients as he escorted most of them to the door. Some remained inside, trapped behind glass as protesters rounded the corner about two minutes later, heading straight for the store.

Those present were overwhelmingly young, teenagers, and furious. Several Garda cars reached the scene in a matter of seconds. One was surrounded by protesters, firing missiles and kicking at the vehicle.

There was at least one violent altercation.

Despite the tension in the environment, no arrests were made.

From there, the crowd made the short walk to the scene of George Nkencho’s murder, his home on nearby Manorfields Drive, where he stood vigil as the sun set.

A local woman described the situation as “terrifying”.

“I am living here my whole life. My mother is on this farm, she is completely petrified, ”he said.

We just don’t know what will happen. Peaceful protest is fine, but when it goes the other way, what good is that?

He said he did not believe the incident was racial.

“What should an armed garda do if attacked?” He added.

“This is not about this incident, or an individual garda, and it shouldn’t be,” said Dr. Lucy Michael, a sociologist with Fingal Communities Against Racism.

She said that the main problems that can be seen with policing in the area stem from the fact that “the Gardaí do not do enough to deal with their prejudices, conscious prejudices, unconscious prejudices, and the fact that we do not have legislation to convert racial profiling is a crime here. “

“[Garda Commissioner] Drew Harris will have to take a position on this, GSoc will not be enough, “he said, adding that” all the children in this community know what GSoc is.

“How many white kids do you think know that in Dublin?”

“All that every well-intentioned person should ask for is justice and an end to these kinds of killings,” Emeka Ejezie, leader of the Igbo community, said earlier in front of the Garda station in Blanchardstown.

“The correct message is that what happened to George shouldn’t happen to anyone, regardless of race.”