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Two innocent black brothers mistakenly suspected by drug traffic police after fist bumping in the street say they were attacked for their skin color and will sue the police.
Dijon Joseph, 30, and his brother Liam, 29, say they were left humiliated and distraught when they were arrested and searched, with a brother in handcuffs.
Siblings from a devout Christian family in south London told The Guardian that between them they have been detained and searched by the police more than 25 times, starting when they were children.
They said the police were treating blacks as suspects until proven otherwise, damaging relationships with communities, which still hoped they could be repaired.
His case was one of five that the police watchdog cited Tuesday when they criticized the Met for its use of arrest and search, and identified a phalanx of areas in need of improvement.
The Joseph brothers were arrested and searched on February 27, 2018 in front of a Caribbean restaurant on Deptford High Street, south London. At the time, Dijon was working in education as a mentor, and Liam is a musician.
Dijon said: “I was asking for food and I went out. I saw my little brother and that’s when we fist bump.
“They surrounded us, physically detained us, even with handcuffs, and searched us in public for a period of about 20 minutes. It was humiliating; we were distraught and confused, but that understandable reaction was described by the police as ‘incredibly evasive and aggressive.’
Dijon, who is 6-foot-8, said: “It’s so offensive to be called aggressive when you’re not being aggressive. My skin and hair color for a white police officer looks aggressive. He had one hand in handcuffs and a phone in the other. “
Liam said: “The only explanation we’ve seen is that it was because of our fist bumps and because we were on Deptford Street at the time. The reality, of course, is that this happened because we are young black people. Our skin color is ‘suspicious’, so we are nine times more likely to be arrested and searched. “
Dijon says it was roughly the 20th time that he had been arrested and searched by police in London, a ordeal that began at age 12. Liam says he’s been arrested six times. It also does not have a criminal conviction.
Dijon said: “They have arrested me 20 times, because they are targeting black men. There has never been a just reason. “
Liam added, “You have to swallow your pride and bite your tongue and say nothing.”
Both brothers said the Met is institutionally racist with disproportionate arrests of black people stemming from unconscious or blatant biases, and that most officers do not live in London and do not know its culture.
Liam said, “This ignorance makes young black men seem like a threat. They stigmatize us, without knowing us ”.
The brothers complained to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.
The police watchdog confirmed that officers refused to answer key questions and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate any allegations of misconduct against officers, including discrimination.
The requirement that officers cooperate with IOPC investigations came only after this case was concluded.
Dijon said the system for holding police to account is too weak: “These officers chose to give interviews without comment, and the IOPC said there was insufficient evidence to say it was discrimination. If the grievance system can’t connect the dots in an experience like ours, then that system needs to change too. This week’s IOPC recommendations are only as valuable as the system that implements them. “
Dijon said it was not “guarded by consent”, which is the guiding philosophy of British law enforcement.
The brothers say they have no choice but to sue, and that the institutions that are supposed to defend justice are failing. Liam said: “We approached the Equality and Human Rights Commission for help in making a case. They refused. We asked the Metropolis Police Commissioner to admit discrimination under the Equality Act and they too refused. Having exhausted all the other options we have today [Thursday] He initiated civil proceedings in the courts against the Metropolitan Police for discrimination, assault and false imprisonment. We hope that the police and all the systems that surround them will learn from our experience; the change is expired. “
Her attorney Carolynn Gallwey said her firm, Bhatt Murphy, who specializes in claims against the police, has never been so busy: “My firm is receiving a record number of inquiries about the discriminatory use of stop-and-search at this time; never an adequate reform has been carried out. ” I needed more ”.
A video of his stop on social media drew more than 200,000 views.
The IOPC confirmed that officers declined to answer key questions during oral interviews.
A spokesperson for the watchdog said: “In isolation, this case did not identify misconduct or evidence of racial discrimination, however looking at this in conjunction with other investigations has identified broader concerns that there is a lack of understanding on the part of officers on why their actions may be perceived as discriminatory.
“That is why we have recommended that the MPS take steps to ensure that assumptions, stereotypes, and biases (conscious or unconscious) do not inform or affect its officers’ decision-making about arrest and search.”
The Met has denied that bias effects stop and register and says powers help get dangerous guns off the streets.
