Stephen Lawrence, a young black man from London was murdered in 1993 by a gang of racist white youths. At the time none of his murderers were arrested or convicted, leading to an investigation that concluded the police force were ‘institutionally racist.’ Lawrence’s case became well-known in the UK and it left a lasting legacy for those who sought justice against police racism.
The family of Stephen Lawrence is holding a memorial service on the 20th anniversary of their son’s murder. High profile figures have been paying their respects to a young man whose death had helped put the spotlight on racial inequality in Britain.
The Lawrence family had mounted a relentless campaign for many years to bring justice to those who were guilty of their son’s murder. Their activism had ended up challenging the police force’s discriminative behaviour towards blacks and ethnic minorities. But some activists believe that not enough is being done by the government.
A new report out today reveals that ethnic minorities in Britain are more likely to be subjected to stop and searches by the police than their white counterparts. The report found that during 1999-2000, the stop rate for black people was 4.9%. Ten years later the rate was 10.8% for every black person in Britain. White people on the other hand were stopped from 1.5% to 1.6% over the course of ten years. But this inequality spreads further into other parts of society.
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