Sheffield Newswire Archive

After the incidents I related in a previous post Over the top policing in Pitsmoor, I bumped into Inspector John Ekwubiri in Abbeyfield Park at Abbeyfield Multicultural Festival Part 2 [Sat 10 Sep 2005]. He promised to ring me the day after next [Mon 12 Sep 2005], and he did.

As he had not read my previous article, I appraised him of its contents.

I first asked what had been the purpose of the raid. He confirmed that it was one of two that took place that morning; the other occurring on Abbeyfield Road. The purpose was to arrest a couple of people in connection with the incident on Earsham Street – the threat to officers and the public was sufficient that it was deemed necessary to have an armed unit carry out the raid. The operation was a joint effort of local police, South Yorkshire CID and the armed unit [which I didn’t catch the correct terminology for].

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This press release from Howell's Solicitors about Anthony Green is pretty interesting. If your not familiar with the story it should come as no surprise to learn that Anthony Green is black.

Any news of this story elsewhere?

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The M1 carries huge volumes of traffic (some sections up to 160,000 vehicles per day). There is congestion at peak times. The widening is proposed to "reduce congestion and improve both safety and journey time reliability". But the plans are already flawed. When the proposals for the widening were originally agreed, it was noted that the only way to lock in the benefits would be to employ road-use charging. This has not been mentioned in the current documentation. In addition, independent research has shown that you can't build your way out of congestion, road widening and new roads simply encourage more traffic. The government's own studies confirm this. With traffic already predicted to increase by 50% by 2011, there is an urgent need for more long-term sustainable solutions rather than a road building programme that will further accelerate this increase.

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A request for activists to join a blockade of the Rolls Royce factory in Derby, where they make the engines for the Trident submarines is going out.

There will be a weekend of events starting on Saturday 22nd October with leafleting and events in Derby. This will be followed on Sunday by training for the blockade on the Monday morning. Trident Ploughshares have asked people who want to join the blockade to come to the training day as details of the following day will be given.

Derby Peace Pages | Trident Ploughshares | More Info

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Statistically Sheffield is an extremely safe city to live in, but there are certain areas which are the focus of criminal activity. This morning students from both Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield University carried out direct action to warn new and old students about the danger posed by one such area; Frog Walk.

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The deadline for the Parliamentary Inquiry into Special Educational Needs is near – Monday 3rd October and has had no publicity to date. It is an ideal opportunity for anyone with an interest to have an input towards a report that will make an impact on policies that affect what is experienced, for the young person, the parent/carer, and the school.

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Annual 'Keep Space For Peace' Demonstration - part of the international week of protest called for by:

THE GLOBAL NETWORK AGAINST WEAPONS AND NUCLEAR POWER IN SPACE (GN)

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The regular monthly protests at Brough BAe military aircraft making plant on Humberside are set to continue.
This might interest any returning renegades from DSEi or any aspiring anti-arms trade virgins.!

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On Monday 26th September, the trial of the George Fox 6 commences at Lancaster Magistrates Court. Six student activists face charges in a three day arising out of an action that took place at Lancaster University in September 2004 where protestors had gone into the George Fox building at the university to hand out leaflets and talk to people at the "Corporate Venturing" Conference - a networking meeting for multinational corporations. Speakers at the conference were drawn from controversial arms manufacturer BAE Systems, Shell and other companies the six say have 'long histories of human rights abuses and environmental destruction'. Police attended and told the protestors they were doing nothing wrong, but some months later they received summonses through the post. The defendants are seeking support at the trial.

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The hot chocolate drink hasn't changed much over the last fifty years. However, vegans have uncovered a post-moderist way to make this comforting bed-time drink, which could modestly threaten the corporate power of Neslte and Cadbury Swepes.

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Recently released long term Spanish anarchist comes to the UK to discuss state brutality and prisoner resistance to it

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The Knowledge Lab on Globalisation from Above and Below, located at Lancaster University in North West England and funded by the Institute for Advanced Studies, brings together activists and academics to discuss aspects of the capitalist economy driving globalisation from above - such as enclosures, precarious labour, structural violence, colonialism, and their justifying cultural imagery – and to make visible alternative architectures emerging through processes of globalisation from below, i.e. through grassroots movements cooperating to create a world based on human rights and mutual aid. The Knowledge Laboratory is an anticapitalist initiative.

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If you want massive feel good Demos don’t come to DSEi it is only for hardened dedicated activists who want to shut this disgusting business down.

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DSEi London 4:30 pm on Tuesday an elderly lady decided she had had enough and was going to block the east entrance to the EXCEL centre

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Next Dissent! Gathering>>>

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The former Owls Trust today launches with a new identity - Wednesdayite - a new logo and a new website at www.wednesdayite.com with a brand new revamped strategy.

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The residents of Nottingham and Rising Streets in Pitsmoor who were awake at 0600 on Friday morning [02 September 2005], witnessed an armed raid on an address on Nottingham Street.

South Yorkshire Police were there in force. From [a limited view in] my house in Rising Street I could see seven armed officers, two sniffer dogs, four police vehicles and numerous other officers. The police vehicles were positioned to block both Nottingham Street [thereby blocking the 47 and 48 bus routes] and Rising Street.

So what had happened that warranted such a show of force? It seems that the raid was associated with a recent shooting on Earsham Street, and turns out to be a case of mistaken identity. The target of the raid was a 16-year-old black young man who happens to have the same streetname as the perpetrator of the shooting. He was not in the house at the time of the raid.

My family was awakened by noises outside my house. My daughter came and woke my partner and I. I went to look out of my window and was shocked to see two armed officers in *my* yard pointing their guns at my long-term neighbours' house. I then noticed the further five armed officers in the next yard and wondered what the hell was happening. My immediate concerns were for my neighbours -- questions flashed through my mind: "How will Grandma react?", for example. I went downstairs and unlocked my back door and was confronted by one of the two men in my yard. I was told to shut my door "for my safety" and I instantly thought: "Just who is it that's making this situation unsafe? My neighbours who I've known for over a decade or a bunch of anonymized, [yup: no visible numbers] kitted-up, kevlar- and black-clad coppers?".

We got a digital camera together and whilst other members of my family were looking out of other windows, I started taking photos and shooting a few small video clips.

Whilst trying to record the events, I was told in no uncertain terms to "Put that camera away!", when I questioned the officer why, I received no rational response, but just another barked order to stop taking photos [I continued].

While this was all happening, the police banged on the door shouting "Armed police". Grandma answered the door and told the officer that only she and her daughter were in the house. She went to talk to the officers. I didn't see Mum leave [as i went downstairs to another viewpoint]. I then saw a sniffer dog sent into the house followed by the armed officers. After some time they exited and were replaced by what appeared to me to be a search team [rubber gloves, boxes of equipment etc]. It was also at this point that I saw Inspector Jon Ekwubiri, clipboard in hand] directing operations on Rising Street, I don't know whether he was present through the whole operation. I also didn't know what was happening elsewhere as I was still stuck in my house.

In the days following the incident, I got the chance to talk members of the family about the incident. I mentioned earlier that the youth was not present at the premises when the police made entry into the house. The youth had in fact seen the police prescence from further down Nottingham Street, and when he realized that his Grandma's house was the one surrounded, he identified himself to the police officers. To help avoid trauma to his family and others, he offered his key for access. I did *not* see this key used for access.

At this point, the youth was taken to Attercliffe Police Station, where after contacting his solicitor, he was interviewed at around 1500, eventually being bailed at 1730 [nearly twelve hours after the original incident].

Grandma was sufficiently affected by the incident, that she did not stay at the house all weekend and sought medical help.

The family's reactions to the incident will hopefully be the some of the material for a further article as the legal process grinds through its course.

I rang Inspector Ekwubiri [who has responsibility for policing in Burngreave and Fir Vale] at 1630 on Friday, for his comments on the raid, but I reached his answering machine. At the time of publishing the Inspector had not returned my call. I will report further here if and when he does.

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The above was written in the three days immediately following the incident. I had still not received a return call from the Inspector. On Saturday 10 September, I was working a stall at Abbeyfield Multicultural Festival Part II and spotted Inspector Ekwubiri and took the opportunity to have a brief chat with him. I hope to be interviewing him over the next couple of days and will, of course, report here.

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My reasons for welcoming the demise of Sheffields airport.

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On Friday 9th September there was a benefit night hosted by Sheffield No Borders group at Matilda social centre.

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Following is an independent assessment of Viridor’s Planning Application to extend active waste tipping at Parkwood in Sheffield.

See also the Local Residents Fight Parkwood Landfill Expansion Proposals feature article from May 2005.

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