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| Unity: The first March 4 Justice saw representatives from many family campaigns against deaths in custody, unite in their grief and pursuit of justice. |
FOLLOWING A well-attended rally on April 16, another march is planned to demand justice over the deaths of Smiley Culture and Kingsley Burrell following contact with the police.
Kingsley Burrell's sister, 27-year-old Kadisha Brown-Burrell from Birmingham said: "We are awaiting another coroner's court hearing on May 5 and hopefully they'll release my brother's body once and for all, as well as provide the true reason for his death.
"We plan on marching in Birmingham on July 2 and are expecting more people than we had on the first march."
"I've had professionals contacting me from the NHS who want partake in the march. They said that they too are fed-up with institutional racism in the police force."
Kingsley Burrell’s family say that he was in good health before coming into contact with the West Midlands police on March 27 when he was detained under the Mental Health Act.
She revealed that the family is struggling to come to terms with his death and are determined to get justice.
Leading black campaigner Lee Jasper and Maxie Hayles, chairman of the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit are helping to organise the march.
Lee Jasper, the former race adviser to ex mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, told The Voice; “We will not rest until the Government agrees to a full and independent public inquiry into all suspicious deaths in custody.”
He added: “We want to keep pressure on the government in regards to the large number of death in custody.”
Independent Police Complaints Commissioner (IPCC) Mike Franklin said: "The IPCC investigation into the death of David Emanuel is progressing and we are committed to thoroughly examining all the available evidence to try to independently establish what happened.
“We now have detailed accounts from all the officers who were at the house when Mr Emanuel died and medical professionals who treated him. We have commissioned various forensic examinations and scientific tests. We will continue to pursue all possible lines of enquiry.
“Our objective is to get the facts and make them public but this will take time and, until we are in a position to make our findings known, I would ask people not to rush to judgment."
An IPCC spokesman said that in relation to the Kingsley Burrell case, “the investigation is still ongoing”.
