13 April 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Campaigner: ‘Pressure cuts deaths in custody’

originally by: Socialist Worker Online
published: 13th April 2011

Tippa Naphtali is the cousin of Mikey Powell, who died in police custody in 2003. He spoke to Socialist Worker

“Smiley Culture’s case should be a spark to help light up the issue of deaths in custody. I’m one year younger than him. I had the privilege to meet him. He was such an icon in the 1980s and 1990s, I looked up to him back in the day.

Because no other victim of death in custody has been as high profile a figure, as sad as it is, we need to use the opportunity. We need to raise the fact that this has been going on for a long time.

There is remarkable little mention of deaths in custody in the media. We have to keep it in the limelight. One difficulty for families is that there is lots of support in the early days then it dies away. It is important to keep pushing.

10 April 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Hundreds pledge support for family of Kingsley Burrell

originally by: Birmingham Mail
9th April 2011

Hundreds of people packed a city community centre to show their support for the family of a Birmingham father who died in police custody. The public meeting at the African Caribbean Millennium Centre in Dudley Road, Winson Green, was organised by the family of Kingsley Burrell, 29, who died just days after he was arrested and sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into his death. Kingsley’s sister Kadisha Brown-Burrell said her brother, who lived in Hockley, did not have mental health issues.

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5 April 201116 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Police watchdog investigates death of man in Birmingham

originally by: BBC News
3rd April 2011

Kingsley Burrell Brown was detained under the Mental Health Act last Sunday after officers attended an incident on Iknield Port Road, Birmingham. He was admitted to a unit in the city and later moved to a hospital where he died on Thursday, police said. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said post-mortem test results may be known early next week.

Maxi Hayles, chairman of the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit, told BBC News Mr Brown’s family were waiting to be told what caused his death at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The IPCC said it had started an investigation into the circumstances around his death.