‘In Havering we must always reject racism and inequality’-Councillor Damian White
In response to the tragic death of George Floyd, Councillor Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“During the past few months I have been humbled at the way communities from all races and backgrounds in Havering have come together to support each other at a time of shared crisis. We have shown solidarity and kindness. It has been a reminder of what makes Havering a truly special place.
“Recent and tragic events in America are a stark reason for us to champion this spirit of acceptance and inclusivity. In Havering we must always reject racism, inequality and discrimination in all forms.
“Havering Council actively works against racism and discrimination and we do not tolerate it. Like every institution across the country, we all have more to do to tackle it. We work with multi-agency partners like the police as well as community groups on issues including hate crime and community cohesion. We hold community forums and internal staff forums to provide opportunities to understand and discuss the issues and evidence and agree action. That work recently has included research to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff and residents so that we can act to help people be safer.
“We have moved to reassure our staff, particularly those from BAME backgrounds, who understandably may have been more directly affected by the events in America, with a message from the Council’s Chief Executive. I want everyone to feel Havering Council is an inclusive place to work with equal opportunities for all.
“I want everyone to feel at home in Havering, regardless of race, background, religion, gender or sexuality. We must continue to work together to make sure we treat everyone with equality, fairness and kindness in everything we do.”
A whole lot of words without actually saying anything. Instead of talking about tackling this racism you should be showing how you or the other community services are not systemically racist, and that it comes down to a few ‘bad apples’, that you will work with local communities and police, until these people are weeded out treated with the full extent of the law. It is time to allocate Ambassadors who can represent each service or community as a whole, who can meet and discuss and take actions on anything of concern. If you work together, it will build trust and prevent any rioting yet to come. if you want to help BAME background during the COVID 19 problem, the main aspect that you should look at is what do they all have in common, and you will find that because of the color of their skin they are Vitamin D deficient, and this leads to susceptibility to the virus. So why don’t you come up with a way of getting these vitamins to the BAME community, and see how they prosper.