BELOW: An important e-mail from Tony Gosling of BCFM
Battle of Stokes Croft – builder Simon Lewis mauled by police dogs
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/705045
Dear all,
On Bristol Community FM’s Friday Drivetime
yesterday evening we heard from Montpelier
builder Simon Lewis who was attacked by three
police dogs and hospitalised on the second night
of the Easter ‘disturbances’. This is the third
programe I have focussed on those riots and the
third time Avon & Somerset police press office
have turned down my invitaton to appear.
This is a decision made not by officers but at
Portishead HQ by Media Relations Manager Victoria
Tag and her boss, Amanda Hirst, Head of Corporate
Communications for Avon and Somerset Police.
These decisions appear to contravene the publicly
funded police’s committment to dialogue with the community.
Avon & Somerset’s Force’s Media and Public
Relations Policy states as follows: ‘the
philosophy underpinning that policy is to be
open, honest, fair and accountable with the media
and, through the media, with the communities we serve.’
Bristol builder Simon Lewis mauled by police dogs at Easter disturbances
http://bcfm.org.uk/2011/06/24/17/friday-drivetime-24/6150 – hi-fi
http://radio4all.net/index.php/program/52660 hi-fi
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/06/481236.html – lo-fi
Hearing Simon’s horrific tale I respectfully
suggest that far too many people appear to have
been attacked, who were simply witnessing as
bystanders, filming or on their way home on those evenings.
Not by rioters but by the police who still remain
to be held to account for their actions.
Please forward this petition to other email lists as you deem appropriate.
PS legal adviser to Avon & Somerset police is Ms
Susan Dauncey. (Bradley Stoke, Gloucestershire)
rgds,
Tony Gosling
http://www.thisweek.org.uk
07786 952037
Inquiry into Stokes Croft Disturbances
http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/view/disturbances
Lead petitioner : Ben Appleby
We the undersigned call upon Bristol City Council
to use all means open to them to lobby national
government for a full public inquiry into the
events leading up to and including the
disturbances in and around the area of Stokes
Croft, Bristol on the nights of the 21/22 April and 28/29 April.
Background information
The violent disturbances on the dates of 21/22
April and 28/29 April are scenes that should not
be repeated in Bristol or other cities. We the
undersigned believe that the background to these
events raises serious concerns in a number of
national policy areas including, but not limited
to the following: the impact of councils and
planning processes on local communities; policing
tactics; the role of very large corporations in
local communities; housing provision and uses of derelict buildings.
An independent inquiry, funded from national
sources, with a broad remit must be commissioned:
· to present an unbiased chronology of the events of the two nights in question
· to identify the true causes and long term
factors leading up to and contributing to the disturbances
· to analyse how the parties involved responded
in the aftermath of the disturbances
· to present recommendations to be taken on board
by policy developers in the specific areas the report will highlight
The aftermath of the disturbances is of ongoing
concern to the residents of Stokes Croft and
surrounding areas. It is our strong belief that
resolution can only be achieved via a public
inquiry. The findings of the inquiry will be of
national significance and will help other communities around the country.