Protesters Mourning Chris Kaba Call for Justice

Chris Kaba was only 23 when he was pursued by armed police officers in a car chase and shot dead in Streatham, South London, at the beginning of September. Kaba – who was due to become a father and was part of the drill group 67 – was unarmed and died in hospital the next day.

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside New Scotland Yard on Saturday, echoing the calls of Kaba’s family for greater accountability. His family have described the Met Police killing as “totally racist” and are fundraising to continue the #JusticeforChrisKaba campaign.

The IOPC have launched a homicide investigation into his death and will determine whether his race played a part in how he was treated by officers. The firearms officer who fatally shot Kaba has since been suspended, though Met Police have been criticised for acting too slowly and not yet releasing the body cam footage.

The gathering on Saturday was just one of the dozen or so demonstrations that took place across the UK, including Leeds, Cardiff and Coventry. VICE photographer Aiyush Pachnanda was there to speak to those who had gathered in London to call for justice.

I heard about it the day after it happened. It made me feel heartbroken – I felt like, ‘Why are we here again today and how many people are the Met going to do this too?’ 

Afterwards, you could see all the hallmarks of the police attempting a smear campaign. They mentioned he was a rapper; that he sped away [from officers]. There was a lot of confusion on social media that he had a weapon – thankfully, his family provided information to counteract that. 

I’m here today because I’m the founder of Merseyside BLM Alliance and the chair of Operation Withdraw Consent. I’m here to show my support for the family of Chris Kaba. There’s rightful concern, as the community feel this will be another police cover-up and another long road to not achieving justice.

I am here because Chris Kaba’s family member is in my school. Seeing him in this position made me come down and show my support. The police should release more information and be honest about what led them to his death. [Do you trust the police?] No, not at all – I think there are close similarities between British police and American police. There’s a similar level of imprisonment – we have the highest in Europe and the USA have the highest in the world. Black people are victimised, bullied and brutalised by police and they have been since the Windrush generation.

I am here to fight for justice for Chris Kaba. I think all white people should be out here in solidarity with his family. When I heard a Black man had been killed, my heart broke to think yet again [there was] police violence against a Black individual. Hearing he was shot and killed is horrific. That’s why I am here: White people need to be here en masse. I have Black friends that are exhausted and tired and demanding that the police take accountability and do better.

I first heard about [the killing] the next morning – as an MP, I had a call in the morning by the local police explaining what happened. Then a meeting was called with local members of the council, community and other people explaining what happened. It happened not too far from where I live, I heard the helicopters overhead and knew something happened. 

On the police’s part, there was no information [initially released], and that is the problem when you leave a vacuum of information – of course people are going to fill it. Sadly, on finding out who was killed, there were a lot of negative reports in the media, talking about him being a drill rapper and how he was a criminal having been to prison, as if it was to justify [his death].

We were then told we couldn’t have any of the information because it would change the investigation – but I ask myself how we can have all of this negative information on one side and then no details on the other. Surely that’s prejudicing this investigation? The police need to work on their communication with the local community. Lambeth, where it happened, has the lowest trust and confidence with the police in London. That says a lot.

I first heard about [Chris Kaba] on Twitter. It was pushed out of a lot of mainstream media. It made me feel angry – it took the public’s outrage to get the officer suspended. The Queen died at 96 and a 24-year-old being shot dead – it’s shocking and angering. It definitely pushes people further into an institutionalised, racist system.

The body cam footage should be released – there should be more accountability for the police and their actions. 

I first heard about the news the day after, on social media then on mainstream news. In fact, I was in Brixton the night after and the police were telling local shopkeepers that they should shut shop because they were suspecting a riot. 

Naturally, the first question you ask is whether he was a threat or was he armed – but to know and discover that he wasn’t… There wasn’t any justification as to why they used deadly force in apprehending this young man.

I am glad the Met Police suspended the officer and I am glad that there is a homicide investigation. I want justice – that officer must face a murder charge.

June Angus, 26

I first heard the news about Chris when his parents called out for the Day of Action. A lot of his news was buried by the Queen. It’s very emblematic as to how POC voices are not listened to in general, and how people assume they are in support of what’s basically a racist system to completely ignore the issues going on.

The police should take accountability for what their officers are doing on the street. Even if the demands [of Chris Kaba’s family] are met, such as releasing the body cam footage, it doesn’t stop there. There needs to be wider responsibility for the system that supported this.

@_yushy