Newham Monitoring Project
Encyclopedia
Newham Monitoring Project (NMP) is a grassroots
community-based anti-racist organisation in the London Borough of Newham
, London
, England with a remit to provide support work against racial discrimination and violence, police misconduct
and around civil rights
issues. It provides advice, support, advocacy and a 24-hour emergency helpline to members of the black
community facing racism
. It undertakes community outreach and educational projects and campaign work around issues arising from its casework.
The patron of NMP is the poet and author Benjamin Zephaniah
.
, East London. NMP's initial purpose was to monitor racist attacks and the response of statutory authorities such as the police or local authority.
Shortly after its formation, the organisation extended its remit beyond monitoring racist attacks to include reports of police harassment and misconduct within the local the black community. NMP began documenting case examples and published yearly reports that argued the existence of institutional racism
and how this in turn shaped what it perceived as the societal criminalisation of black people. It also aligned with a series of community campaigns which claimed to be for progressive social change and justice, such as the right to self defence by members of the black community in response to racist attacks.
In 1983, NMP initiated a 24-hour emergency helpline
run by trained volunteers to provide immediate assistance to people with complaints of racial violence.
Although self-organisation of black communities was central to its founding aims, it worked with white people who defined as 'anti-racists' in order to align its work with wider demands for social justice.
NMP has been associated with justice campaigns such as those of the Newham 7 and Newham 8, Stephen Lawrence
and many involving deaths in police custody such as Ibrahima Sey and Shiji Lapite. It has also worked alongside many other organisations working with the black community such as Newham Asian Womens' Project, Southall Black Sisters
and the United Friends and Families Campaign
, other organisations within the anti-racist movement such as the Institute of Race Relations and Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF) as well as organisations working on a broader level for justice such as Inquest.
The organisation continues to publicly argue racism remains rooted in the fabric of British society, as shown by the recent anti-terrorism legislation
and stop and search powers, which disproportionately affect black communities. It maintains that the experiences of its individual cases reflect the broader reality of racism, therefore campaigns rooted in this way have a real base within the black community and are able to mobilise support in a way that high profile but largely media-focused campaigns cannot.
NMP has supported other active campaigns such as that lead by the family of Jean Charles de Menezes
, an innocent Brazil
ian man shot to death by police in 2005 during an anti-terror operation for which no individual officer has ever been charged.
It is worked with the families involved in the near fatal 2 June 2006 Forest Gate raid
, standing alongside the local community in condemning the actions of the police and calling for a full and fair independent investigation and for officers to be held accountable. NMP worked with a number of other local organisations to organise a demonstration about this issue on 18 June 2006.
NMP submitted a report to the Metropolitan Police Authority criticising the Metropolitan Police Service's media and communications handling of this incident.
Other projects include involvement in organising discussion based events for the local community alongside Newham Bookshop with authors such as Moazzam Begg
, Rageh Omaar
, Gary Younge
, Jocelyn Hurndall, who is the mother of Tom Hurndall
, and Clive Stafford Smith
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/06/13/newham_guantanamo_video_feature.shtml to highlight related issues of public concern that engage with similar themes of the organisation's work around racism, human rights, policing and justice.
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
community-based anti-racist organisation in the London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England with a remit to provide support work against racial discrimination and violence, police misconduct
Police misconduct
Police misconduct refers to inappropriate actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Police misconduct can lead to a miscarriage of justice and sometimes involves discrimination...
and around civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
issues. It provides advice, support, advocacy and a 24-hour emergency helpline to members of the black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
community facing racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. It undertakes community outreach and educational projects and campaign work around issues arising from its casework.
The patron of NMP is the poet and author Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah is an English writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008....
.
History
NMP was formed in 1980 from a community campaign for justice following the murder of a local teenager, Akhtar Ali Baig in East HamEast Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
, East London. NMP's initial purpose was to monitor racist attacks and the response of statutory authorities such as the police or local authority.
Shortly after its formation, the organisation extended its remit beyond monitoring racist attacks to include reports of police harassment and misconduct within the local the black community. NMP began documenting case examples and published yearly reports that argued the existence of institutional racism
Institutional racism
Institutional racism describes any kind of system of inequality based on race. It can occur in institutions such as public government bodies, private business corporations , and universities . The term was coined by Black Power activist Stokely Carmichael in the late 1960s...
and how this in turn shaped what it perceived as the societal criminalisation of black people. It also aligned with a series of community campaigns which claimed to be for progressive social change and justice, such as the right to self defence by members of the black community in response to racist attacks.
In 1983, NMP initiated a 24-hour emergency helpline
Helpline
A helpline was originally a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS....
run by trained volunteers to provide immediate assistance to people with complaints of racial violence.
Although self-organisation of black communities was central to its founding aims, it worked with white people who defined as 'anti-racists' in order to align its work with wider demands for social justice.
NMP has been associated with justice campaigns such as those of the Newham 7 and Newham 8, Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from Eltham, southeast London, who was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993....
and many involving deaths in police custody such as Ibrahima Sey and Shiji Lapite. It has also worked alongside many other organisations working with the black community such as Newham Asian Womens' Project, Southall Black Sisters
Southall Black Sisters
Southall Black Sisters is a non-profit All-Asian organisation based in Southall, West London, UK. This Asian-women's group was established in August 1979 in the aftermath of the death of anti-fascist activist Blair Peach, who had taken part in a demonstration against a National Front rally at...
and the United Friends and Families Campaign
United Friends and Families Campaign
United Friends and Families Campaign is a London based coalition of campaigns by the friends and the families of people who have died in police custody, prisons and psychiatric hospitals and have not received justice...
, other organisations within the anti-racist movement such as the Institute of Race Relations and Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF) as well as organisations working on a broader level for justice such as Inquest.
Recent years
NMP continues as one of only a small number of independent community organisations providing specialist casework support around racial discrimination in the UK. Research indicates that independent community groups provide avenues of support not available from racial equality councils, housing departments or police, to the black community to combat racist incidents.The organisation continues to publicly argue racism remains rooted in the fabric of British society, as shown by the recent anti-terrorism legislation
Anti-terrorism legislation
Anti-terrorism legislation designs various types of laws passed in the aim of fighting terrorism. They usually, if not always, follow specific bombings or assassinations...
and stop and search powers, which disproportionately affect black communities. It maintains that the experiences of its individual cases reflect the broader reality of racism, therefore campaigns rooted in this way have a real base within the black community and are able to mobilise support in a way that high profile but largely media-focused campaigns cannot.
NMP has supported other active campaigns such as that lead by the family of Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian man shot in the head seven times at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by the London Metropolitan police, after he was misidentified as one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts...
, an innocent Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian man shot to death by police in 2005 during an anti-terror operation for which no individual officer has ever been charged.
It is worked with the families involved in the near fatal 2 June 2006 Forest Gate raid
2 June 2006 Forest Gate raid
The 2 June 2006 Forest Gate raid saw the arrest of two men at their east London homes in Forest Gate by police acting on what they described as "specific intelligence" that they might be terrorists in possession of a chemical bomb. One of the men was shot during the raid. No explosive devices were...
, standing alongside the local community in condemning the actions of the police and calling for a full and fair independent investigation and for officers to be held accountable. NMP worked with a number of other local organisations to organise a demonstration about this issue on 18 June 2006.
NMP submitted a report to the Metropolitan Police Authority criticising the Metropolitan Police Service's media and communications handling of this incident.
Other projects include involvement in organising discussion based events for the local community alongside Newham Bookshop with authors such as Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
, Rageh Omaar
Rageh Omaar
Rageh Omaar , is a Somali born British journalist and writer. His latest book Only Half of Me deals with the tensions between these two sides of his identity. He used to be a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq...
, Gary Younge
Gary Younge
Gary Younge is a British journalist, author and broadcaster, born to immigrant parents from Barbados....
, Jocelyn Hurndall, who is the mother of Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall
Thomas "Tom" Hurndall was a British photography student, a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement , and an activist against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. On 11 April 2003, he was shot in the head in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defense Forces sniper, Taysir Hayb...
, and Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/06/13/newham_guantanamo_video_feature.shtml to highlight related issues of public concern that engage with similar themes of the organisation's work around racism, human rights, policing and justice.