GrenFell Four Years On

GRENFELL, FOUR YEARS ON By Rosie Vacciana-Browne

It is one of the biggest tragedies of our time. A social injustice birthed from the very heart of Britain’s institutions. There have been public inquiries and protests but no arrests. Why four years on are we still left asking, where is the justice for Grenfell?

On June 14th 2017, the nation woke up to the shocking news that the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block in West London was ablaze. The fire started around 1 am on the fourth floor, but as daylight broke, thick smoke was billowing up into the sky, and flames were visible from windows up to the top floor. The harrowing images etched into our memories likened to that of 9/11. It was clear that anyone who remained within the building would not have survived. But, the first reports were murky, the cause of the fire was unknown, and the death toll widely underreported. In the weeks and months that followed, what uncovered was an amalgamation of government failures at the local and national level. The Grenfell Tower block stood in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, looking over the wealthiest area in the UK where the average yearly salary is £65,000. It is home to the country’s rich and famous; it was also home to refugees, migrants and low-income households publically housed in Grenfell under the care of a Conservative-led council. The building had recently had a refurbishment just two years prior by The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. In a bid to save £300,000, they swapped the planned zinc cladding with cheaper aluminium, a decision that cost 72 lives and destroyed hundreds more. A public inquiry has since found the cladding was the primary cause of the fire spreading. The council apologised for putting profits before people. But profits before people is what the Conservative party do. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the disparities became clear. More than just a tragic accident, Grenfell was a result of xenophobia and classism that seeps through Britain’s infrastructure. Within 24hrs of the news breaking, the local community, charities, religious groups and leader of the Labour opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, all flocked to the scene to support residents on the ground. While, in a picture all too familiar, the former Prime Minister Theresa May spent her first visit having private meetings with emergency service workers. She met no residents. It was yet another example of out of touch politics by the Conservative party, who since 2010 have implemented harsh austerity cuts that have disproportionately hit the working classes and minorities. The genetic makeup of Grenfell. You could wonder if a private housing block with wealthy, white residents would have safety corners cut to save money. The local government was working off a script crafted by our national Tory government, who have shown us time & again that black, brown and poor lives do not matter. Residents had tried to raise safety concerns around Grenfell. Just 7-months before the fire, a post posted on a community blog suggested the company running the building and the local council covered up residents’ concerns. It went on to state, “a serious fire in a tower block or similar high-density residential property is the most likely reason that those who wield power at the KCTMO will be found out and brought to justice.” Unfortunately, not even that was enough. Four years on, it seems there have been no tangible lessons learned; and no justice gained. There have been no convictions, 700,000 buildings still have cladding similar to Grenfell’s, and as of February 2021, 7 families were still not rehoused in permanent housing. These are government failings. One general election and a new Prime Minister later, the Tory’s are still regurgitating policies that oppress marginalised communities. They treated the Black Lives Matter protests with contempt, labelling protesters “thugs” and the protests “dreadful”. They have purposefully created a hostile environment for immigrants and wrongly deported elderly citizens during the Windrush scandal (something they have since apologised for). The divisions in this country are being exasperated by the Tory’s. Hate crimes have surged, with the number of incidences rising by 4000 from 2019-2020. This year we have seen the introduction of the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that’ll crackdown on protests in direct response to BLM. It has been accused of institutional racism as it targets the Roma, Gypsy and Traveller communities, and its new policies will disproportionately affect black and brown people. Grenfell shows us the horrific results of disregarding the lives of the working classes and minorities. And in the four years that have followed, the Conservative government has continued to show us their lack of care. If you want to support the victims of Grenfell head to www.grenfellunited.org.uk.

READING GOLDERS: A LUNCHEON CLUB, SERVING THE BME OVER 60S IN READING

By Janet Bockarie

Someone once said, “there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come”.

And so it is with the Reading GOLDERS, a newly emerging Organisation, established to meet the Isolation and Loneliness needs of the over 60s in the BME Community in Reading. Prior to its formation, the only Luncheon Club for this Group was the one sponsored by the Reading Borough Council as part of its Narrowing the Gap effort of 2016 and hosted at the Globe Building in Portman Road. Here about 40 persons from 14 different territories in the Caribbean, Africa, and India, met every Tuesday from 12.30pm to 3pm for a hot meal, games, quizzes, talks, storytelling, digital literacy, and company. One day a week for two and a half hours was not enough time for the level of socialising demanded by this group. They agitated for another day, starting at 10am. They wanted more time and opportunity to tell their stories, even dramatize them, do dressmaking, sewing, knitting, sketching, dance. They complained about the lack of adequate transport to and from the Venue. Some experiencing memory problems had difficulty crossing the busy roads and spent most of their time sleeping in their seats. They needed to engage in structured activity, away from the crowd, and in the care of trained personnel. All in all for various reasons, the Services provided proved to be inadequate. The recent Lockdown further highlighted the need for wider befriending experiences and avenues of providing emotional support to more people. Out of this vacuum, Reading Golders was born. Whereas most chat rooms operated for a specific time during the day, the Reading GOLDERS WhatsApp Forum was open and functioning 24x7. Posts went up all day all night. In time we became an intimate on-line Community. One day’s posts can look like a mix of the Tabloid Press and a Broadsheet Newspaper. As there was no space for the supplying of hot meals, Reading GOLDERS took to organising a weekly Food Parcel Delivery Service, supplying 46 households, 52 adults and 10 children with much needed nourishing food items. 17 volunteers manned this service, some golders, others much younger. Post Lockdown was a delight! Three trips out, called Picnic/Outings were arranged to ease us gradually out of the restrictions and, hopefully back into face-to-face relationships (photos seen below). The first two Events were held at Caversham Court Gardens--tremendous success! Being out in the open air, overlooking the River Thames. Many golders, who had lived in Reading for over forty/fifty years said they didn’t know those gardens were there. They loved the fact that adequate transport to and from had been put on for them. Nice, tasty food! A few brought their friends, official visitors, and Speakers from RBC, RCE and Utulivu “Let’s Talk” programme. A concert was held at the first event, second event golders read prose, performed two skits. Had a most enjoyable time. Now the questions - Why the name GOLDERS? - because it is who and what we are. Not the elderly, old people, aged, senior citizen, seniors, aging, older adults. Not any of those negative sounding value terms. We who are over 60 have been tried in the fire of life, and have come out as pure, refined gold. We are the healthiest, wisest, most courageous, ambitious group on Earth. We are good gold - GOLDERS. The new Charity we have formed, in addition to retaining the WhatsApp Forum and Food Parcel Delivery Service, will operate a Luncheon Club in Reading, which will open two days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The last Thursday of the month will be a “Windrush Teas” afternoon, when individuals can have teas, cakes, pastries at a cost. Music from the Motherland, Videos, Films, Speakers, Dance etc could be enjoyed. Venue: Wesley Methodist Church Hall, 84, Queen’s Road, RG1 4BW Opening Date: Tuesday 26th October 2021. Contributors: Terri Williams, Sharon Bignall, Constance Gooding. For more information call: 07724890651.