Nobody will ever forget the tragedy that was Grenfell.
72 people died on the 14th June 2017, a disaster which has been badly handled by the government.
One of the Grenfell campaigners Clarrie Mendy died last year and London Mayor Sadiq Khan called her a force of nature’.
Clarrie lost her cousin Mary and Mary’s daughter artist Khadija Saye, who lived on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower. This compelled her to co-found Humanity for Grenfell to bring together survivors, the bereaved and others affected.
The then PM Theresa May admitted that the initial response wasn’t good enough, "What I did not do on that first visit was meet the residents and survivors who had escaped the blaze.
"But the residents of Grenfell Tower needed to know that those in power recognised and understood their despair.
"And I will always regret that by not meeting them that day, it seemed as though I didn't care."
Celebrities acted quicker than the government did.
Stormzy not only raised funds on a charity single he rapped on, but he also used his large platform to call out the government. Twice.
At Glastonbury in June 2017 “We urge the authorities to tell the f*cking truth, first and foremost. We urge them to do something.
We urge the f*cking government to be held accountable for the f*ckery, and we ain’t gonna stop until we get what we deserve.”
If that wasn’t enough, who could forget his electric performance at The Brit Awards in February 2018?
“Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell? Just forgot about Grenfell, you criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages,
you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, we should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”
Leslie Thomas QC, representing bereaved families, said the 2017 fire was "inextricably linked with race".
Mr. Thomas also said "parallel themes" between the Grenfell fire, the killing of George Floyd in the US, and the "disproportionate" number of coronavirus deaths among people from minority ethnic backgrounds, adding; Race and state obligation are at the heart of all three cases."
When it was announced that retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick was going to hold the inquiry, Grenfell United (they represent the families and survivors) asked if it could include a diverse panel.
It would "get to the truth of why our community was not listened to when we raised concerns".
Theresa May agreed to appoint two experts to help oversee the second phase of the inquiry.
The frustrating thing is that this should not have needed the survivors to ask for a diverse panel - it should have been a given.
On the third anniversary of Grenfell, The Telegraph stated that
Figures from Kensington and Chelsea Council show that there are still seven households living in temporary accommodation.
There are also said to be around 10 households who used to live in the tower who has since requested to be moved again as they were placed into permanent housing that was unsuitable.
Kingspan was the company responsible for making parts of the combustible material used on the Grenfell Tower.
Text messages from members of staff have been used as evidence to demonstrate their irresponsibility.
One of the quotes that I cannot forget is “All lies mate … Alls we do is lie in here”
This cannot be brushed under the carpet, there have to be serious ramifications.
The inquiry continues..
Rest In Peace to all of those who passed.
#adeptales #stayadept #grenfell #racism #coronavirus #stormzy #inmemoryof #grenfelltower #london
Jay
Delete Comment
Are you sure that you want to delete this comment ?