Black Mental Health UK: your news, policy and research resource on mental health and African Caribbean communities. We aim to reduce the inequalities in the treatment and care of people from African Caribbean communities and inform these communities on how to influence the strategic development, policy design and implementation of services.

Public meeting on black deaths in custody

A public meeting on the issue of black deaths in custody will be held at the London School of Economics Students Union (LSE SU), The Quad, East Building, London, School of Economics Students Union London WC2A 2AE.

Time: 6.30-9.00pm

Date: Wednesday 26 October 2011.

To register email: events@blackmentalhealth.org.uk – or Zephaniah.samuels@gmail.com

Organised by BMH UK and LSESU

Organised by Black Mental Health UK in association with the LSE SU, this event comes in the wake of a spate of incidents where young black men have lost their lives at the hands of the police.

Government figures show that a disproportionate number of deaths following contact with the police are of black people.[1]

Almost half the deaths of people in police custody are mental health service users,[2] and deaths of those detained under the Mental Health Act account for 62% of all deaths in state custody.[3]

Speakers include:

Matilda MacAttram, director of Black Mental Health UK

Helen Shaw – Co-Director, INQUEST

Samantha Rigg –David, Sean Rigg Justice and Change Campaign

Marica Rigg - Sean Rigg Justice and Change Campaign

Steve Pope – editor to The Voice Newspaper

Lee Jasper – Race Equality Campaigner

Ken Ferro – co-director of the film Injustice

Frederick Clarke – director Mighty Men of Valour

Olu Alake - president of 100 Black Men of London

Please circulate this through your contacts.

Thank you

BMH UK events team

Zephaniah.samuels@gmail.com