Reports have also brought to light that a number of 999 calls were made by professionals at the hostel where Sean was staying for assistance from 5pm on the same day, but they had not been sent help.

An community spokesman, who has chosen to remain unnamed told Black Mental Health UK that if there had been a response to these initial calls for help, Sean Rigg may well still be alive today.

The tragic loss of this well loved and popular local figure has raised questions within the community and among human rights groups about exactly how Rigg was treated, while in custody during the final 91 minutes of his life.

Supporters and sympathisers of the Rigg family from  all quarters of the community, as well as campaigns groups and human rights organisations, are expected to come out in en mass to join a solemn processions scheduled to start from Brixton Police station at 11am next Thursday, 9^th October, to pay their respsect, ahead of Sean's funeral.

This tragic loss, has observers say, shattered community confidence in the police's ability to deal sensitively with vunerable mental health patient, who may be in crisis. The death of Sean Rigg is yet further evidence that police cells, are not a place of safety for mental health patients in need of help. 

Indeed health professionals working in the community told Black Mental Health UK, police cells are not a place of safety, but increasingly places where vulnerable people from the margins of society are in danger of losing their lives. 

Parallells with David 'Rocky' Bennett's death

Sean death comes as the community prepare to mark the10th anniversary of the death of David ‘Rocky' Bennett, who sadly lost his life while detained on a secure unit after a team of up to five nurses restrained him face down for almost half an hour.

Observers say the parallel between these two service users, who should both be alive today, cannot be ignored.  These high profile deaths have again brought to the centre stage the importance of appropriate support for black mental health patients both when they are living in the community or in hospital, as the adverse treatment meted out to this group, in an increasing number of incidences, can  become a matter of life and death.

At the end of 2007, the Forum for Death's in Custody published a report,  that showed that deaths of people detained under the Mental Health Act are at an all time high, with an estimated 351 deaths a year .

Mental illness in is not a terminal condition and race equality groups say that the high rates of detention of people from African Caribbean communities under the Mental Health Act means that these figures will hit black communities hardest.

Currently people from African Caribbean communities are 44% more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than their white counterpart, despite having similar rates of mental ill health as any other ethnic group.

An assett to the community 

Health workers who run the service where Rigg was volunteering have told Black Mental Health UK of their shock when they heard about his death. They knew Rigg as a vibrant and healthy man who, having recovered from a bout of mental illness was now giving back to the community through befriending and volunteer work.

‘He shouldn't have died, from what we knew of him he was fit and healthy and had many more years  ahead of him, and this is why the news of his sudden death is still such a shock to us.  Many of the people who use our services and knew Sean say it shouldn't have happened,' mental health worker, David Pinder from Southside Partnership told Black Mental Health UK.

Popular among both the staff and clients, Rigg was giving back to the community by using is first hand experience of navigating mental health services to support others facing similar challenges.

‘His befriending work was highly valued by those that we worked with as his services were part of one of the very few culturally appropriate services available to black mental health service users once they leave hospital,' Pinder said.

Rigg's work offered a vital life line of support and encouragement to vulnerable group often sidelined by mainstream services.

His recovery and support was an inspiration to many and there are grave concerns among health professionals from the community on the impact that his death will have on those he was supporting.

The hope is that lessons will be learnt from this tradgerdy so that systems are put in place to ensure that this type of incident does not occur again.

Supporters and sympathisers of the Rigg family will be meeting at Brixton police station at 11am on Thursday, 9 October for a solemn procession on the morning of Sean's funeral next week.