Ahmed Benyermak
I won't be writing anything today other than to say that my thoughts are with the family and friends of Ahmed Benyermak, the 16 year old who died tragically yesterday falling from a tower block on the Trelawney Estate, which is in Chatham Ward, the area I represent on Hackney Council.
We don't know all the facts yet as the police investigation is ongoing, but if it is correct that he died because he was being chased by a gang, this is yet another tragic incident where a young life has been lost in London because of senseless gang-related violence.
I am also thinking about the local people I know who are residents on the estate, and will have been traumatised by this terrible incident.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 12:11 pm
16 Comments:
You make me sick. In the past didn't you stay you will ever comment on murders in Hackney. What makes this different from the countless others?
Sadly I know you will delete this post just like others you do not agree with :o(
12:56 pm, August 22, 2008
Apologies for my typos in anger. I meant
You make me sick. In the past didn't you SAY you will NEVER comment on murders in Hackney. What makes this different from the countless others?
Sadly I know you will delete this post just like others you do not agree with :o(
12:59 pm, August 22, 2008
It's different because it's in the ward I represent. There are not "countless" murders in Hackney - though one is too many. I'm not commenting about it, I'm expressing my shock and condolences as someone elected to represent the specific community within Hackney where it happened.
I've never deleted a post I disagreed with or attacked me - in the whole history of this blog I've only deleted about half a dozen posts - because they were potentially libellous about third parties, racist or homophobic.
3:14 pm, August 22, 2008
Luke has many faults, but censoring posts is not one of them.
All my posts on this blog have been openly hostile to Luke and his beliefs; many have been mocking; several have verged on the offensive. Every one has been published.
Criticise him for his faults if you like, but not for faults he hasn't got.
3:45 pm, August 22, 2008
Oh, and while the number of murders in Hackney isn't countless, it is high enough that the Suzy Lamplugh Trust has just rated it the 7th most dangerous place in the country, with 7052 offences of violence against the person in the year to July 2008.
10:18 pm, August 22, 2008
My thoughts are with the family and friends of Ahmed Benyermak too. This is tragic news.
Ironically my experience is quite the opposite to the figures issued by the Home Office. I was raised in North Yorkshire - western (the 2nd safest place) - where I experienced violence very frequently but I have lived for several decades in Hackney (7th most violent place) and work in Southwark (9th most violent place)and Lewisham (10th most violent place) yet experienced very little violence here. I'd certainly never move back to N Yorkshire.
10:22 am, August 23, 2008
I doubt if the underlying factors are much different in London and Glasgow.
You may be interested in the research that Strathclyde Police commissioned.
Always willing to help our Southern neighbours!
2:34 pm, August 23, 2008
Sorry meant to give you a link to the Herald report on the Strathclyde research
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2431994.0.Crime_falls_as_police_crackdown_on_gangs_pays_off.php
2:35 pm, August 23, 2008
It's is really silly to lay the blame of this sort of violence on a single government that has only been in power for a relatively short period of time.
You could argue that they have done very little to reverse this, but my feelings is that this has been in the making for some time, probably for over 30 years.
My advise for any young person is to look at Team GB as a measure of what cool and not the gang land culture that appears to be the envy of some of our city children. And I say some because this is still a minority and as a nation we have a duty to protect those children (the majority) that don't wish to be a part of it. I truly feel for Ahmed and his family and what a waste of a life.
It really is a sad state of affairs when children fear for their safety and I feel lucky that this sort of thing rarely happens in village life.
Punishment is only part of the jigsaw that will resolve this problem. A major issue is parenting and morals...something that is very difficult to teach. Call me old fashioned but bring back sunday school and moral guidance in schools and start looking at the home life of disruptive children. There is a cause behind everything and I can bet you it is starting at home.
4:38 pm, August 23, 2008
But the irony is that the black community in which gang violence has taken such a hold is steeped in religionist observance - you can almost guarantee that their mothers will have taken the boys in the gangs to church when they were kids.
I am also sceptical about the family thing - there's nothing closer knit and more clannish than a Liverpool gangland family - most of who are Catholics as well...the very last thing we need is more religion.
10:14 pm, August 23, 2008
Well I'm catholic and I'm no gangster but you are right religion isn't the key. But getting your kids to Sunday school is as much to do with discipline and morals as it does with religion.
We need to give teachers authority again and give them the ability to exclude and punish vile behavior. If these rotten apples don't want to be part of society then we'll build prisons to lock them up for ever.
I'd like to say send them to the military but I'm afraid the MOD wouldn't want them or would they be of the correct caliber.
From what I'm seeing a small minority is causing mayhem across inner cities and no one wants to sort them out. If there are no answers to these youngsters then I'm afraid it will be a lifetime in prison to protect those that want to live in harmony.
I have seen some of these families and to be frank it is disturbing to say the least. I would post photos of some of the living conditions I have seen in my time but I would be in breach of my terms. Some people bring their kids up in filthy, needle and vermin infested homes. There kids crawl around naked all day long with no control from their drug dosed parents. These kids don't go to school and when they do are so far behind that they just kick off due to frustration. I have seen homes where the bath if full of human excrement or the floors are covered in dog crap.
I'm not joking either, this is how some people live and the trend is growing. I've seen a year on year increase of staff being injured from used needles while working in peoples homes and gardens.
I really wish the authorities would just tell these people to clean up their acts and shame them into changing. We're all too happy to brush these problems under the carpet but look whats happening now.
I'm sure if you look into the backgrounds of some of these evil kids you will find problems. As an old teacher you to tell us.....one bad apple in the fruit bowl sends all the fruit bad.
12:51 am, August 24, 2008
this is my cousin i will pay respect to all that remember him and give there love and respect. It is a small world and should remember life's short.. love hamieda(michelle)
11:07 pm, August 27, 2008
r.i.p ahmed you will be missed and loved deeply ur a solider and will be happy up there with the angels save my place when i visit you again R..I..P CUZ XOXOX
11:09 pm, August 27, 2008
Rich said ... "Well I'm catholic ... getting your kids to Sunday school is as much to do with discipline and morals as it does with religion."
"We need to give teachers authority again and give them the ability to exclude and punish vile behavior. If these rotten apples don't want to be part of society then we'll build prisons to lock them up for ever."
"If there are no answers to these youngsters then I'm afraid it will be a lifetime in prison to protect those that want to live in harmony."
"I'm sure if you look into the backgrounds of some of these evil kids you will find problems. As an old teacher you to tell us..... one bad apple in the fruit bowl sends all the fruit bad."
Wow Rich, if I become as judgemental, damning and unforgiving as you, can I become a Catholic too?
11:09 am, August 28, 2008
There are not "countless" murders in Hackney
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7590862.stm
6:47 pm, August 31, 2008
Ahmed was my step son for nearly 3 years and to hear this news was so sad.I pray that those behind his fall are caught. My thoughts are with the family and more so with his father, Rachid who through him i met a wonderful boy who had everything going for him but sadly it was taken by some stupid hackney youths. R.I.P Ahmed Benyermak Love Bernadette Devoy xxx
6:37 pm, September 24, 2008
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