I live here. It doesn't feel on the brink to me.

It has been reported that at 17:30 two police vans were parked in front of the Ritzy cinema. At the time of writing the situation is still quiet, that is to say...business as usual.

Okay, Brixton today was business as usual, but there were friends and relatives of Ricky Bishop leafletting outside Brixton station today. The leaflet obviously demands the suspension, pending investigations, of the officers involved...

I was told by a cousin of Ricky's that the family was particularaly aggrieved with the fact that BEFORE his mother or other relatives were properly informed about the supposed cause of his death (a heartattack? An inquest is expected next week) the police had all ready issued a press statement with all kinds of assumptions and untruths in it. The basic story is:

On the afternoon of Thu 22nd November, Ricky Bishop and a friend were in a car. Police followed them a while and finally stopped them in Dalyell Road. Both were arrested and taken to Brixton police station. Ricky's mother was informed later that evening that Ricky was in Kings College hospital. She had to make her own way there, and on arrival told her son had died.
I was told that the police followed the car because supposedly it had been driving 'irratically' or haphazardly. At the police station Ricky supposedly told an officer he'd taken drugs. The police say that he had offered to go to the police station voluntarily. If that was the case, his relatives would like to know, why was he handcuffed? The police have said he struggled with them in the interview room and had managed to free himself of his cuffs. How could a man with his hands cuffed behind his back free himself?
The would also like to know why the reason of Ricky's admission to hospital was recorded as 'unknown'.

Anyone interested in this case (and no doubt other odd custody incidences will be compared and talked about)
can attend the Lambeth Police Consultative group meeting
at Tue dec 4th 2001. Time: 6 pm. Location: Lambeth Town Hall.

Anyone who might be a witness either to what happened on Dalyell road on the afternoon of THU nov 22nd, or at the police station, or if you happened to be at the HOSPITAL (this is Kings C, early eve) please phone: 07985 403781

filed by Natasha Gerson
visiting Brixton from Holland
email:  nani@xs4all.nl

Ricky Bishop was found to have a large ammount of Crack Cocaine on his person. Which he decided to swallow and take his chances rather than face justice. He later died! This is fact! People from Brixton and all over London need to forget the boring race issue and look at the real situation.
Police officers are here to protect the general public, your family, your kids! We arrest and detain a proven drug dealer with history who could have plausably selling crack cocaine to your family, the weird thing is that Brixton is apparently outraged......its poetic really....The police are dammed if they do and dammed if they dont.

The black community especially has to look at itself and wise up. Do you want to improve your community? Do you want drug dealers on the steps outside your flat/house? Want your kids finding needles and wraps? Do you want to get rid of guns? The whole street/gang culture? Educate your kids and teach them manners!

The whole blame culture is bad for the black community, black kids do worse at school, everyone blames racist teachers.....ha ha! Thats a laugh the largest left wing socialist union NUT they are so unracist its unbelievable. The fact that alot of black fathers are not around and the kids are unruley and badly behaved dosnt seem to have anything to do with it. You have to address yourself and your friends!

Its quite apparent that Ricky Bishop was guilty. Why are people so upset?
A drug dealer is dead! I wonder how many people his drugs were and are helping to kill or have killed!
Brixton is a sh*t hole, why do you thing all of the real English families moved out to Essex years ago. There is a mass exodous out of London.

Ricky Bishops mother held a protest outside Brixton Police station today, I bet she was really proud of her son, convictions as long as your arm, a drug dealer, in possession of a large amount of crack cocaine....shes has the cheek to protest outside the police station.