Unfortunately life caught up with me for a while, but minor crisis averted I’m back. I warn you this will be a long one, so I don’t mind if you read it in stages, just promise me you’ll read it all.So what societal drama’s have been keeping you, or should say I say us, on the edge of our seats recently – lets do a quick whistle stop review of the hot topics that would have benefited from my forthright comments and observations.

One issue that’s had me animated is ‘should white people be allowed to adopt black children who are in care?’ This old chestnut seems to have reared it’s head again, as it does every so often.

As with all political issues the answer is complex – In the past few years there have been more and more white couples applying to be adopters, stating that they are willing to take children from different ethnic backgrounds. However the response from some local authorities has been ‘categorically no’. These local authorities have been operating policies of ‘same race adoptions only.

For some time now there has been growing concern that children are staying in the care of local authorities for much longer than was anticipated and of course children from ethnic minority backgrounds make up the largest numbers.

One side of the issue is that as long as there is a loving and caring home for a child/children why should the ethnicity of either be an issue. The other side is that only people from the same ethnic background has the ability to understand the issues for children of colour and therefore are more equipped to support them in all areas of their life.

Where do you stand on this issue, and why?

I think that some local authorities are still operating under the banner of ‘Political Correctness’ which I’m afraid is clouding their judgement in this area and as such are not acting in the best interest of the children in their care.  However that is not to say they should adopt an ‘anyone can adopt any child’ policy instead !

The ideal situation for most children is ‘same race adoptions’ –  the reality is that this cannot always happen, but and this is a big but, local authorities must put more effort in to recruit adopters from ethnic minority communities.  Voluntary sector organisations have been highly successful in this area whereas most local authorities have very poor track records indeed.

Local authorities must evidence their efforts to attract minority adopters, only then should they consider other families that can meet most of the child’s needs. They should then ensure they put in appropriate support to these families to give them the confidence to address difficult issues that might arise due to colour and/or culture, so that these families are able to give them a clear sense of who they are.

When dealing with people needs there should never be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, every child has a range of needs that should be addressed, and they should be placed with families who can meet most of those needs, with a clear plan of how the other needs will be addressed, not just dismissed.

I have to say I remain on the fence – I know black people who were raised by white parents – some are fine rounded people aware and accepting of their culture but some are seriously damaged psychologically and feel and behave awkwardly around their own people.

Is this something you can do, if you’ve never thought about it before, consider it now. Can you give a child/children a home? Think about it – contact Action For Children at www.actionforchildren.org.uk.

Now I must tell you of a conversation I over heard on the bus the other day between two girls who must have been 12 or 13 at most.

“Whats wrong with you” asked girl number 1

“You didn’t have to be rude to my mum” replied girl number 2

“Yes, well I didn’t know I was being rude, that’s how I speak to my mum all the time” said girl number 1

Although that’s all I heard, that short exchange reassured me that there are some young people out there with a clear sense of what’s acceptable, challenging each other about behaviour.
You see there are young people with behaviours that need to be celebrated.

Speaking of young people, did you hear the reports into the causes of riots are out, and surprise, surprise they haven’t come up with anything different to what I told you in my blog – Pride, Prejudice and Riots!

Whilst I’ve been busy letting life happen to me I dared to venture out and about – I went to see Sharon Gless (Cagney from Cagney and Lacey series) in a brilliant play – Round Heeled Women at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith. I’m sorry it’s finished it’s run there, but see if you can catch it at another theatre, it’s so worth it.  The day I went they had a question and answer session with Sharon – and she is so down to earth, lovely woman.  Honest I am so not a groupie but I do enjoy meeting stars who are regular people.

What else have I been up to – I went to the South London Press Celebrating Heroes in the Community awards, at the Shell building a few weeks ago and I was so moved to see regular people’s
contribution to the community, being acknowledged.  To all who got awards please keep up the good work – you truly are inspirational. Check out South London Press website to see who they were and what they’ve been doing.

I was also invited by the Working Mens College in Camden to judge and then present prizes for the Lowes Dickenson (Portrait Painter 1819 -1908) Awards – I was honoured to be asked and again was inspired and motivated by the students at this excellent community college.  Support them, as for me these are the real places of learning – the one’s that quietly go about helping regular people from very diverse backgrounds, achieve against very challenging odds.

Didn’t I tell you that Micheal Jackson’s doctor was guilty of contributing to his death – as I said I’m not always right but I’m seldom wrong!!! But my question for you is was 4 years enough for such a crime?

Finally I have to mention the passing of Gary Speed (Football), although what can I say that hasn’t been said – he was a good man, he was young and sometimes the young have to leave us prematurely – ours really is not to reason why, but I urge you to talk to your friends, brothers, sisters when you feel their demeanor has changed.  Sometimes the demons we carry inside catch up with us and persuade us to come over to the other side, but your voice can always be louder more persuasive.  Promise me you will keep an eye on the people you love.

So to this week’s poem, which is dedicated to the memory of Harriet Tubman (1820 – 1913). Please take a look in my poetry section.  I feel the poem explains who she was.

Finally, I know you’ve all been waiting with baited breath for the next two pages of my upcoming book, but since you’ve had to wait for so long you can have the next four – enjoy and please, please give me some feedback.

Justice For All (Pages 5 – 8 )

“Apparently he has a case starting tomorrow,”

“What case, he has a bail shout in the judge’s boudoir at ten o’clock, but the client does not stand a hope in hell in getting out, what’s there to prepare for?”

“Well it’s got him pretty nervous.”

Josephine marched off to her office, again wondering how that boy passed his finals. She rang Clare Ross, the barrister in Jason Cane’s case to find out what prison her client had been taken to.

“They’ve sent him to Belmarsh for now.” Clare informed her.
“Do you want me to represent him at the appeal?” she inquired.

“The chances of me lodging an appeal are slim. Jason always wanted to go to prison. After the crime he just wanted to get settled there, serve his time and die. It was me who persuaded him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, he was always sure of his guilt, and the fact that he should be punished for it. He wanted his life to be over since his wife was killed.”

“Ok, then give me a call if you manage to get him to change his mind. I’m sure we could appeal the sentence at least.”

“I do however have another case that I think I’ll need to throw your way, it’s a bit complicated, came in three weeks ago, but most of the crime was carried out in St. Kitts, in the Caribbean. I’ll speak to you in a week or so about this one. Thanks. We’ll speak soon.” Josephine reclined her seat ‘two lives wasted, what’s this world coming to?’ she thought.

Julia Cane was walking home from a friend on Saturday after a girlie sleep over. She had left at 2pm to get back to rest and get ready to go out for a works do with her husband. Only by six she had not arrived. After speaking to all her friends who were with her the night before, Jason called the police and reported her missing. Three days later her body was found floating in the river washed up at Camden Lock. The only information the police could give him was that she was violently raped before her body was dumped. They couldn’t say for sure how long she had been floating in the water but that they were sure she was penetrated by at least two men, and one of her nipples had been bitten off.

Jason told Josephine he didn’t know how he mustered up the strength after three weeks of the police telling him they had no clues, and that people were slow to come forward, he began to carry out his own inquiries. “I traced her last known footsteps over and over again, and showed everyone I met on the route a picture of Julia.” He told Josephine at the first interview. He’d continued until at last, seven weeks later someone said that on the day she disappeared, they don’t remember seeing her but that she did see two men and a woman bothering another woman that day. The woman managed to get away from them and ran towards her, then they ran off together.

This information proved to be the beginning of the end for Jason.

Coincidentally, four months later Jason’s cousin Vinny from Harrogate called him to tell him about a young woman in Leeds who had been attacked by a group of two men and a woman, but had managed to get away, the police had issued descriptions of the people they wanted to question. Jason told Josephine somehow he knew in his heart of hearts that these were the people that killed Julia. So he packed his machete, wrapped in one of Julia’s blouse’and headed for Leeds.

Jason knew Leeds well as it was where he went to university. He headed for some old friends that he knew would know the underground sort of people that he would have to associate with to get the information he was after, and they pointed him in the direction of Hayfield. A public house that was a sort of a front line. He was advised to simply hang out in there for a couple of days and would be bound to hear or see something or someone. He hung out for nearly two weeks before one rainy night two men and a woman entered the pub, ordered two bottles of water and a Lucozade, and somehow Jason knew it was them. He explained to Josephine that he had no idea how he knew it was them, but he had a gut feeling. They smoked five rollies laced with cocaine and then left. He followed them.

To this day no one knows how he got into the flat where they were crashing, but the police received an anonymous call days later to say that there had been a massacre. They turned up to find all three beheaded.

Jason was arrested two weeks later when the police identified the blouse that he left at scene. By then they had confirmed that the three deceased matched the descriptions of the people they were looking for in relation to his wife’s death. A week later a positive DNA result closed Julia’s case.

Jason told the police the whole story from the moment he was arrested, refused legal representation at his interview, and was advised by the judge in the magistrates court to himself a solicitor, despite protesting that he knew what he was doing and that he had prepared for a life in prison. He had rented out his flat in his daughters name, and arranged for the money to go direct into her account. When the police arrested him he was waiting with his hold-all packed.

Josephine really did not think he would get away with the insanity plea, but she had hoped that the jury would feel something for what he must have been going through,’ vengeance is mine sayeth the lord,’ she muttered.

Josephine was tired, tired of work, tired of being tired of work, and tired of going home and being tired. She felt she’d been tired for most of Naomi’s life, and now that she was sixteen she wanted to spend more quality time with her. Maybe it was time to talk to Steve about her working with him. It seems silly that he has his own solicitor that deals with his theatre contracts, when Josephine was one. ‘Lets keep work and family separate.” he would always say, ”it’s always best to keep these things simple.” She knew it was time, even if he didn’t want her to work for him, she was prepared to play the dutiful house wife, dinner ready for him when he came home, house always spotless. She could learn to play Bridge. There was a Bridge club on Westend Lane that shed passed everyday, maybe she would inquire about membership. Tonight on her way home she would pop in.

“It’s Belmarsh, where they’ve sent you’re client”, Errol popped his head around her always open office door.

“Thank you Inspector Clueso, I’ve spoken to Clare”.

“Who’s Clare, oh yes the Barrister.”

“Glad to see that you’re still paying attention. What case are you preparing for anyway?” She asked with a smirk on her face.

“You asked me to do that bail shout for you tomorrow. I need to present the facts in as a succinct a way as possible because you say we only have ten minutes”.

“Have you ever done one of these before?”

“No”.

“Not even pretending at university?”

“No,” he replied shyly.

“Why didn’t you say. Get to court for about 9.15am. Find out what court and the name of the judge, wait outside the court. The usher will call you when the judge is ready, you go into his office, sit around his mahogany table. There should be you, the judge, the usher, and someone from the prosecution. You say why you think that he should be allowed out on bail. Why, Errol?” Josephine asked.

“Because he will not leave the country,” Errol said. Josephine raised her eyebrow. “Because he has family here,” he carried on. She raised them even more.  “Because he hasn’t killed anyone?”

“You can use those if you want, but only when you have finished with suggesting the judge sets a high bail amount, offering him comprises like they can put him on a ‘tag’. I think for this one you will also need to offer house arrest. What the hell, throw it all in. The chances of us getting bail on this case is about as high as Jason Cane agreeing to appeal his sentence”.

“So you don’t think they’ll let him out?”

“Oh, I don’t know Errol, let me see. An ex-con strikes a deal where he agrees to be used by the police to lure even bigger fish. He agrees to act as the contact in St. Kitts for a Colombian trafficker to send drugs to him, and he distributes it. Only instead of distributing it, he should pass it onto the police. When they have made three drops, the police would have enough evidence to link the distribution to Mr. Bigshot Columbian living in the Cayman islands, and ‘hey presto’ they arrest him, and our client turns state evidence. Simple.”

“So why is our client locked up?” a confused Errol asks.

“Because, lets say that he decides that he can cream off from the top, and send this on to England, through his own contacts. Let’s say that the police get suspicious because they know how much is leaving the Caymans. Suppose the police in England have got their own little investigations going on which lead them to St. Kitts to the doorstep of our client. And before you know it the St. Kitts government allows them to arrest and bring our client here for trial. Do you think he should get bail?” Josephine asked.

“It’s not up to me.”

“Good answer. If it’s all true I don’t think he should, but he reckons it’s a case of mistaken identity, so you go tomorrow and give it your best shot.”

“You don’t think he will intimidate me in the room, do you?” Errol asked before leaving.

“Not unless he has ESP. He’ll be in his cell Errol. This is one party that he is not invited to.”

(Copyright © Ellen Johnson 2011)