Wretch 32 shares bodycam footage of his father being Tasered by police at his home
Metropolitan Police says ‘no indication of misconduct has been identified’ over incident in Tottenham during April
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Your support makes all the difference.Musician Wretch 32 has shared footage of police officers Tasering his father at his family home in April.
In bodycam footage tweeted by the rapper, whose name is Jermaine Scott, officers can be seen storming into the building as a woman pleads: “I’m not resisting, please don’t touch me, social distancing.”
An officer ascending to the first storey is heard shouting “police officer with Taser, stay where you are”. Moments later, the stun gun is heard and Millard Scott crashes headfirst to the foot of the stairs.
Amid global protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the 35-year-old artist shared the footage with the caption: “This is how the police think they can treat a 62-year-old black man in Tottenham but this one happens to be my dad.”
“I’m lucky to be alive,” Mr Scott told ITV News on Tuesday, alleging that “no way, no how” would the incident have happened were he a white man.
Scotland Yard said “no indication of misconduct has been identified” following a review of the incident and footage by the Directorate of Professional Standards.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told The Independent that the force “highly disputes” any allegations of racism.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Met said officers had been at the property “to carry out arrest enquiries as part of a long running operation to tackle drugs supply linked to serious violence” in Haringey.
A 22-year-old man was arrested inside the house and later charged with encouraging another to commit an offence, the force said.
“A 52-year-old woman was also arrested at the scene on suspicion of obstructing/resisting a police constable in the execution of duties but was de-arrested at the scene,” the statement said. “She was subsequently charged with the offence after being interviewed by police under caution at a later date.
“As officers entered the premises, a man came downstairs and started moving towards an officer suddenly. He was ordered to remain where he was but continued towards officers who, after several warnings, deployed a Taser.
“The man was not arrested, but was assessed by the London Ambulance Service at the scene. He did not require further medical treatment.”
The Met added officers are continuing to speak with the family “to discuss any concerns they have about the incident”.
However, Mr Scott said he felt black people were being “singled out and targeted”, suggesting the current protests were a natural response to efforts to force the black community into submission.
“The only people who have invaded our space – Met Police. The only people who seem to ignore all the guidelines put out there – Met police,” he told ITV
He added: “It seems to me at this moment in time we’re being singled out and targeted. If you keep pressing and trying to get any community to submit, they will push back.”
Also speaking to the broadcaster, Wretch 32 said: “I’ve grown up in a household with my dad and uncle and I’ve watched them fight against police brutality all my life.
“I’m 35 now and I have to have the same conversation with my children that my father and grandfather had with me. That means there’s no progression.”
With tens of thousands having come out to protest across the UK this week, despite coronavirus fears, many have sought to highlight that institutional racism is not endemic to the US.
Demonstrators have pointed to the higher Covid-19 death rate among ethnic minorities, and the disproportionate rates of stop and search, arrests and use of force which black people face at the hands of police in England.
This disproportionate use of force extends to Tasers, the use of which rose by 30 per cent in England and Wales in 2018-19, with a record 2,500 discharges. One in five incidents involved black people, who make up 3.3 per cent of the population.
The Met previously faced accusations of racism in the 1999 MacPherson report, published after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which concluded the police response had been "institutionally racist".
Former Equality and Human Rights Commission chair Trevor Philips argued a decade later that this was no longer true.
In response to the incident concerning Mr Scott, North Area Command Unit Commander, Treena Fleming, said: “I can understand why any use of Taser can look alarming – that is why it receives heavy scrutiny – which we welcome.
“Met officers are highly trained to engage, explain and try to resolve situations, using force only when absolutely necessary. We examine our processes regularly to ensure Taser is being used in an appropriate manner.”