Should I Delete That? - "I immediately thought my life is over" - Patsy Stevenson

Episode Date: June 12, 2022

This week, we've got a slightly different episode that saw us take the podcast into central London to join the Women’s Equality Party as they Marched On The Met. When we initially contacted Patsy Stevenson, we thought this would be a standard interview week, but then we realised that there was much more that needed to be shared. Patsy attended the Sarah Everard vigil on Clapham Common in March 2021; she quickly became synonymous with the arrests that took place that day, carried out by police who saw the vigil as a breach of covid regulations. Her face was suddenly everywhere, the face of the unrest that happened when women's attempts to mourn were crushed.The story is bigger than this though. After Patsy shared her thoughts on what really happened that day, we followed her to Trafalgar Square to join a protest against institutional misogyny and racism within the police. We heard from some incredible women there, and wanted to share their thoughts with you.The speakers you heard from today were:Patsy StevensonMandu ReidMarvina Eseoghene NewtonJenn SelbyChantelle LuntDawn ButlerBell Ribeiro AddyMiss YankeySouthall Black SistersAlso, we suggest checking out Sistah Space and their work on Valerie's Law.Follow us on Instagram @shouldideletethatEmail us at [e-mail] & edited by Daisy GrantMusic by Alex Andrew Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh my god, why did I post that? Ah, I don't know what to do. Should I delete that? Yeah, you should definitely delete that. Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello. Pretty and pink. Pretty and pink. Look at me like a lady.

Cute. I match your microphone. You do, sorry, that took a while for it to register what you said. But you do match my microphone. It's also the second time I've said it. I'm sad that it took you so long. And it's the second time I'm going to say, I like the coordination.

Of course, it's a grand one day. Do you know, do you know what? I put up a story yesterday of, and there was a mug in the photo, and it said the Hoxton Paris on it. Someone replied and was like, are you posting that just so everyone remembers that you lived in Paris?

I was like, you're our type of person. Yeah, you also say rumble. And also yes. Tell any new listeners, I lived in Paris, but I don't like. talk about it so yeah but we all know al um um yeah it's my mom's birthday today i'm good i'm sorry i'm having a panic birthday because uh you just keep forgetting that covid's still going and we're supposed to be having dinner with my mom's um buddies this evening and then covid struck and so we've had

to um make a new a plan b which has included me ordering so much sushi and i'm like i panic bought sushi which i didn't even most middle class thing i've ever done and padd up panic by sushi um but yeah so i've panicked bought dinner for everyone and we're moving the location we're going back to my mum's um and it'll be it'll be really nice that'll be lovely i'm a little bit frantic but i'm good how are you a little bit a little bit good it's oh it's so hot and as normal i am not dressed for the weather i thought that when i saw your outfit this morning on instagram but we always say about al she dresses for the weather that she wants and she always wants it to be like Norway and January. No, I just, I just, I'm having a hard time interpreting

weather forecast. I've started to use it, but I still don't really know what it means. Like, I know if it says 30, like wear a summer dress. I know if it says 10, wear a coat, but the in between stuff, what does it mean? Oh my God, did you learn nothing? Is it legally blonde? It's like, what's your ideal day? It's like April 23rd, not too cold, not too hot. You can just wear a like jacket. So my favourite line in any film. Yeah, so I'd say, and that's great. But what's that mean? Okay, anything over 21 degrees, I'd wear shorts. Wow, really?

Anything over 25 degrees and I'm, anything over 23 degrees and I'd take, yeah, I'd cook. I mean, yeah, I'm going to state my claim on that, 21 degrees and I'm in shorts, I think. Okay, that's a nice benchmark, actually. I'm going to, I'm going to go with that. Daisy's just said, anything over 16, no jacket. No. Yeah, I agree, Daisy, absolutely agree. You know what, I'm actually changing my order.

I think 18 degrees and I'm in shorts. yeah i think i'm wow okay well 20 and i'm in a t-shirt yeah and shorts more full you when i'm wrapped up and warm and you're shivering shivering your bum off i'm not though i'm not i'm thriving i'm honestly i'm thriving i just i live for it i love the summer i'm in jeans today and i'm full of regret absolutely full of it i'm sweating it is so hot today i need more like smart shorts like it's well i think that's an oxymoron to be honest I don't think such a thingy, like, because I've got my exercise shorts, but it's, yeah, like, maybe I'm just too old from, like, for, like, the denim skirts, people were done with denim skirts. Denim shorts are just, like, chub-rub central, like, your ass is always hanging out, like, they're not very smart.

So then what do you do? Well, there's, like, linen shorts that you can make look quite cool. I don't think I could make them look quite cool. No, you're not really a linen kind of person, I feel. No, I'm a Lycra gal. So just stick to your exercise shorts. No, but it's annoying because you and I do more stuff now. Like it was kind of fine when all I did was like sit at home and like talk to my phone.

But now like you, we go out of the house, we go places. And in one way it's good because I own blouses like this. And I never would have owned this blouse if I didn't have a proper job. And I'm still counting this as a proper job. But like for Instagram, we just don't need anything. But we have to go places now. you know we do we do we do i bought some shirts but i still at the moment i'm just shirts and pants because i can't find anything to wear on the bottom some of dresses though you've got loads

of nice summer dresses i don't actually i keep thinking that but the the times i've been like i love your dress you're like oh it's sarah's or so maybe you don't i don't i actually own very i own a lot of shit but i own a lot of exercise wear but i don't really own any proper clothes and i because I rent, I rent all my fancy things. Right, so you need some nice sun dresses, like summer dresses. I do. You know what? I've been thinking it for a while. Shall we go shopping? Not physically, like shopping on the internet, but kind of...

Okay, thank God, yeah, because I was like, that's painful, but shopping online, yes. I can't shop, but you know, yeah, I can't shop, but, you know, anyway, this is the whole thing. Good, have you got anything, oh yeah, I feel like you might have something, like a tiny good, a tiny good. Yeah, and do you know what? And do you know what? Like, I was like, I'm not actually going to talk about the book on the podcast today. I'm just not going to. But it's very hard not to because it's been literally two of the best days ever, like so nice.

And I've been so spoiled and everyone's been so nice to me. And honestly, like, I am, my head's going to get so big. I'm going to get so used to this. You're going to have to bring me back down to earth because I have been spoiled for the past two days. And it's been amazing. So nice. I can do that. Yeah, I forgot to say.

It was book publication day yesterday. and like my sisters and Dave did a nice little surprise for me and yeah it's just been so everyone's been so nice and it's I don't know about you like what do you feel about things like this but I always feel awkward about things like this because it's like it's not stuff that's going to be repaid necessarily do you know what I mean with like weddings like you know I all my friends have got married so I done all of that stuff for them you know so it didn't feel like too awkward it was my thing but with this it feels like

it's not going to be repaid I feel extremely awkward and two points two points one why do you underestimate your friends so much and think you're the only one good enough to write a book and two you know you to stop working on this exchange basis like i i i feel this with you all the time whenever you do anything like whenever i do anything nicer you're always like i'll pay you back i'm like no wow people just like doing nice things for you and you know what you've done with this book is you've given given people so much like you it's a gift so people will want to pay you back for the gift that you've given them okay i like that i like that skew on it i've said this to your ages you know i mean you're not selling it to them you're giving it to them so no i know it just feels that it's just

a lot you know you know what it's just it's just a lot isn't it and we are so the stuff we do is so public and so everyone can see it you know and the stuff that our friends are doing we don't necessarily see well they have to tell us about it you know so it's it's just different the dynamic is different and it feels yeah it's tough at the top out it's lonely at the top that's what they say what I'm saying is when you're such a big deal it's really difficult I get it I see the last it shows obviously a joke like my friends are like incredible doctors and doing like amazing things but you know even the ones that aren't doctors but you know what I mean. I know what you mean. But you know what you mean. But you know what? To your own

homemade, you've got a number one best selling book. And I'm so proud of you. And it's great. It's actually not number one best selling. But thank you for that. I'll take that. Best selling. But you know what? You know what you asked me to do about five minutes ago? You were like, can you just bring me back down to earth? That's exactly what I just did. Yoink. I'll say that. What's your good? Oh, God. I don't know. Loads of got, loads of little good. A sprinkling of goods, to be honest like someone was birthday your book came out i you're not supposed to say this because obviously your honeymoon's the happiest time of your life but fuck me i miss my friends and i miss my dog and i was

just gas to come back to everyone and it's been so nice like last night georgie came over and we drank like a magnum and a half of wine and i went to bed and left her and Alex up so i don't have a hangover and they both do ha ha ha ha and um yeah everything's just good like it's just you know you come back to the house it hasn't fallen down everything's good you know life Nice, good. Yeah, I love that. I love that. And it's nice because you had such a good time on honeymoon,

but it feels like you're actually enjoying being back as well, which is very, really nice. Well, a lot of people talk about, like, the wedding blues. Like, I spoke to the guy that runs the coffee shop I go to. And he was like, oh, one of my employees has just come back from my wedding. And she's like, really upset because their wedding's over. And I get that. But I just haven't felt that at all.

Like, I don't feel, like I'm very much, and put this on the fridge mag now, of the smile because it happened don't cry because it's over school of thought and i feel like that about the honeymoon and everything i actually said it in the wrong order as well oh Alex has a really my Alex came home in the fucking great idea for one yesterday caps not cat calling nice i like that that's good yeah see sorry there are legs sorry i'm just still i'm still trying to process the the fact that you actually said on the podcast cry smile because it happened don't cry because it's over smile because it happened and i'm really holding i'm holding on to it i stand by you know

what a cliche a cliche is a cliche for a reason al you know what i'm saying i enjoy it i do i do and it's a very it's actually a very good cliche it's very poignant i just find me a bad one that's all i'm saying about cliches. I just find me a bad one. I like cliches. I know. And you know what would be kind? You know what would be a kindness for the cliches? If we could just immortalise them with some kind of amazing physical, physical, physique. Yeah, see, that's funny that you say that because I actually, I actually feel like that they thrive better in more abstract settings. Look, I'm open to talk. You want to make them, you want to do sparklers? We can. Oh my God, the sparkler. You could never get smile because it happened. Don't cry because it's over on a sparkler. Can you imagine?

I don't like that attitude. I really don't. It is not a can-do attitude that I'm so sorry. No, no. I think I might make you a magnet. We'll get you with sparkler suggesting that you find one. Yeah. Sparler's are cute.

Yeah. There's no iron team. Yeah. I'm just thinking of clichés. But there isn't me. There's an M. There's literally an M, so. And an A.

Well, no i mean an em like em like my name oh i can oh there is there is an m that's cute and a tea it's loads in there yeah it's packed it right in um okay oh my god it's an anagram of meat yeah and meat and what meat oh me also sorry sorry okay fine moving on sorry we are times of the I've got an emergency, sushi emergency. Yes. Bad, bads, bads, tell me a bad, please. Bad, very quick, bad, very fucking disgusting bad.

I got on the train for a full day in London, full day in London, and I sat down on the train and I was like, oh, something smells, something really smells, what is that? And I was like, is it me? Is it my clothes? You know, when your clothes don't dry properly? I was like, what is that? And then I just, and I was sitting against the wheel.

window and I just looked up on the window and I saw sick and I followed the trail of sick down and it went all the way down and all the way onto the seat that I was sitting on and it was it was just after the Jubilee weekend so obviously people have been wasted and vombed everywhere and I sat in it I sat in the sick that is fucking wrong I sat in the sick and I wasn't even going home I was going in and I was like I actually just don't know what to do yeah it was disgusting, really disgusting. And I hated the person that did it. Oh yeah, that is pretty gribly. Yeah. Disgusting. Yeah. What's yours? You know my bad. You saw my bad. Daisy saw my bad. We knew my bad was coming because I was away from this house for three weeks and you know what

accumulates when you leave your house? The fucking post. Oh my God. I came back to not one, but two. Penalty charge notices from TFL. obviously I hate myself I absolutely hate myself and a lot of it was nice we've had some wedding invitations we've had some thank you cards

and my flower girls have written me the most adorable little letters and they were adorable so you know like for the first time actually I really saw the value of post I was like there's some good shit in here but it doesn't remove the threat as you go like envelope envelope

envelope like good good good the bad the what it? Anything that wasn't written in an adorable seven-year-old's handwriting I wasn't interested in. If it's typed, I don't want it. And unfortunately, I got it. So, um, yeah. I just want to know how you're racking up so many penalties. Like, how? What's going on? What do you do? Is it? Is it? Is it parking? Like, what? I don't get it. Um, different things. Yeah, just different things. It's normally, and this won't come as a huge surprise to you, a lack of organisation. my part where it comes to not paying my

congestion charge. Oh God, I've got something else to tell you as well. I know Daisy's telling us we've got to rush through this. I've got something else to tell you and it's actually my awkward but it's a delayed awkward and it's just to do with my lack of organisation again and I need to sort myself out. I really do like I actually

it's a bit deep. I don't want to get into it now because I know we're being rushed but I'm really struggling with my own ineptness. Like I just, it's just killing me and just don't understand how I work But so I, stupid posts, stupid notices, there'll be another fucking one because I haven't paid the ones that I got home to on Tuesday. Don't know why. I just don't know what's wrong with me.

But I'm a fucking mess. Anyway, what, so I told you the other day in the podcast, before we left, in a special episode, before my wedding, I told you that I'd lost my bank card, didn't I? And then everything was fine and I didn't need my bank card. I was like, yeah, it's fine. I'm thriving. I'm making it work. And it's been my thing for like a casual four months. I haven't had a bank card.

It's fine, right? And then I went to the shell garage. literally on the way home from recording with you and I got to the Shell Garage on the motorway on the fucking motorway I nearly called you an Uber

but to come and rescue me and I got there and Apple Pay has not been a problem for a long time okay but I think I'd had an expensive day because of the wedding stuff I can't remember it must have been that

but I got to the Shell Garage and obviously the price of petrol shot right up so I had like £100 right to pay and I'd got greedy I'd gone for some garment I wanted some water

and I'd made some purchases right and it was like hundred pounds and I went to go and do it with my apple pay and it just didn't work and I was like oh my god what is happening and he was like okay and I was like can I try again and he was like okay told again he's like you're going to need a card I was like so I don't have my card and he was like okay so you're going to need to call a friend and get them to transfer you the money to pay for your petrol and I was like no no I have the money I just my card's not working and he was like okay well if you're like we and I was like can I try again so I tried four times in the apple and he was like right

okay and by this point there was a big queue shell garage fucking evening rush hour and everyone's looking at me and he was like okay can you you need what you need to I said what can I do like literally what can I do about this situation can someone ring you can like someone pay over the phone he was like no you need to go to the car

and get your driving license fill in a form and then we'll bill you to your house and I was like okay I can do that I went to my car where the fuck is my driving license no driving license I couldn't tell you couldn't even begin to imagine where that thing is. So I was sitting in the car and I was like, oh my God.

Like, I'm in trouble now. So I was like, I literally, I think I tried to ring you to come and get me because London was closer than where I was going. And I couldn't find my, I couldn't find anything. I couldn't find any money. I couldn't find anything. And then I found, in the side of my handbag, I found my credit card, which, not my debit card, my credit card, which still had the sticker and needed to be activated on

it and it expires next year i've just never activated it i've never used it and so i had to call hfpc and be like hi can i activate my bank card please and they were like it's arrived three years ago i was like i know but i'm in a bind and i need access to it so they activated it for me and then i got in and i was like what's the fucking pin? And I had no idea what the pin was, obviously. So I had to go, I got to the checkout and I was like, I've got my card. And then I went to put it in and I was like, oh my God, I don't know the pin. And I was like, okay, it looks like I've stolen it from somebody.

It looks like I went to the fork court, weighed up my options, stole someone's credit card and came back in to use it. So then I had to go back to my car again with everybody looking at me like this person is insane. and I went back to the car and I had to link my credit card thank God you can do this I linked my credit card to my Apple pay and then went back in

and Apple pays using my credit card but it was and it worked but it was probably the worst and it was all I kept thinking is why did I tell everybody how good this system was because I just chased it I haven't done anything about it still

what would have happened if you hadn't have been able to pay like that you'd have been getting an Uber down the 840. But like what do they do you know what I mean? Like the people, the man at the thing like, would they just have like called the police on you? Yeah, I think so. Well, I think if I tried to leave, they'd have called the police. I think

most people have their driving licences with them so that, because my sister had this once because she is also of my ilk and she doesn't carry a card around with her because why would she? So she got to the M6 toll. Too easy. She got to the M6

toll and they were like, she was like, do you take Apple Bay and they were like, no. and she was like, what do I do? Because it's a motorway, you can't just turn back around. So they had to then send her a bill, using her driving licence. They had to send her a bill to her house. It happens. But it was just, it was a really, really, really budded it.

And you know what, Al, it's been a month. And I haven't cancelled my card and I haven't ordered a new one. But in my defence, in my defence, I didn't want to cancel everything just before I went on honeymoon because I was like, that will be a nightmare. Yeah. And I've got to change my name and stuff. like well I'll just wait and do all that horrifying admin in one go but that's my awkward oh that I mean all of that really had my anxiety sky high I feel for you

same but I didn't get your miss call I didn't get your miss call until far after yeah you did so much after yeah I would have been waiting a long time for you but you want to know like the worst thing about myself is I'm like I didn't I hit rock bottom rock bottom there but I just skimmed it you know I mean like I was fine there were no real consequences there was a bad 10 15 minutes I haven't learned my life lesson clearly it wasn't a scary enough situation i didn't go to prison i haven't you know what i mean so i'll continue to live like this because it wasn't that i haven't hit rock bottom yet the university needs to take it up a level in their punishment for you essentially talk like that don't do that

don't put that out there i could do without you i could do without it um but you're right and it will be in the form of a court summons that arrives next week when i forget to pay these congestion and charge bills downstairs again. So, I'm a mess. I hate myself, I really do. Anyway, what's next? You're awkward friends.

My awkward, very stupid awkward. I was in, I went to, I was in Shoreditch going to a shoot and I passed, I passed this cocktail bar that was called, like, I think it's called Bawley McBallerson or Bawley Bolley Anderson

or something like this. Anyway, and it's a cocktail, it's a ball pit cocktail bar. So naturally, I was like, ooh, that's rank. That's really rank. That's disgusting. I literally can't think of anything worse.

I can't think of anything better. Anything better. In a human, in a, oh my God. I just fucking love it. And if you lose something, it's gone forever. No, it's not just gone until you find it. It's a good game. Just the hygiene, and I'm not even like that, you know,

I'm not even that clean, but that just went through me. And so I just put it on stories casually. I was like, oh, I'm half intrigued by this, like half really grossed out how in hygiene it this must be or something like that. A couple of hours later, I got a DM from Balling McBallerson. I was like, because I'd shown their name as well. And they were like, oh, we actually clean our balls every Monday.

Oh, please, let's go. Let's go. On Monday. We'd clean our balls every Monday. We'd love to have it down. And I was like, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I said that. I didn't think you'd see it. And also, I'm so sorry.

I didn't realize it would be such a big deal with this cocktail bar. and I'm just so sorry and now I'm never talking about anything ever again Oh my God, you're a little troll, look at you. How many people, when people troll me and I reply and I'm like, what are you saying? And they go, oh, sorry, I didn't think you'd see it. You.

I am a troll. Let's go, let's make it out of them, let's go. Please, please take me. It's my birthday soon. M, okay. God, come on. Don't be like, right. I'm going to troll them.

I'm throwing a birthday party there and it would be really, really poor form. of my closest friends didn't come. No. So. No. Well, there you go. I don't think this is what you want your legacy to be.

I don't think, I don't think you want to, I don't think this is the hill you want to die on. Carmel. Come, Al. They clean her balls every, every Monday. That means that Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, it's just a pit, literally a pit. We'll go on Monday. A big cesspool pit. We'll go on Monday.

Also, why are you so angry about germs? Germs are fine. Germs are a hoot. Honestly, Germany I'm not that, but for some reason, the idea of it just makes me feel sick. I don't know. The fact that you smelt vomit on a window of a train and it even crossed your mind that it could have been you means that you are not in a position to be throwing shade at Bally McBall face, okay? We're going.

We're going. We're going. We're going, Daisy, we're going. Okay. It's been a great trip. We're going, we're going, we're going, we're going, we're going ball in. Okay. Okay, fingers, fingers crossed, I don't get COVID.

Oh, please. COVID will be the least of your worries. Hepatitis, maybe. Like, come off. I think I find the box out. I mean, hopefully, fingers crossed, I don't get COVID beforehand. And, you know, God forbid I wouldn't be able to come

because I had COVID, you know, so just fingers crossed. Anyway, so, I'm so sorry, Bally-Mil-Borlinson. If you want to stay in your own house for seven days to get out of a great night with me and Daisy, I really felt like you're the one that's going to suffer there. Yeah.

Right, we're going balling. Well, there we go. Let's, we're going bawling. Maybe let's, let's get into the episode. Power, power, power to the women. Power to the women. You've seen in the news this week, four more people have been charged for attending the Sarah Everard vigil, which means that there are six now facing prosecution.

This comes alongside the news that Met Police were refused another chance to repeal against reclaimed these streets. Initially, the Mets said that the vigil broke COVID regulations. The High Court ruled that the police had breached the right of the event organisers, though, and since the appeal was denied, the police are now saying that they were worried that the vigil was a threat to the police. They are continuing now to charge attendees at a cost of God knows how much to the taxpayer. So the millions of us who watched the vigil, it was really heartbreaking to see it end the way it did. At the same protest that we saw Kate Middleton laying flowers and babies and dogs amongst the women who came to grieve the loss of one of their own

at the hands of the very people who were meant to keep them safe. It was devastating to then see footage emerge of these same women in handcuffs. The most recognisable of those women being Patsy Stevenson, who became instantly identifiable after she was arrested at the Sarah Everard Vigil. Patsy is a five-foot-one slight woman, and the photo of her on the ground with two male police officers holding her down was circulated around the world. She's currently in a legal battle

and she can't tell us the exact details of what happened but we wanted to hear from her today to explain the effect that this incident has had on her. At the time of the arrest she said publicly she wasn't anti-police but she feels very differently today. Now we wanted this episode to be a chance to give Patsy her voice and explain how she felt about these new charges but the day we interviewed her fell on the two-year anniversary

of the deaths of Bieber Henry and Nicole Smallman. These were the two sisters who were murdered in their local park by a man who had been radicalised on the internet and had made a pledge to kill six women every six months as part of a pact with the devil. Their mother rang the police to report them missing and was not taken seriously. Mena suspects because the girls were black.

It took 16 hours for the police to act in which time the family had already launched their own search party and found their bodies. Already gross negligence from the police and yet it gets so much worse. The officers who were left in charge of guarding the crime scene proceeded to take selfies with the women's bodies and send them to a WhatsApp group

with 40 other. offices in it. These two officers have lost their jobs and have been jailed. It took 10 months for the Met to apologise. Mina forgave her daughter's killer but said it was too late for an apology from the police. Their case got significantly less coverage and actually we realised that this episode was a lot bigger than Patsy and we wanted to do more to amplify the voices of those women's stories who just aren't being heard. This is not just an issue of institutional misogyny within the police. It is one of institutionalised racism as well. Now we confess that before recording for this episode, we were ignorant to a lot of this. Although we'd seen news articles about the leaked

WhatsApp messages and heard of things like Kill the Bill, we didn't really know what it was. And I think like a lot of people who were sort of buying the a few bad apples rhetoric, I think what we learned at this protest was that there are systemic problems, but really the handling of all of this shows that in lots of ways they're met to prioritising their reputation over the safety of women. We don't claim to know all. of the answers but this day and these conversations did serve as an education for us and for that reason we wanted to share it with all of you we don't expect you to necessarily agree with everything that is said but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't hear it something we heard a lot on this day was

that for so many black women their trust in the police is so low that if they experienced an assault they might not even call the police for help this came as a shop to two privileged white women who really until that one bad apple that was way and cousins had never really thought not to trust the police. But the fact of the matter is this is a feeling shared by a lot of people and we want you to hear from them. We know that for police officers listening to this or for people who have loved ones who are police officers that it is hard not to take this conversation personally, but we need to stress that we do not think that all police officers are bad. On the contrary, we believe that most of them are brave people who do this job with the genuine intention of

making the world safer. This is not all police officers. But in the same way, way that we talk about not all men, we need to allow space to recognise institutional and systemic problems. This is not personal by any means and we really want to stress that in this episode. But having heard from so many women, namely Chantal Lunt, who trained as a police officer, we do feel that this conversation is necessary. Stats show that only half of Londoners, 48%, are confident that they be treated fairly if they encounter police, with only 29% saying that the police are effective at preventing violence against women. So it's a big one, but it's important.

And we hope you enjoy it, but more importantly, learn from it. Before we headed to the march with the Women's Equality Party, we spoke to Patsy around my kitchen table. So here is that interview. You were arrested at the vigil for Sarah Evrard, and the footage was all over the news. and you know it became quite an like an iconic photo of you on the floor being arrested and you were sort of instantly catapulted into the public eye really and you had no idea

it was going to happen can you tell us about going to the vigil and did you have any idea of what was about to happen I think anyone could have predicted that that was so strange So I remember after the vigil, I went with one friend and who were walking down the road. And then someone said, you're on the front page. And I was like, the front page of what? And they said, everything. And I was like, what do you mean? So I looked it up and my name had been leaked by someone.

And so my face was everywhere on the New York Times, on every single UK media outlet. So I had to call my mum and say, I've just been arrested. and she thought I was pranking her at first because I have done that in the past about little things but I was like no I'm being serious I'm really sorry I've been arrested and I said I'm on like the news and you know for them they were bewildered just like watching me all over the news I couldn't really look at the news I didn't watch it for a good couple of days because it was just my face everywhere it was very scary not to talk details of the arrest but to talk about how you were feeling because I wonder was it like a fear thing or was it instantly like this isn't justifiable

did you instantly feel like it wasn't fair or it was the weirdest feeling and I don't think I can even describe it because I immediately thought my life is over because I thought I'd be kicked out at university I thought I'd never be able to work again because you hear about like people being arrested you don't get to have a job again because they're like you've been arrested you know and I was just so scared I remember there was a moment where I thought you know I just, I can't believe this is happening, just in general. It was, I think, as well, you could probably see in the videos I'm trying to hold back tears because they didn't want to cry.

I didn't want them to see me as a victim, and I've really held it in. I was so close to tears so many times, like, I remember when I think I shouted something about, like, you know, you should have arrested the murderer. And someone made a joke out of it. It was all over TikTok, they were like, oh, how are they meant to arrest him before they knew he murdered someone? I was like, because he was done for indecent exposure a few days before, you know, and yeah, I remember, like, looking up and seeing all cameras, like, it was so bright because they used flash, and there was so many of them, because it was just, yeah, it was a lot. It was really shocking.

It was, it was so sad to see how that ended, because it should have been exactly what it was, and you said in one of the interviews that it got scary when the police arrived. and I thought that was the most shocking and telling the very people who are supposed to make like situations less scary and actually they induce the fear. Obviously Sarah Everard's disappearance and murder was like a combination between shocking and so unsurprising in the most horrible way that's become just so like normal within women's safety in that conversation and the protest. and the reaction to it online and in real life was really, really powerful and it did feel like something shifted. But I wonder what it was for you that made you go to the vigil

because obviously COVID restrictions were still, you know, we were easing out of lockdown and, you know, it was a big, like, journey for a lot of people. And I just wonder what it was for you that made you want to go, felt, you felt compelled to go. I mean, I've never been one to sort of stick to authority rules anyway. you know in a very small way a lot of my life I've had partners who have told me to stay out of things to not make a scene not speak up on certain things you know you know someone's being harassed in a pub or something I'd go and step in there like no no leave it leave it and that's always happened throughout my life and so I

feel like I've sort of been squashed a little bit and then a week before the vigil my uncle passed away and so he he lived in Brighton and and he was without home and he was living in a hostel. And I had to go up and see him. He was unconscious from the time he was taken in and they knew he was going to pass away. So I stayed with him for five days. And his death obviously hit me very hard.

And when I was searching his room to clean out bits, he had a woman's rights badge and a pronouns badge and things like that. And I was like, I remember, you know, he was very much, he had nothing, but he'd give you anything he had sort of type. person and I like I love that about him and I hope to be like that you know and then you know coming home I remember turned on TV and seeing this and thinking I knew where my uncle was and I'm so distraught and they don't even know where she is I mean I just I couldn't fathom what they were going through and I just thought you know I thought of all the women who I've known

who have been like texting women at home and you know they're always everyone all always watches out for other women's safety and I just thought it's so, it's not on. And I've always been a feminist, but I never really truly understood it until the vigil and all that happening. Because you said after, we were watching some of your interviews before and you did an interview with Good Morning Britain and you kind of said in it, you were like, oh well, you know, like I'm a feminist, but I don't really have an opinion on some of the, these things, you know, like some of, and that's exactly right. Like, it's really, you know, social media kind of does make it feel like you have to have

an opinion on everything but you're also really scared of getting it wrong so it's a really difficult thing but i think something that's really cool about your journey of the last year is you've done so much to learn um and so now like today we're going to a protest later and you're going to be speaking at that and can i ask how that's come to be and the kind of thing that you talk about at the protests like yeah um i think my my first talk at a protest was i i went to a protest for kill the bill so i didn't know what kill the bill was and obviously i said in an interview that I'm not anti-police. I didn't know anything about it.

I didn't know what Kill the Bill was. I didn't understand it. I personally thought activists and protesters were a bit too much. And it's weird looking back because I'm like, they're really not. They actually should be doing more. But, you know, I went to this protest for Kill the Bill to see what was about. And I went up to the main bit and said hello to some of the people. And one of the people there was Chantal Lump, who is an amazing activist.

She literally, she worked so hard. and she said, do you want to speak? And I thought, I don't have a speech or anything. She was like, no, just speak. It would be fine. So I wrote like three little bullet points on a mostic note. And I went up and spoke. And everyone was really, like, welcoming and really lovely about it. And I was like, okay, actually, I might be able to do something here, you know.

And yeah, ever since, like, people have been asking me to speak at these things. And I think it's really important, like, as a white woman as well, to speak on other things, like with the saying I'm not anti-police. you know, it hurt a lot of people because they'd been shouting about it for ages that the police are refusing them. The police are racially profiling and there's so many things that police do that I've never experienced or I didn't know and I was ignorant towards those things. And, you know, listening to women now and really taking on board what they're going through and what they haven't gone through for so many years. I hate the fact that I have such a big platform

and I was given that after a picture. If I were a black woman, would I have that platform? with the headlines have been different, do you know, would I have been, you know, what else would have happened on that night? It's very, it's life change in a perspective way as well, because my whole perspective is just shifted, you know, I believe they are unlawfully arrested me. And the problem at the moment is that people have been charged from the Sarah Everard vigil, people who attended have been charged and they've been charged because they, we all got £200 fines and some of us didn't pay those fines

and we were told you'll be possibly be prosecuted if you don't pay these fines I was terrified at that time so I just paid it straight away because I was so scared I thought I'd be kicked out at uni or something I thought that when I was arrested

I thought my life is over yeah so some of them including two of my friends have said we don't want to pay them because it's a principal like we don't think we did anything wrong hopefully they you know they get

they're able to not pay their fines I'm not sure but I think people were very like well if you broke the rules you should pay the fines but you've got people like Boris Johnson who had a few parties I mean I think that's the thing like that's why that's what compelled us to get in touch with you this week is it was in the news at the end of last week more people were being charged for attending that vigil and it's like that on the back of the fucking like this party that party and like how much are they being fine no one knows they paying it no one knows like is anyone

being fired no like so the the injustice like the double standard just absolutely reeks even if they were fined 200 quid that's not going to do anything is it how much do they get paid like it's not going to do anything the people that i was with at the vigil some of them are students they have nothing that's a lot you know people were like like banding together calling everyone trying to find the money for them to pay so they weren't prosecuted and that's the thing with fines is they will only if they're not means tested they will only affect the poor I want to address the idea that it's a few bad apples, right? Because I think that's the thing that keeps coming up, right?

And I think a lot of people listening will be like, well, it's a bit unfair to, like, be angry with the police because they arrested you because they were doing their job. Now, in my opinion, I don't think you can say this. I don't know if you can. In my opinion, the force did not match the crime. I don't know what the expression is. Can you say anything about the actual arrest? I can't. But I think if the legal proceedings go the way that we want them to, people's minds will be changed instantly.

it's annoying that the police that are in this that maybe some of them are trying maybe some of them are thinking well what can we do to make women safe again I feel like it's very like you know like an abusive boyfriend like toxic boyfriend that's like just trust me just trust me and it's like can you admit what you did though and we can actually build the trust properly that's what it feels like and it feels like they're like

no but just trust me I'm not going to do it again I'm not going to do it again and it's like but you how can I know that do I mean like you've done so many many things now you're just saying that didn't really happen the way you thought we did it was so it was so forceful though it was so forceful and from just from what we think from what we're not saying that you've said this we're saying this because we saw it exactly from the footage that we saw it was so forceful and it seemed as far as we can tell it seemed like a very peaceful calm just I don't want to say nice vigil because obviously a

visual can't be nice but it seemed like there was a lot of solid and there was... There were babies there. Kate Middleton there. There were babies there. There were dogs there. And I think the point that I have to make is like reclaim the streets went to court with the Met

and they said about them not letting them have the vigil and the Met lost. They appealed twice and lost the appeals as well because they found no evidence to my knowledge, I'm pretty sure this is how it went, that they didn't find evidence that the police actually looked into to COVID regulations and that was the reason.

So the actual reason that they didn't want the vigils to go ahead was because of the Mets reputation. Nobody mentioned regulations. What I would say to people, because I used to think, oh, I'm feminist, you know, and I'm just doing my daily thing like every now and again, I'd call out some misogyny and say, that's great, that's brilliant, but you need to do something more

because you're able to, you know, and I think, I always think about like women that have been murdered and think, like, if we've just done something more, something more, would you mean? And I hate to think, we now have the opportunity to do something now and keep fighting so that hopefully things change for the future. Because I would hate to think

that I've not done anything to try and prevent stuff like that happening. I call it like a feminist beach. We're all just grained the sand, but in the end it has to be a beach and you might think it's so insignificant and so tiny. If we're all putting down one grain of sand each, it's going to create this

foundation for future generations and I think doing that as well means getting out there like going to protest going to speeches putting as much as you can into it you know obviously don't overload yourself because a lot of people get burn out very quickly but you know if you're sharing things

if you're speaking up about it properly and calling it out eventually they're going to have to do something if we're all shouting about it you know you seem like a totally different person to the first interview that I watched of you after like after what happened and it does feel like you've been on this huge you were sort of like forced onto like this path which

has ended up like benefiting women everywhere so we're grateful in a funny sort of way that you've ended up doing the work that you're doing because it's so important but I think we would be remiss not to mention the the racial element to this because you said earlier like how different you think it might have been had you been a black woman and I suppose like you you say that's a perspective that you hadn't considered before because you probably never imagine that you'd be arrested at a women's right and, you know, all of this. But I wonder if you could kind of explain what you've learned in that space and some of the

women that have educated you sort of within this and more of what these protests are becoming and more of what we're seeing within the police. Yeah, so like, you know, I've always been an intersectional feminist, but on a very, very small scale. I didn't think I understood or I was very ignorant towards it. I think, you know, the way that we want men to listen to us about what we're going through is very similar to how black women want us to listen to them. And that's literally like listen. And that's the main thing that you need to be doing. You know, they don't need white saviors. They don't need anyone to come into their space and try and help them and things like that. It's literally

you just listen. Educate yourself as much as possible because like I said, like when I said I'm not anti-police and things like that, I didn't understand that the police racially profile women all the time. So as well as being women having that to deal with, they're also racially profiled. Also, there's a whole bunch of other things going on and other marginalised groups. But yeah, you know, the women that I've met have absolutely just gone above and beyond. They didn't have to do that at all. And they've really taught me a lot. And I think, you know, the learning never stopped. you have to keep learning about these things I think you know the more people talk

about it the more interviews are done the more podcasts are done you know you guys doing this is a massive thing as well because you know your viewers and listeners hopefully will be like oh you know what even if one of them goes I'm gonna try something and I'm gonna stand up fantastic you've done an amazing job do I mean that's that's what it's about and I think the more people talk about it more people get involved and eventually we'll have enough people where they're gonna have to listen and they're going to have to and that will cause women to stop being murdered that that's what we want do I mean and I think that's hopefully that will happen and it might

take a long long time we're excited to go to the protest with you and see you in action and thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story with us we can't wait until you win your legal proceedings yes and then you can tell us yeah exactly tell us full story yeah yeah yeah So you're about to hear from Mandu Reid, who is the leader of the Women's Equality Party, and she became the first person of colour to lead a national political party in British history. So, yeah, it would be amazing just to hear, like, obviously what you do, and we wanted to talk to the Women's Equality Party anyway, because what you do is so important.

But with this, particularly, given that more charges, we've been brought against women who've been at the vigil last year, or people who had been at the vigil last year. We just, the whole hypocrisy, it's all just felt so ugly and horrible. and having spoken to Patsy today about how she feels about the police, given her experiences, we were really excited by your work today. It feels really powerful. And I would just love to hear in your own words

what you're hoping to achieve with today and what it means to you to do it. There's a few things we're trying to achieve. In case you weren't aware, we actually started around midday. We've done a 10-mile march from Fremant Park, where Bieber Henry and Nicole Smallman were murdered. We've marched from that place to here. It's a long march.

We've done that deliberately because we wanted to do something that really communicated our commitment to honouring their lives, but also to push for justice and change. What the police did when the family reported them missing was atrocious. They ignored them. They had to launch their own search party. And 16 hours later, only 16 hours later, after they had found the dead bodies, did the police get involved? You'd think that would be enough.

You'd think that being the end of the story would be enough. But no, they had one job after that point, which was to guard the crime scene. Instead, the two police officers on duty took selfies with Bieber and Nicole's dead bodies and shared them on WhatsApp with other police officers in a group of 41 other police officers. So the link to what you were saying earlier,

are your conversations with Patsy and other things I'm sure you're interested in, is that the police do not take responsibility for the misogyny, for the racism within their ranks. They love to point to these things and frame them as bad apples. This isn't a bad apple situation. This is about a rotten institutional culture, a culture that has misogyny and sexism and racism woven into it.

Yet all we get from the police is apologies if we're lucky, but zero commitment to change. And so we're here to shine a light on that. Mina Smallman, the women's mum, can't be here today, but she gave us the green light to do this because she wants people to come together to raise their voices and push hard for change. And what do you think change looks like with the police?

We talk a lot about reform and we need it, you know, sort of systemic change, but how do you think that happens? What do you think? How does it happen? Well, the very first thing that needs to take place, and this is what we're pushing for, is a statutory inquiry into misogyny and how that intersects with racism into the police.

On the scale of what they did a couple of decades ago following Stephen Lawrence's murder, the McPherson inquiry, we need something on that scale. It's fully independent. They can compel witnesses to come forward. The inquiry that they've launched in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder to investigate what happened with Wayne Cousins

is too narrow in scope. It's focusing on one case. It'll completely fail black women because it won't examine how racism plays into all of this. And one case is just a way of trying to minimize this to that bad apple narrative. What you need is something that examines the breadth and depth of the problem. It will expose how deep this runs. Some of us don't need persuading, but the authorities do. So that is absolutely number one.

At that point, we can then have a conversation about what do we want policing in this country to look like? You use the word reform. I prefer to use the word overhaul. I actually think we have come to the end of the line with regard to policing as we know it. It has proven itself to be dysfunctional. Women's trust in police has absolutely collapsed. I know people who've been sexually assaulted,

who've been raped, who won't go anywhere near the police in order to report those crimes because they don't trust that they'll be treated with dignity and respect. So I think we have to do that inquiry, proper breadth, proper depth, and then be prepared to have a conversation where our starting point is a blank sheet. What can we do as women listening who want to get involved with the Women's Equality Party and with the work that you're doing?

What can people listening do? Well, the first thing I want to say to that is thank you for what you're doing today, for being here, to speak to people, to amplify. what we're doing, what all these people are gathered here to do. One of the problems with the Bieber and Nicole case, it happened two years ago, it was totally under the radar. It was a horrendous it was a man, a young man radicalized on the manosphere, on in-cell chat rooms, etc., who murdered two women as part of a pact with the devil to murder six women every six months. Why was that not a top news story? I would argue that a big factor in that is,

The victims were black, right? And so you being here today, helping to spread the word about this, is already you play in your part. So thank you. The Women's Equality Party is a political party. People who are members of other parties are welcome to join. We practice this thing called political polyamory, right? So we're not possessive about whether you've got affiliations

with other political parties or groups. So you can join us, you can get involved. We've massively exploded our following on TikTok where we announce actions that we're doing to create political pressure to push for change that will take us to a world where men and women are truly equal citizens. So it's really easy to get involved and we need as many people in the mix as possible

because this change ain't going to happen by itself, you know. Today, obviously, you've been going a while now since midday. Have you had any encounters with the police today or have you been allowed to have a very peaceful protest? The police have so far been on their best behaviour. because they know that all these people are watching, all these people have reached the end of the line are no longer going to accept the dysfunction

that has become so normalized. And so the police we've seen have been doing what you'd expect police officers to do, facilitating protest. My issue is with the leadership of the metropolitan police. Where are they? Why do they have to be forced to apologize? The new commissioner who comes in to replace Crescent, a dick. Even if that's a highly successful process and we get a good apple, that person's

going to have to be really bold, you know? And so if you ask me in six months time how I feel about how the police are doing, if I haven't seen big changes, if I haven't seen commitment to that statutory inquiry, they're getting an F-minus from me. I'm right. Thank you. We have to march now. But thank you so much. We've got to get to work. You too, you too. So we walked the final mile with the protesters. We chanted, held signs, During that time, we met somebody called Isabel. This is what she had to say about why she was there. So if you could just tell us why you're here and like what this means to you.

I feel we need to get rid of institutional racism and institutional sexism. It's point black if it affects everyone, whether they realize it or not. And if you don't make us stand now, when will you? So here's Mavina S.C. Ogeny Newton, who's an activist. And she started with an anagram for the word ally, which we thought was apt. And after that, you're going to hear from Jen, who's a journalist and survivor. Who are you not to check your privilege?

Let me make it simple for you. A, act when you see the inequalities when you see it. Ow, listen to the voices of those who are press. Ow! On land your unconscious bias, because you got it. And the why is to yield your freaking privilege and turn it into power. If you're not about to do that, there's nothing to be said. And to my brothers and sisters, when you see this, It's not only for the ground.

Do something. Do something. When you see evil and you don't speak out about it, you are part of the freaking problem. As a campaigner, I have survivor after survivor disclose the trauma they go through. First at the hands of violent men, then at the hands of a criminal justice system

that is meant to protect us. Now I'm also a journey. and I worked at several national newspapers during this time. Only since Sarah Everard was murdered at the hands of a serving Met Officer have editors truly sat up and taken notice of what we women endure day in and day out at the hands of this organisation. A young woman, I can only imagine, looked an awful lot like the daughters of some of those very white, very male editors I worked for. It is also truly revealing to note how difficult it was to get editors to treat coverage of murders of women of colour, like Sabina Nessa, like Bieber Henry and Nicole Smallman,

with the same enthusiasm. Now, I saw that process. It happened. It is not a figment of your imagination. Do not let them gaslight you. Racism and misogyny walk hand in hand throughout our society, throughout the establishment, and we must not stand for it.

The next few speakers are all involved in some capacity within news institutions. First, you'll hear from Chantelle Lunt, an activist writer and ex-police officer, then from Dorn Butler, who is MP for Brent, then again from Chantelle, and then you'll hear from Bell Ribeiro, Addie, MP for Streatham.

For those who don't know me, I trained, I trained to be a police officer, I used to be a police officer. And for me, the bad apple narrative bothers me a lot, because when I went into the police force, I went to be a good person, and to change things and to save my community, to help my community and I thought I'd be with people who were the exact same as me

and what I realised was I stuck out like a soul for and this is why that notion that what they do and their institutional misogyny and misogy noir and their institutional racism can be trained out of them because there is a culture within those forces that overrides any training package that you want to put in there and that culture is throw the rule book out the window lad this is how we do it here and if you are someone who wants to challenge the way they do things and the way that I challenged it, then you will quickly find yourself forced out of the police force and they become a blue wall against you because it's like a cult and if you don't think like them and if you don't act like them

then you are out and they do not think that our lives matter and they do not think that women matter and no training course, no training package is going to change that. The Met Police were founded less than 200 years ago and they were founders on principles of integrity, equality, inclusion impartiality. It's actually a bit like a comedy if you read the principles they were founders on because that police force

looks nothing like that. It is a members only misogynistic Boys Club and they have shown me nothing in the past two years that says they are likely to change. Some people say when you criticise the police and you're anti-police, I'm not anti-police. In fact, some of the police have helped.

me. What I am anti is the corrupt police, the bad police, the racist police, the soogynistic police, the homophobic police. Those are the ones I'm against. If you're not against them, then there's something wrong with you, not me. Let's not stay silent on male violence. Say I will not stay silent. I will not stay silent. Stamp your feet. I will not stay silent. louder, I will not stay silent, I will not stay silent. But sometimes as black women, I can stand up for my sisters all day long, but I found it really hard when I was in the police to stand up for myself.

So as women, and not just black women, every woman here, and we know who's included in that, every woman here is inclused us in that. We are our sisters keepers. We need to look after each other. We need to fight for each other. other. So I will leave you on this. I am my sister's keeper. I will not let her down. I am waiting in the background ready to fix her crown. If any one of our crowns slip, you fix it. We are our sisters keepers and we must all straighten each other's crowns. We need to look out for each other

and we need to keep our eyes on them. And when we say Black Lives Matter, people say to us, why do you have to say that? Of course, Black Lives Matter. Of course, that should be obvious. But to somebody that looks like me, it's not obvious. Because of the way we are treated, because of the way we are brutalized,

because of the way when something happens to us, it very rarely makes it into the news. And it only does if somebody is caught. When these things are exposed and the police apologize, they say to us, What more do you want? But when they do that, that is just reputation management. That's not change.

And I can tell you, because myself and Dawn, we've been in meetings with Crested Dick, and she would say things like, well, of course we have to stop and search people in these areas in these communities because that's where the crime happens. As somebody who works in the House of Commons, I can tell you there are criminals everywhere. So now we're about to hear a piece that writer and poet Miss Yankee wrote for the day. It's beautiful and so touching. Thank you for standing for women. Thank you for shining a light on the plight of black and brown women for forgiving and using your energy to plant seeds of change, for campaigning, for refusing to keep quiet, highlighting the racism and misogyny ingrained in police culture and doing everything in your power to affect radical change.

Today, we stand with you. Enough is enough. As we march on the Met, let us take some time. to reflect on Nicole and Bieber, who we shall never forget. Mina's daughters were special, treasured, loved and cherished. Bieber was five foot tall with a mighty spirit. Her mum described her as Bieber the Spitfire, a force of nature who always fought for what was right.

She was known to be the biggest personality in the room, a dedicated social worker and a passionate advocate for safeguarding vulnerable children. in vulnerable children and families. Bieber was a shining light. Her little sister Nicole was a talented artist who had a beautiful voice. She enjoyed photography in the creative arts and kept humanitarian and environmental causes close to her heart.

Her mum described her as Nikki the Flower Girl. She was electric. Her presence in a room was said to be like a nightlight, warm, gentle, protective. Nicole and Bieber spent their last day on earth together. The sisters met with friends in a country park to celebrate Beaver's birthday. They enjoyed food and drinks, laughed and took photos before watching the sunset and

admiring the night sky, not wanting the moment to end. The sisters bid their friends goodbye and stay together dancing under the stars. Two beautiful lights, two valuable lives taken. They never made it home that night. In the days after they vanished, the Met failed to search for the sisters, despite the family's cries for help. They were cold and unresponsive, leaving the family no choice but to organise their own search party, forcing them to do the research and effectively the work for which the police are paid a wage. What Bieber and Nicole's loved one's face was inhumane, for it was not the police who discovered their bodies that day. No longer missing, but the police misconduct continued.

with the two officers sent to guard the crime scene shamelessly taking selfies with the sisters which they shared in the name of fun. Cressida, the now ex-police commissioner, eventually apologised on behalf of the Met and expressed her regret and deepest sympathies. If only her sympathies ran as deep as her denial. Maybe then she would have faced up to the failure she was playing down. It took her ten months to apologise. And sorry doesn't mean much when you honourable. able to fully realize the wrongs and take appropriate action. Sorry doesn't mean much when the police force is so dangerously flawed and the keepers of the law keep breaking

and bending at will, knowing they will likely never be held accountable. The METs have been failing women like you and I for a very long time and the denial of this fact, along with time past, does not erase the racist, misogynistic crimes of their past. Time and time again women are betrayed by the institutions who get paid to protect us. racism and misogyny is widespread from the criminal justice system to the government to the media to the met time and time again human rights are abused our demands are refused and we are made to feel like there is nothing we can do time and time again we grieve laying women after women to rest in peace some stories are told others we

never hear or see time and time again black and brown women are disregarded Their deaths treated with a lack of attention, care and respects. There is a reason why women like me do not trust the government or the met. Some women's murders receive attention, whilst others are seemingly invisible. Why are we gricked by the death of some women and not others? If racism is a thing of the past, then why are things still handled so poorly when it comes to the treatment of women of colour? These women are more than statistics or newspaper covers. these women are our daughters, our mothers, sisters, loved ones, friends, so we hurt when they're taken.

Their lives are not expendable. And though these crimes cannot be undone, we still demand justice for the women's slain. We still demand respect. We still demand change. That is our right. In the same way, it is our right to feel safe. It is our right to say no. It is our right to be human. It is our right to be human. It is our right. is our right to get home. We are marching on the Met to let them know that they own more than hollow apologies and empty promises. We will not be placated by statements of intent that are never cemented while they copy and paste press releases and reluctantly make scripted apologies to keep the peace. Time and time again they tell us mistakes were made from which they've learned their lessons while dancing around questions, skipping over answers and

changing subjects, choosing not to subject themselves to the cries of victims and survivors, choosing to deny our truth and ignore our plight. Women's rights are stereotyped and pushed aside. Minimize, mocked and denied. Their systems are rotten from the inside. So an internal inquiry will not suffice. We don't have to be on the same side to be on the same page. There is much to discuss, argue and debate, but right now, there is a media action that we need to take. It's really not that complicated. The misogyny, racism, murder, rape, abuse, violence and hate must stop. We came here today to remember Bieber and Nicole

and to fight for every woman whose story isn't told. We came here today to stand together, to fight, to speak up and let the world know enough is enough enough enough is enough finally we have the end of a speech from the south hall black sisters they are a group of black and minority women with years of experience struggling for women's human rights in the UK they are a non-for-profit secular and inclusive organisation which was established in 1979 to meet the needs of black Asian and African Caribbean women they run an advice advocacy and resource centre in west London which provides a comprehensive service to women

experiencing violence and abuse and other forms of inequality and after that you'll hear from mandu reid again to close us out reclaim the night reclaim the day reclaim the streets reclaim the home our tradition struggle not submission so there's a lot to do and we can do it if we come together like this if we come together on a regular basis if we support each other if we fight together We stand a chance of making it happen. Bring others on board. Bring your menfolk as well. Because none of this is going to change

if men and women don't fight for it together. In fact, men are the only ones who have the power to end male violence against women and girls. So thank you to the handful of guys that showed up. Tell your friends, bring your friends. And let's make this the story. start of writing that new chapter.

Thank you guys so much for listening. We know that today's episode has been a bit different, but we really hope that you've enjoyed it and learned something from it. We definitely have. And we're going to see you back on Thursday. See you on Thursday, guys. Thanks so much for listening.

Take care. Bye!