On the 1st February, Justice4Grenfell hosted a Public Meeting titled ‘Grenfell: How can we get justice?’

We had some great speakers, such as Emma Dent Coad MP, Brian Richardson (Stand Up To Racism), Eileen Short (Defend Council Housing), Matt Wrack (Fire Brigades Union), Clarrie Mendy (Bereaved family member & Co-founder of Humanity4Grenfell) and Kevin Courtney (National Education Union). There were over 200 people in attendance, and some important points were made from the floor by the community.

The meeting raised some key Grenfell-related issues:

• Inequality
• Housing
• Fire Safety
• Cuts to public services
• The lack of action that’s been taken on previous recommendations after similar avoidable tragedies
• A shocking amount of properties in RBKC are sitting empty, some for years
• The painful ongoing experience and frustrations of the bereaved families, survivors & the wider community
• 98 households are still in emergency accommodation
• No arrests

Look out for dates for future meetings. The fight for justice continues…!

All photos are the copyright of Nicholas Grigorian & J4G  ©

**For Immediate Release**

The Justice4Grenfell Campaign is outraged that survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire who have core participation status in the upcoming Public Inquiry could face the possibility of deportation .

Immediately after the disaster Theresa May said no one should feel scared about coming forward. Then immigration minister Brandon Lewis announced a pitiful one-year amnesty for undocumented migrants living in the tower. Now he has said survivors can apply for permanent residence, but only after a five-year period of regular observation by the state. This constant shifting of the immigration policy has meant that people will not come forward with crucial information for the Public Inquiry and the criminal investigation. Survivors suffering from various kinds of trauma are not accessing trauma and bereavement services.

J4G are also concerned that the Home Office policy for families bereaved by the fire simply does not go far enough. Relatives who were granted visas in the aftermath of the fire, now face the possibility of their visas expiring. Yet in some cases, it has taken over four months for remains to be released and funerals to take place. This could mean that families will have to leave the UK before any substantive hearings at Inquests or the Public Inquiry, and before any completion of the police investigation and criminal proceedings.

Labour MP’s Emma Dent Coad and Dianne Abbott’s letter to Home Secretary Amber Rudd, highlights concerns that the Justice4Grenfell campaign raised in October 2017 when we pointed out that “This piecemeal and underhand policy does not encourage undocumented survivors to confidently come forward, and if survivors do not come forward then justice cannot be served.”

We therefore repeat our call for a full and comprehensive amnesty to allow survivors to take part in the inquiry or for their family members to support them.

####

Dear Barry Quirk,

Re: Resignation of Michael Clarke

My name is Mr Mahad Egal, I am a survivor of 15 Grenfell Tower and I am calling for the immediate resignation of Michael Clarke.

It has come to my attention that Michael Clarke is the Director of Communications & Community Engagement at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.​ ​

I am deeply concerned of the remit of his role at RBKC with obvious sensitivities this requires, given his previous appointment as​ ​Head of Press for the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry. This concern is further compounded by his previous role as interim Chief Media spokesman for First Secretary of State Damian Green and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, and I suggest his position is untenable.

Given your role as Town Clerk with oversight and direct responsibility for your subordinates at RBKC, this also raises​ ​alarms about your approach to governing RBKC, moving from the consultation model to a community-led one.

I know that Mr Clarke began his assignment with RBKC in September 2017
at the time he was shown the impact that the lack of effective communications and community engagement has had, the erosion of trust between RBKC and residents was outlined clearly along with an indication of what was needed to effect change. Given Mr Clarke’s remit included these key areas it is obvious that he has consistently failed in his responsibilities and despite repeated warnings, officers maintained a lofty distance from the community and this only increased the suffering and confusion caused initially by RBKC’s disastrous first response on 14th June.

It is reasonable in any professional setting for individuals who consistently underperform to be held accountable for their poor performance. The community has seen no evidence that Mr Clarke has either been reminded of the responsibilities assigned to his position and salary or has himself proactively enacted improvements following repeated contestations from members of the community and various public servants. His position has long been untenable, a view confirmed by the revelations at the last Grenfell Scrutiny Meeting.

Seven months into the recovery of the worst fire in London since World War Two; Mr Clarke and his team presented a community engagement paper that presented a mixture of weak theory, with no evidence of action, meaningful objectives or indeed any indication of actual achievement.

Immediately after the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, Mr Clarke was responsible for hiding the ‘Grenfell Tower Tragedy’ on page 7 of the local ‘Royal Borough’ paper. It is widely acknowledged that the Grenfell Tower Fire has changed the lives of those who live in North Kensington forever, it is, therefore, inconceivable that this was not published on the front page of the paper and presents the first attempt of a ‘cover-up’.

I am deeply saddened by Mr Clarke’s decisions and have no confidence in his future decisions. Survivors of Grenfell Tower are currently suffering from a lack of communication from RBKC, and this is jeopardising the future of the local community. The failure of Mr Clarke to engage with the community has unveiled his intentions of covering up the tragedy. I would, therefore, like to call for the immediate resignation of Michael Clarke.

Please note that a petition calling for the resignation of Michael Clarke will be in circulation following this email.

Regards,

Mahad Egal

The Justice4Grenfell Campaign are hosting a Public Meeting on the 1st February 2018, 7pm at Maxilla Social Club, raising the question: ‘How do we get Justice For Grenfell?’

The meeting provides a platform for the community to discuss what justice looks like, and how it can be achieved. This is particularly pertinent as nearly 8 months after the fire, the following issues are still outstanding:

• There have been no arrests
• Hundreds of families are still without permanent accommodation
• Thousands, nationwide, are still living in unsafe buildings and;
• Despite a petition and legal advice, the Public Inquiry panel still remains unrepresentative of our diverse community.

Speakers will include:

• Emma Dent Coad – Local Labour MP
• Clarrie Mendy – Bereaved Family Member & Humanity4Grenfell Founder
• Matt Wrack – General Secretary of the Fire Brigade’s Union
• Joe Delaney – Resident & Grenfell Action Group Member
• Eileen Short – Defend Council Housing
• Kevin Courtenay – General Secretary of National Union of Teachers (NEU)
• Brian Richardson – Stand Up To Racism

The Grenfell Tower fire has highlighted failures in protecting the safety of social housing tenants, adequate public services, lack of equality and human rights with little or no accountability.

The Justice4Grenfell campaign says “It’s vital that those in authority begin to act upon community demands immediately, and lessons are learned, so that no community ever has to face what this community has endured in the last 8 months – only through the responsible authorities implementing action and change, will Justice be done and be seen to be done, by those that matter.”

####