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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Institutional Racism in our policing - Dawn Butler MP

525 replies

AuntyPasta · 09/08/2020 18:48

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/aug/09/labour-mp-dawn-butler-stopped-by-police-in-london

The police stopped the car being driven by her friend (she was a passenger.) Unlike the elite athletes stopped with their 3 month old baby in the car www.theguardian.com/law/2020/jul/06/why-did-police-stop-and-search-bianca-williams-and-ricardo-dos-santos she’s had an apology.

AIBU to think that if she wasn’t an MP the police would be sticking by their ‘reasonable suspicion’? Is that what it takes to be dealt with fairly by the police?

OP posts:
Original poster
AuntyPasta · 09/08/2020 21:25

That level of arrogance must be hard to bear.

OP posts:
SimonJT · 09/08/2020 21:26

So the black person who was actually there is wrong, and a random person on MN knows the drivers ethnicity more Hmm

TheNestedIf · 09/08/2020 21:42

She should have asked to be driven to Durham instead. Then, the police wouldn't have taken a blind bit of notice. Apparently.

chomalungma · 09/08/2020 21:46

I'm from Yorkshire and have driven my car in Central London before. I wouldn't expect my car to be pulled over just because the registration is 'out of town'.

Ermokrightthen · 09/08/2020 21:59

Couple of observations; she’s a passenger so why has she tried to make out like she was the driver in her own Twatter feed. The driver appears to be white 🤷‍♀️ and also isn’t wearing a seatbelt - that would be enough for the police to stop you.
If she is found to be twisting the truth she isn’t going to come out of it very well.

Original poster
AuntyPasta · 09/08/2020 22:12

How nice of you to join MN just for this thread.

OP posts:
chomalungma · 09/08/2020 22:18

The driver appears to be white

Where have you seen the actual video that she posted?

He looks black to me.

Institutional Racism in our policing - Dawn Butler MP
AlecTrevelyan006 · 09/08/2020 22:28

@SimonJT

So the black person who was actually there is wrong, and a random person on MN knows the drivers ethnicity more Hmm
her first tweet on this subject said: I JUST GOT STOPPED BY THE POLICE DRIVING THROUGH HACKNEY

she quite clearly implied that she was driving and subsequently released an edited reverse image video which at first glance appears to support her assertion that she was the driver.

It turns out she was the passenger.

So, how much of what she says should be believe?

tbh - my usual stance is not to believe anything that any politician says as it just saves time

SimonJT · 09/08/2020 22:33

@AlecTrevelyan006 It won’t let me quote you.

All videos/pictures shot in selfie mode are a mirror image, so I’m not sure why you think she edited a video to make it mirrored, when a selfie video is automatically mirrored.

I don’t think the comment implies shes driving, if I’m in a cab I say for example “I’m driving down x street” I don’t say “the taxi driver is driving down x street”. I imagine a lot of people do the same, I certainly hear it/see it in texts quite a lot.

VillanellesOrangeCoat · 09/08/2020 22:34

@Ermokrightthen

”The driver appears to be white 🤷‍♀️ and also isn’t wearing a seatbelt - that would be enough for the police to stop you“

Maybe the driver took his seatbelt off when he stopped the car 🤷🏻‍♀️

Advancesingle · 09/08/2020 22:36

She gave the impression she was driving. She was not driving. She was not stopped. The driver of the car was stopped.

BoogieLowenstein · 09/08/2020 22:44

@Advancesingle

She gave the impression she was driving. She was not driving. She was not stopped. The driver of the car was stopped.
Oh come on now; you know the truth won’t make for as good a story.
Original poster
AuntyPasta · 09/08/2020 22:52

You assumed she was driving. Does it make any difference that she was a passenger? The driver was black.

OP posts:
Original poster
AuntyPasta · 09/08/2020 22:57

And another newly joined poster. Lovely.

Incidentally this is a Dawn Butler MP who has received numerous racist threats and was forced to close her constituency office to protect her staff. What kind of person would do that?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/09/labour-mp-dawn-butler-closes-office-after-receiving-racist-threats

OP posts:
Flaxmeadow · 09/08/2020 23:02

She gave the impression she was driving

Yes. She switched the orientation of the film around when she edited it before uploading

Advancesingle · 09/08/2020 23:03

Thank you for your kind welcome.

SimonJT · 09/08/2020 23:04

@Flaxmeadow

She gave the impression she was driving

Yes. She switched the orientation of the film around when she edited it before uploading

Videos/pictures on selfie mode are automatically mirrored.
TheWernethWife · 09/08/2020 23:05

Am I missing something here. Police say the registration number was entered incorrectly. Why were they checking the registration number in the first place.

Original poster
AuntyPasta · 09/08/2020 23:07

Good question TheWernethWife

OP posts:
Smileyaxolotl1 · 09/08/2020 23:10

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Smileyaxolotl1 · 09/08/2020 23:11

If he happens to be BAME but looks white in every picture posted of him then it also undermines her point doesn’t it?

Smileyaxolotl1 · 09/08/2020 23:12

AuntyPasta
Yes I agree, totally disgusting that people send death threats to MPs (Seems to massively disproportionately affect black woman too) but pretty irrelevant to this incident.

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 09/08/2020 23:14

@midgebabe

The vehicle wasn't registered to Yorkshire, that was the excuse used. They lied basically
Even if the car was registered in Yorkshire, it's still pretty blatant racism. My car is registered in North Yorks and I drive all over the UK without being stopped.

(I'm white, obvs)

userd · 09/08/2020 23:26

I know from experience that my black male friends are more likely to be stopped by the police. I think one friend has had it happen more than 20 times (likes nice cars).

Undoubtedly DB suffers from pointed racial abuse because of her role however if the driver is white passing, then I'm not sure how it's racial profiling?

Flaxmeadow · 09/08/2020 23:27

West Yorkshire has the highest serious crime rates in the UK. Police will be on the look out for organised crime and serious crime all the time. It's what they do and yes they stop cars they believe are from certain high crime areas. Why not?