Watching the harrowing footage of what would become Yves Sakila’s final moments of consciousness, it is hard not to be reminded of the agonising death of George Floyd.
Had this one too consumed mass quantities of dangerous illegal drugs, then?
Sakila was declared dead in a Dublin hospital on 15 May, a short time after being pinned to the ground by security guards outside Arnotts, a city centre department store.
Congolese-born Sakila had allegedly been suspected of shoplifting in the store and fled.
Maybe he should have remained in the store to plead his innocence then.
In these deeply distressing images, the 35-year-old is being restrained by a group of security guards for nearly five minutes. He tries to protest but his shouts are muffled in the concrete when one of the men appears to put his knee on the back of Sakila’s neck. By the end of the video, Sakila has stopped moving.
The cause of death has not yet been established – an initial post-mortem examination reportedly inconclusive. Nor is it likely that the police investigation into claims of excessive force will establish exactly what was going through the minds of those involved.
Probably struggling to subdue a suspect who was trying to escape, no more than that.... Oh, and perhaps thinking about the danger they could have been in!
Yet, this is what I would like to understand. What would compel someone who can see that a person is being forcibly restrained by several men, to kneel on the individual’s neck? Would it have been different if the man suspected of stealing had been white?
No. Because it hasn't made any difference in this case. Securuty guards are there to stop shoplifting, and they will tackle you if you are black, white or sky-blue pink! And if shoplifting is a dangerous pasttime, it doesn't seem to have stopped anyone.
Six years ago we gathered and protested in the streets under Black Lives Matter banners. We were finally addressing the racism in Ireland that was overlooked for so long. Was all that in vain?
Not for the founders of BLM who made out like bandits, Sean!
As black people in Ireland, it feels as though we are repeatedly asked to sweep such horrific “incidents” under the rug, as though they are isolated tragedies, unconnected to any patterns or larger systemic issues.
Well, they are clearly connected to the criminality that seems to be overly present in the black population. But I feel you wouldn't want to discuss that...
But even after an event that has drawn international attention, most of the country appears to be in denial. The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, offered his condolences, adding that “the situation will have to be thoroughly investigated” and that “a lot of people are clearly very concerned about what has transpired here”. But showing no willingness to ask if racism may have played a part in Sakila’s handling lets the danger grow.
Because he can see that it clearly didn't.
There are justified concerns about not prejudicing the investigation. But in a climate where former prime ministers join in the scapegoating of marginalised and often racialised communities for the shortcomings of decades of failed leadership, the lack of a profound debate about systemic racism risks enabling more violent behaviour in the future.
The discussion of 'systemic racism' as a policy is getting a hammering in the UK at the moment, but you do you, Sean.
