‘There’s defiance, anger and fear’

BY CALUM FRASER
calum@slpmedia.co.uk

A group of mothers are fighting back against knife crime as the number of youths killed in London soars.

Greenwich resident Jummy Ariyo organised two marches across the borough as part of the Mothers Against Guns and Knife Crime (MAGKC) group, in an attempt to start a community-led fightback against violent crime.

There have been more than 65 reported incidents of murder this year in London while five people in Greenwich were victims of knife crime in April.

Ms Ariyo, who lives in Ritter Street, Woolwich, said: “One local boy was being stabbed on his doorstep while his mum tried to drag him in. Thankfully he didn’t die.

“Another boy who was killed about three minutes walk from my home. It was basically on my doorstep.

“Whether they die or don’t die it is the same feeling. There’s defiance, anger and fear.

“These incidents are getting closer and closer to home. We’re angry at young people. Why do they think the best way to settles scores is stabbing each other?

“In the good old days they would have a good fight then come home.”

Ms Ariyo, who has brought up three children on Woolwich Common Estate since 1992, led the two MAGKC marches.

The first march, on April 28, saw about 20 people walk 6km from Abbey Wood through Plumstead, ending at Woolwich’s General Gordon Square.

The 51-year-old mother said: “The march which was peaceful but noisy, caught a lot of attention of motorists, shop owners and youths especially around the Plumstead High street.

“Our aim was to send a message to young people, drop the knife, lose the gun and stop the killings.”

The second march, on Saturday, May 26, started from the Greenwich O2 and through Charlton, before finishing again at General Gordon Square.

Ms Ariyo, who is a radio presenter and blogger, then addressed a crowd of hundreds at the square.

She said: “This march was about calling on parents and the community to start to take the issue of knife crime in Woolwich and in London a bit more seriously and personally.

“You cannot look the other way because it is ‘not my child’.”

The campaign stemmed from Ms Ariyo’s other project, the Sistas and Divas Evening (SADE) which is an annual women’s only meet-up.

Each SADE adopts a cause or project in the community to work with. They devote three months to raise awareness for the cause and at the event they sell raffle tickets to raise funds.

Ms Ariyo, who is also known as Barones J, said: “I picked gangs and knife crime as our project for this year because the issue is one that has always been close to my heart.

“What was meant to be a simple awareness campaign took a new turn with the sudden escalation of knife killings in the capital last March.

“The high percentage of Nigerian and African boys caught up in the carnage made me realise we had a lot of work to do beyond simple campaigning within the African community and more had to be done.

“I talked to some boys. Much of what came back was the feeling of anger, exclusion and serious identity crisis among black boys, with many of them feeling isolated and unfairly treated by the police and school authorities.

“This confused state of mind pushes a lot of black kids to the streets and eventually gang membership.

“They assume it is the only place they can find acceptance, validation and protection.

“Unfortunately, protection is by self arming with knives and the demonstration of gang loyalty is also required by the number of ‘dibs’ (stabbings) a member can notch up.”

The next SADE evening will take place on June 24 at the Marriott Hotel in Bexleyheath.

For tickets, email sade2018.eventbrite.co.uk.

More peace marches are planned for the summer.