Dangerous precedents: crime, media, and society
I was on a long drive home from North Wales last night when my phone pinged with the notification that a car had driven into a crowd of people during the parade to celebrate Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory. I’m trying to be slightly less attuned to the 24-hour news cycle, as I’m sure it contributes to an underlying sense of anxiety, but I decided to keep checking back on the BBC News app every so often in hopes that everyone involved in the crash would be okay.
Not long after, my phone pinged again to say that a ‘53-year old White British man from the area had been arrested’ in connection with the incident. Instantly, I understood the context behind releasing both the ethnicity and nationality of the person arrested, though I can’t remember a time where this information has been released to the media so rapidly. Of course, we don’t want a repeat of the riots last summer, and that’ll be why, I thought. It also briefly allayed that sinking feeling that many Black and brown people will recognise in hoping that we’re not going to once again be blamed and condemned for an individual’s actions, another cycle of being subject of a nation-wide lecture, or worse. But after a few minutes, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly sad and honestly, quite nervous, at the thought that this is where we’re at right now with community and race relations - quickfire media releases as to personal details of suspects to avoid impending race riots. A few years ago, ‘not terror-related’ seemed to suffice, but we’re now apparently needing to have full access as to the characteristics of suspects before they’ve even touched the chair in the interview room.
Growing up as an Arab girl with Muslim family members in the UK post-911, I know what it feels like to wait with nervous anticipation to find out if this latest incident is going to once again be your fault, and what the public’s reaction will be. I understand, and possibly agree, with the reasoning of the police to release the details of the driver to the media. On the other hand, I worry that this has now set a dangerous precedent that we might not be able to move on from. Are we now committing to releasing the details of a person’s ethnicity and nationality every time a major incident takes place? What if something happens, and the suspect isn’t British? Isn’t White? Is British, but not White? Is it wise to release these details to the public without the slightest bit of nuance and context as to what actually happened, why it happened?
It seems that in avoiding the flaring up of tensions and disorder, we might have played right into the hands of those seeking to do exactly that - it’s less about the crime now, less about the motive, and more about who did it.
Let’s jump ahead, and think through the lens of the ‘two-tier justice’ accusation that is currently weaving its way through all manner of criminal justice related topics: if a high-profile incident happens, and the suspect isn’t British, or isn’t White, and it’s not immediately announced, what are people now going to think? How are we going to respond to that?
It’s genuinely disturbing to see people from particular political affiliations seemingly gleefully anticipating the announcement that an immigrant, a brown person, a black person, committed a crime. And of course, who is left behind whilst this discourse rages on from all sides of the political spectrum? The victims.
With that said, every one of the 50 people who were injured in yesterday’s incident are in my thoughts, and I’m deeply hoping that everyone makes a quick and full recovery whilst surrounded by support, both physically and mentally. Having done some work on community safety and policing in Liverpool, I know how resilient the people of Liverpool always have been and continue to be.
