Responding to the video of a Black mum being wrongly arrested for fare evasion in Croydon, Black Equity Organisation Chief Executive Dr Wanda Wyporska said:
“Black Equity Organisation is deeply concerned after seeing a video of a young Black woman being wrongly arrested for not paying her bus fare, while her child is clearly in distress. Our hearts go out to the young woman and her child.
“The use of such force to arrest someone who is clearly upset and concerned about her child over a £1.75 fare is disproportionate. One must wonder if the outcome would have been different if the woman was white.
“The hard facts are that, according to the Home Office’s own data, in 2021 being Black in England and Wales meant being over three times more likely to be arrested than the White population.
“This is the troubling backdrop to the arrest and the reason why the newly formed Alliance for Police Accountability is crucial to bridging the growing gap between minority communities and the police.”
