Evil can take on many different forms, but one of the worst forms it can possibly take, is the form of 'good'; ‘hell’ pretending to be ‘help’.
The law is supposed to be 'good', to protect us, from evil. The law was never intended to be evil. Police officers are granted the power of the law to be protectors, not sexual predators.
Eight months ago, on March 3rd around 9 pm when evil, in the form of a police officer, ’Wayne Couzens', used the power of a 'good' law to commit evil and falsely arrest, rape and murder a poor innocent girl, something changed in the UK that will never be able to be undone. Society was forced to accept the harsh reality that even the 'best of us' can be the 'worst'.
Despite being a known sex offender (an uncharged flasher) and nicknamed "the rapist", by fellow Police officers; officer Couzens was permitted to use 'Covid laws' to deceive his victim, Sarah Everard, brandishing his Police badge to stop her and using his handcuffs to kidnap her.
OUR SOCIAL CONTRACT
Whether we know it or not, if we are a part of society we sign a 'social contract' with each other, to live with one another in harmony and peace. A vital part of this social contract is the law. We give our democratic power to the law which governs us in exchange for the protection it provides us. The Police are the enforcers of the law. This role grants them powers over us, and with great power comes the possibility of tyranny, when power is abused.
SENTENCED TO LIFE
On Thursday this week (30th Sept) when the officer of the law, Couzens, was sentenced to life in jail, so many emotions ran through my mind and body as I contemplated the horror of the last hours of Sarah Everard's life at the hands of the evil of this 'law enforcer'. My heart felt like it actually broke, especially as I thought about the Everard family who has to live with the horrific knowledge of this evil being visited upon them.
ANSWERING A QUESTION ON LBC RADIO
Questions are my fascination right now, and so when radio presenter James Obrien asked a question on his afternoon show on LBC (Leading Britain's Conversation) I had to call in to share my thoughts.
Presenter James O'Brien asked the question;
"Is the life sentence of Couzens justified?
Below is a phone call I made to Jame's show, to share my answer to his question.
TRANSCRIPT, OF MY CALL INTO LBC RADIO SPEAKERS: Shabazz L. Graham, James O'Brien
James 00:00
Shabazz is in Hackney Shabazz, what would you like to say?
Shabazz 00:03
Good afternoon, James, how you doing, you alright?. James Very good thank you.
Shabazz 00:06
I'm going to try and keep it together mate because I'm..., my blood is boiling over this.
I think it's an absolute catastrophe as to what has happened, obviously for the family of Sarah, but also just for, just for the actual state of the nation, a time when the Police need to be trusted, at a time when there needs to be confidence in the law. This horrendous thing happens. I'm going to give you three reasons as to why I think thee, the actual... what has just occurred in regards to the actual sentence that has been handed out, had to go this way. Three reasons, all of them begin with 'P' and are connected to (1) Power. The law is represented by the Police. They have 'power' , that power cannot be questioned, should never be questioned. I'm a youth worker, as well, as a filmmaker. I work with a lot of young people who do not trust the Police. Who hate the Police.
James 01:03
You try, you try and persuade them to change their views. And a story like this comes along and undoes any, any progress that you've ever made.
Shabazz 01:12
I tell you what James, one story like this represents millions of untold stories. Unfortunately, this is the worst of the worst, because obviously he has been caught on camera, he has been convicted, and now precedent has been set in regards to how he's actually been sentenced. But there are..., I tell you what, there's so many people around the UK right now around the world actually saying, "told you, they're like that", and the same thing that happened with Derek Chauvin, and so many people.....
James 01:39
I hear you, and I know what you're saying, but you know, I have to, no, I'm not, I just want to remind you there's a hell of a lot of good men and women in police services around the world as well. But I'm not I'm not contradicting what you're saying. I'm just qualifying.
Shabazz 01:52
But James, you know that you said earlier in regards to you don't want any men to call up and say "there are a lot of good men out there", we know that, it almost doesn't need to be said that there are good men, of course, there are good coppers out there. Of course, there are good Police officers and I love them all. But when there's a bad apple, you know, we hate the fact that the rest of the good apples turn around to say "he's not one of ours", like you said earlier. In order to actually cure a problem, you need to diagnose it first. And this guy wasn't diagnosed, even though he gave you enough reason to actually prevent him from doing what he did. So I've said one piece, which was, you know, 'Power'. The second, the second P is precedent, this had to set precedent, if this guy got any less of a sentence than this, then it almost not to say validates or justifies it. But it would almost gives it a little bit more credence that it doesn't deserve. And I think the third one and the last one is, and it's the most important one is prevention, by the judge had to say, this can never happen again, we need to prevent people who we give power to, you know, society is a social contract. And as a society, we give the law, power, we give them power. As soon as you pull out that badge. Soon as you pull out those cars, I've got a little bit of everything you say, to a certain degree. And I've got to be complicit especially, I'm a man of African heritage. If I'm not complicit with a Police officer when he stops me with the law, there's so much reasons that I can't run, I'll be shot in the back, I'll be tased in the back, I'd be handled this a certain level of harshness, that I don't have the privilege to avoid, because of many different unfortunate things that occur in society and are socialized. And so to hear this happen, and obviously, I look at that poor girl, as she literally is walking into the shop the CCTV shop for is obscene. She does innocent, obviously. And she has been so he would just be she would have just been under so much. So I'm trying to keep it together.
James 03:54
I understand why I didn't I didn't know the beginning. But this is in a way your life's work, isn't it that you're describing.
Shabazz 03:59
And, I just think of the fallout, it's horrible that the fallout has occurred. To think of what she went through in the two-hour journey... I've driven from Clapham to Devon, that's not around the corner James. She would have actually been thinking that this ain't a Police officer, it would have been going through her head. I've just been duped by an absolute evil.....just maggot! I'm sorry to bring that up. But yeah, my main point is the precedent had to be set, to cause the Police, who were given the power that we give them, to be told... because this isn't just for other criminals and maggots that are out there, this is for the Police. The judge had to "say this can never happen again!". And if you do as a Police officer, abuse the power that we as a society give you. You're supposed to serve and protect, not be a predator. And if you abuse the power that we give you, and you do this to another individual, we are going to put you under the prison. And I hope that literally, We are not here in a couple of years talking about this guy being released.
James O'Brien 05:00
Well, that's not gonna happen.
James O'Brien 05:01
A whole life terror if that can't happen. I mean, they'll probably be appeals and things like that. So you know, can't start with absolute certainty. But it certainly won't be anytime soon that that conversation needs to be had if indeed it ever needs to be had at all. Shabazz Thank you. And actually, sort of thank you for carrying on talking because there were a couple of times where I was going to pick you up and I would have been wrong to do so. Because when you got to the end of what you had to say I understood exactly where you were coming from. You weren't taking the issue away from women or anything like that you were reminding us that this is a, it's an institutional problem for the Police service this......
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I appreciated this conversation with James. I had so much on my chest I want to share about this horrific crime, done in the name of the law.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
Following this horrific crime, we are now being advised to "run from the Police", or "call the Police on the Police".
As much as I hope and pray there is never another Sarah Everard, I do hope the power-wielding Police who are "good apples" weed out the "bad apples" and never allow a travesty like this to occur again, by excusing bad behaviour within the forces.
My deepest, and sincerest thoughts go out to Sarah's family.
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