A woman and her two young children go missing. That’s bad enough. It takes the police three weeks to find them. Buried in the back garden of their home. Why did it take three weeks? Why did it take so long to find the former Eastenders actress Sian Blake and her children? It’s not as if the bodies were dumped in a swamp or river miles and miles away from their home in Kent. They were buried in their own backyard.
Owami Davies, a 24-year-old student nurse goes missing. Thankfully she was found safe and well two months later. Good. Good. Good.
However, whilst it is great news that Owami Davies is reunited with her loved ones, there is something wrong overall with all the above. You see, the actress and her children found buried in their backyard were Black. Owami Davies is Black. Get the picture?
This begs the question, why did it take the police so long to find these women? What resources did the police utilise to find these women quickly? What stops did they pull out to find these Black women?
This begs another question – unpleasant and distasteful as it may be – but would the circumstances be different if the women were white, blue-eyed and blonde? Sad to say, the answer is a resounding Yes. The sad truth is that when Black people (and in this case Black women) are the victims of crime or go missing, the people who are supposed to give a damn and make haste to find them, i.e., the police, don’t.
Take the case of Sarah Everard, who disappeared during a walk home in Clapham, south London. There was an outcry. Police issued appeals immediately and a widespread search ensued. Even royalty got involved.
Then take the cases of Richard Okorogheye, Blessing Olusegun, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman. They were also reported as missing. The police did not take their disappearances seriously and came up with all sorts of reasons why they were missing. They were all Black. They were all found dead.
It’s funny how the police are so quick and proactive in criminalising the Black community. Like how they are very hotfooted in their stop and search of Black drivers looking for drugs and other contraband (remember star athlete Bianca Williams and her equally star athlete partner Ricardo dos Santos?) yet they are very under-policed as victims. It’s worth repeating here: Black Lives Matter, as well!
