Kevin Clarke memorial event

On 18th March 2018, Kevin Clarke, a local 35 year old Black man, during a mental health crisis, was restrained by nine police officers for 33 minutes in Lewisham, south London. Kevin was heard on police body cameras shouting “I can’t breathe” and “I’m going to die” but the police officers told an inquest jury that they could not hear him. In 2020, an inquest jury gave a damning verdict which said that the police officers inappropriately restrained him in a way that contributed to his death. BLM UK and his family believes that Kevin was killed by the police while in their custody.

On the 25th of July, we came together to honour the life of Kevin Clarke at the unveiling of a dedicated mural in Lewisham.

Kevin died after Met Police officers PC Elizabeth McAleenan and Daniella Barnes, along with several others, placed him in heavy restraints while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. Earlier this year, both officers were cleared of gross misconduct.

Kevin’s sister, Tellecia Strachan after the inquest said that “there should not be another George Floyd” and “[the officers] have said that they wouldn’t change their actions if they were to do it again… and to me, that’s like no lessons have been learned.”

Kevin’s case was reported on BBC TV Panorama programme in 2021, where a senior police officer apologised to the family for how officers behaved during his arrest. This apology rang hollow when in January 2025, the two principal police officers were cleared of gross misconduct by the Metropolitan Police’s disciplinary body and continue to work for the Metropolitan Police.

Tellecia said after the hearing outcome:

“We are extremely disappointed. There is something wrong with the system – the system is broken and it’s not fit for purpose. It’s disrespectful to my brother as a human being – I’m extremely angry, disappointed, and I think it’s a waste of time“

Kevin’s family like many others who joined the People’s Tribunal on Police Killings earlier this year and the United Families and Friends Campaign annual march – have seen no justice or accountability for their loss of their loved ones. This is why this memorial is a vital life-affirming act of solidarity to them and all seeking accountability.

In 2021, BLMUK wrote to the Mayor of Lewisham following the council’s publication of a Black Lives Matter statement in response to the killing of George Floyd. We called on the council to honour the demands of Kevin Clarke’s family, to establish a permanent home for a mural that would both offer healing to his bereaved family and stand as a lasting record of an important chapter in Lewisham’s recent history and its struggle against racism. 4 years on, under a new Mayor, Carleen created this new mural which will now permanently exist in Lewisham.

The memorial event would not have been possible without the work of Adam Pugh with artist Carleen De Souza. Together they organised a temporary mural with Kevin’s image during the 2020 inquest in Lewisham Town Centre. This laid the foundations for the development of the permanent mural.