from Socialist Worker Online
10th November 2009

Evidence is being heard at an inquest at Sutton Coldfield town hall into the death of Mikey Powell.

Mikey died six years ago in a prison cell at Thornhill Road police station after being arrested outside his family home in Lozells, Birmingham. Judy Powell, Mikey’s sister, who gave evidence at the inquest, reiterated the family’s belief that police action was racially motivated.

She said, “If it was a white person and they saw the blood they would have taken him straight to hospital and sorted him out and found out what was going on. “Because he was black they threw him in the van like he was an inhuman being.”

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from Birmingham Post
10th November 2009

A Birmingham man called out “mummy” as heavy-handed police officers carried him away to a prison cell where he later died, an inquest was told.

Witness Abid Ali said Michael Powell struggled with six officers as they arrested him for smashing windows and damaging his mother’s property. Neighbour Mr Ali, speaking at the inquest at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall said that moments earlier he saw an officer with both of his knees on Mr Powell.

“I would like to say clearly there was an officer with a bald head I remember him with both his knees on Michael. He was using his hands to restrain him. I clearly remember that image in my head,” he said.

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from The Telegraph
4th November 2009

The cousin of a renowned poet died after police ran him over, sprayed him with CS gas then beat him, before refusing to call an ambulance, an inquest heard.

Michael Powell was attacked outside his home because officers said they feared he had a gun. After hitting him with a police car, spraying him and beating him with batons, they decided not to call an ambulance, instead bundling him into the back of a police van and taking him to a station.

As they carried him inside the building, they noticed he had died.

Yesterday his mother said she had begged officers to call an ambulance and said: “I don’t think they would have treated Michael that way if he had been white or I had been white”.

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