It has come to my attention from several social media clips sent to me that an illegal block party was held in Brent yesterday. For something that started at around 30 people and ended up with around 500 people, I was stunned but upon reflection, not too shocked.
Recent reports in regard to how the Prime Minister’s Chief Adviser Dominic Cummings blatantly broke the rules whilst he was suspected to be infected with the Coronavirus, and has been protected by government, has irked a lot of people – myself included. A Government that is morally bankrupt when it comes to following their own rules, and when it comes to issues of race, lacks any moral authority to tell people what to do. I understand this more than most.
However, our community in Brent has suffered hugely from COVID-19. We have the highest amount of deaths out of all London Boroughs. And everyone needs to know that, according to ONS data, Church Road has had far more deaths than anywhere else in the surrounding areas. I am sure we all know someone who has died or who has suffered from this virus, therefore we must look after our own. That means making informed decisions. The virus is still prevalent and there is no vaccination. Hundreds of people are still dying every day in this country, while Black Asian and Minority Ethnic people are 3 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than any other group.
I have been on record as being worried about the second spike in the virus and I really hope that we won’t see a second spike in Brent. So, I say to the predominantly young people in Brent: I know it is hard. I understand being cooped up isn’t easy, but please make informed decisions and avoid situations like the one yesterday. Act like you have the virus and everyone around you has the virus. Know that Black Asian people are 3 times more likely to die from the virus. I know that personally I don’t want to be responsible for giving the virus to my Mum, so I haven’t seen her in weeks. Let us all understand the risks and the law and do what we can to keep safe – ourselves, friends, families and the community. Our community is our strength and we must do all we can to protect each other.