Darcus Howe

• THANK you for covering the funeral of Darcus Howe (Embodiment of black struggle, Diary, April 28).

Reading your column makes up for not being able to go myself though I did make it to his commemorative service at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton.

When my family first moved into Paddington on the corner of Great Western Road and Tavistock Road in 1971, he was a key character in the neighbourhood on the streets between Westbourne Park tube station and Portobello Road.

That is not surprising given the Mangrove Restaurant on All Saints Road was a key centre of black cultural activities.

In the 1970s and 1980s he was the key character fighting the injustice of the raids on the restaurant by the Met police, who seemed intent on closing it down.

The protests against it demanded “hands off the Mangrove”, and ended in violence and the arrest of nine protesters, including Darcus Howe, on conspiracy to incite a riot.

At the trial all of the Mangrove Nine were acquitted on the incitement charge, turning the fight against police racism into a cause célèbre.

Unfortunately the raids did not end there, with two in 1988, one by 48 police officers in riot gear, when Frank Crichlow, the owner of the establishment was charged with supplying heroin and cannabis, despite being known locally for his strong anti-drug stance.

He was acquitted of all charges and in 1992 the police paid him damages of £50,000 for false imprisonment, battery and malicious prosecution.

During that whole time, Darcus was central to the battles with the police, not just within the Mangrove Nine, but also in support of his friend Frank Crichlow and clearly a lion in the black communities battle against racial discrimination.

Darcus Howe RIP

MURAD QURESHI
@MuradQureshiLDN