Support Against Racist Incidents

years And still making a difference

Annual Report 2011-2012 Contentswith Current Trustees Esther Vikash

ʻAs S.A.R.I. has Chairʼs Report: 3 got bigger it has got a good reputation of Directorʼs Report: 4 ʻWhen S.A.R.I. came making a difference.ʼ along my problems were Assistant Directorʼs Report: 5 over.ʼ

Trustees: 6

Training: 7

Housing Association partners: 8 Richard Buba Education: 10

Ashfield YOI: 11

Discrimination: 12

21st Anniversary: 14 Vinodkumar Panna City Council: 17

South Gloucestershire Council: 18 ʻS.A.R.I. makes peoplesʼ lives / B&NES: 19 better.....and helps them realise that life Bristol Youth Offending Team: 20 is not that bad.ʼ Arlene Childʼs Play: 21

Consultancy: 22 ʻBefore S.A.R.I. came along people didnʼt know Avon & Somerset Constabulary: 23 what to do when racism was reported.ʼ Statistics: 24 Maya Area of Incident: 25

Finance Report: 26

Funders: 27

Irvin Kathryn

Matthew

Charity Number: 1047699 Company Number: 3060925 Chair’s Report

Welcome to our Annual Report.This year S.A.R.I. reached a 21 year milestone.

We had planned to celebrate this success but with the austerity measures that are affecting us all we decided to cancel this event. The cuts have deeply affected S.A.R.I. and our team are working creatively to maintain standards and meet targets. Examples are: • Beginning the task of changing S.A.R.I.’s charitable objectives to allow us to help all victims of Hate Crime. • Preparing for the submission of our application to be considered for the commissioning of the Hate Crime Services in Bristol. • Increasing the capacity and expertise in our team that allows us to further tailor our services to meet the objectives of our partners.

Our services become increasingly vital as we look at the changing demographics in Bristol and the South West. Despite funding cuts we continue to deliver casework support to all of our clients. We still maintain the professional and personal touch that is our trademark. National agendas have also shown why it is so important that organisations like S.A.R.I. exist.

We welcomed the Stephen Lawrence trial sentencing and the way that racism in football has been challenged. Yet at the same time we know that in the face of austerity cuts and recession many people look around for someone to blame.

Often media coverage that lacks social responsibility is apt to highlight cases of individual greed or deception from immigrants that fuel the flames to make the BME community an easy target to blame, and this can often spill out into other racist incidents. It is refreshing therefore to look forward to the Olympics and Paralympics, where we can anticipate the emergence of positive role models across all the ‘protected characteristics’.

The challenges S.A.R.I. face should be considered against a national and local background and have involved a number of personal decisions to ensure our continued existence and success. Change presents challenges but I would like to thank the Management Committee, the Management Team and staff for the way they have worked together to manage that change. It is likely that this will be the last Support Against Racist Incidents Annual Report as changing our objectives will result in us working with victims of all types of Hate Crime. We will update our name to Stand Against Racism and Inequality though we will keep the S.A.R.I. logo that is so well known.

I would also like to thank our Director, Batook Pandya who has been a driving force in moving forward and responding proactively to challenge. He has shown great vision and insight.

I also thank our funders as without support we could not continue. We know times are hard and we appreciate that we are all responding to challenging times. We thank you for continuing to put your trust in us and hope this Annual Report gives you a sense of the difference that you make.

And lastly, but not least, I would like to thank you and the communities and organisations that we work with. It is those partnerships that enable us to be effective for all those who walk through our doors. Esther

Esther Deans, MBE. ...now for the next 21 years 3 Director’s Report

The reason I have been here for the last 21 years, from the earliest hopes that we might make a difference in 1989 through to an established charity in 2012, is because I believe that we can contribute to the creation of a better society that reflects the diverse communities where we live. However, it is clear to me that none of this would have been possible without the support of our funders and close partners. I believe that we have forged strong relationships within agencies from top to bottom. We have always valued support from the most Senior Managers within organisations yet have never forgotten how important it is to work alongside frontline officers or with communities at the grass roots level. This ability to transcend and break down barriers has been at the core of our collaborative working, and we look forward to continuing close working partnerships with Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Local Authorities, the Crime Prosecution Service and other partner agencies. I want to thank my Trustees for their time, effort and support over the years and also the dedicated team of staff and volunteers who work with great passion in often difficult and challenging situations, standing up against inequality in communities. I would also like to thank Liam Bailey, a 17 year old student from Gordano School, Portishead, who designed this Annual Report for us this year. I remain fiercely committed to the belief that every person should have the right to live with respect and dignity and am extremely proud that we have reached our 21st anniversary looking forward to a time when Stand Against Racism and Inequality will be there for everyone and will advocate for all victims of Hate Crime. As I look forward to the next 21 years I hope that I can count on your continued support for our work in grass roots communities promoting a zero tolerance against all Hate Crime. Batook

Batook Pandya, MBE DL MA (Hon).

1991: Batook with the late Basil Greaves, the caretaker at the Coach House office.

1991: The first office at The Coach House.

4 Memory Lane Assistant Director’s Report

I cannot believe how fast the last 21 years has flown by. When I responded to a small advert in the Guardian newspaper for S.A.R.I.'s first Casework position in 1991, I could not have predicted where my first and only post graduate job would lead. Certainly in my first few months, I had my eyes opened. It was hard to appreciate how prevalent and serious the attacks were that S.A.R.I. clients were facing. During the past 21 years, it has always been clear that eradicating racism and inter-community conflict requires strong relationships between voluntary agencies such as S.A.R.I. and the agencies that have overall responsibility for those communities. Keeping neighbourhoods safe, cohesive and enhancing their potential to succeed takes time, consistency and continuous attention.

The critical learning points to share from the past two decades are the positive impact of the victim orientated approach and the top down and bottom up approach that we adopt to making a difference. In the past year we have contributed to the following strategic work: the Bristol, B&NES and Partnerships Against Hate Crime (PAHCs); local Case Review Panels; the Tension Monitoring Group (TMG); Safer Bristol Executive; Bristol Supported Housing Forum (BSHF); Independent Advisory Groups; the CPS Hate Crime Scrutiny Group; the Delivering Race Equality Management Group to name but a few. Our success for 2012 – 2013 and beyond relies on us securing some of the most challenging new commissions we have ever seen for Hate Crime and Discrimination Services as more authority areas ask for services that can respond to all cases of Hate Crime across all ‘protected characteristics.’ We have an extremely skilled workforce with a passion for making a difference and the empathy to support all victims of Hate Crime. We are therefore really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of us. Alex

Alex Raikes, MBE.

1991: The first corporate sponsor, Marks & Spencer.

1991: William Waldegrave, Secretary of State for Health visits the Coach House office.

1991 Sohail Elahi. First Chair 1991 to 1997. Memory Lane 5 Trustees Trustees: 2011-2012

Ms Esther Deans, MBE Chair Mr Matthew Cuffy Vice Chair Mr Irvin Campbell Treasurer Mr Vinodkumar Patel Asst Treasurer Trustees 1998 Mrs Maya Bahra Ms Arlene Pilgrim Ms Kathryn Jefferson Mr Buba Touray Mrs Panna Patel Mr Vikash Patel Mr Richard Allen

Trustees 2005

Trustees 2011

1993 Andi Powell, Alex Raikes and Winnie Sagoo, the first placement worker from Bristol Safer Cities project.

1996 Business in the Community, ‘Building Better Bristol’ award.

Memory Lane 6 Training S.A.R.I. has continued to develop a wide range of training packages to suit individual needs and specific requests. This has never been about one size fits all, but by building in additional capacity to our training services we are truly able to tailor each intervention. S.A.R.I. has expanded the team of specialist trainers with the recruitment of a Housing Consultant who can work closely with partners to tailor the training exactly to a client’s needs. This capacity to project manage ensures that we can deliver the necessary outcomes that help partners meet their business objectives around Equality and Diversity.

ʻWell delivered and ʻFab- informative. Would have Really liked longer.ʼ enjoyed it.ʼ

ʻThe encouragement of the group ʻReally glad I attended. discussion was great.ʼ Brilliant handouts and facilitator.ʼ

This approach has allowed us to seek out new partners and provide training across public, private and charitable sectors. Our training can be as short as 1 ½ hours where we focus on a specific religion/ culture or community or it can extend to a half day or even full day programme allowing delegates to explore more complex issues relating to their cultural competence.

Traditional classroom training is now a thing of the past, and we break down sessions into much more interactive workshops that encourage debate and discussion and give delegates the chance to challenge their own pre conceptions and stereotypes.

We continue to receive good feedback from our Cultural Awareness Bus Tour, where we take delegates out into communities and faith centres. This gives people the chance to talk to community representatives and to ask questions as they look round each location. By reaching out to communities we aim to give delegates a better understanding of each other’s cultures and faiths and ultimately help to create a more sustainable place for us all to live.

S.A.R.I. has also developed the ‘Expertise in Diversity’ seminar or ‘E.I.D.’ At each E.I.D. seminar we focus on a separate strand of Equality. We identify keynote speakers in these areas to bring issues to life but will also liaise between participants prior to each event to identify common areas of interest. This area of work has seen us develop our training package to incorporate all of the ‘protected characteristics’ and not just focusing on race.

S.A.R.I. welcomes the opportunity to meet with prospective partners to discuss training needs. 7 Housing Association Partners

‘We enlisted S.A.R.I.’s help to develop an innovative approach to cultural awareness and customer care training for our employees. The training improved our employees’ knowledge and confidence with our customers, and as a result, we have increased our engagement with our Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups. Our employees have found S.A.R.I.’s input dynamic, engaging and informative.’

‘Alliance Homes has declared a commitment to working closely with S.A.R.I. in order to help victims of Race and other Hate Crimes. From helping to run targeted BME group events, to supporting tenants suffering from victimisation, the passion shown by S.A.R.I. caseworkers is admirable. We have this year engaged you in a ‘critical friend’ review of our case management practices which has been an enlightening and very positive experience. Again I attribute this largely to the knowledge and enthusiasm demonstrated by your staff.’

‘Solon and S.A.R.I. have a long history together, both being independent, local organisations. We have always looked to S.A.R.I. for their help and advice over the years. What is wonderful about how things have developed is that they have responded to the changing needs of their communities and the organisations that work within them. They have transformed from an organisation who simply provided support to victims of Hate Crime into a valuable resource of contacts, advice, training and consultancy. I know that I can call them and get a positive response whatever my query. We are lucky to have such a valuable resource on our doorstep.’

‘Knightstone Housing has had a long association with S.A.R.I., since the very beginning. Both our organisations share the common goal of building strong, cohesive communities where people can live together with respect for each other, and take pride in their neighbourhoods. We have benefited from your skills in so many ways: as advocates, mediators and trainers. You’ve helped us forge new links with community leaders and agencies, and helped us to develop our services to residents and communities. Congratulations on your 21st anniversary. Bristol and the West of are better because of you. We look forward to working with you for many more decades.’

‘United played a strong role in supporting S.A.R.I. in the late 1980’s as we wanted our tenants to have specialist support when they experienced racism. Our relationship has continued through the last 21 years, with more recently S.A.R.I. working with us to review our Equality and Diversity Strategy, with associated policy and procedures. This year we have drawn on S.A.R.I.’s expertise by working with them and other Registered Providers in South Gloucestershire to produce Best Practice procedures for managing and reporting Hate Crime across all tenures. We look forward to continuing our relationship with S.A.R.I. for the next 21 years.’

‘Second Step has an excellent close working relationship with S.A.R.I. We co-deliver a bespoke Equalities & Diversity training for staff and value S.A.R.I.’s expertise and guidance around delivering services that meet the needs of the BME community.’ 8 ‘Places for People has worked with S.A.R.I. over many years and more recently has adopted a partnering approach to supporting our customers experiencing Hate Crime. With their wealth of experience and knowledge we have been able to reduce dramatically the negative impact this can have on some people's lives. In addition S.A.R.I.'s information talks and cultural awareness tours have benefited our front line staff and enabled them to understand better and therefore deliver more effective services to our diverse customer base. S.A.R.I. provides a critical and invaluable role in this area and long may it continue. Congratulations on reaching the 21st anniversary!ʼ

‘We’re proud of our relationship with S.A.R.I. and the work we have done together to support customers who have experienced Hate Crimes. S.A.R.I. provide excellent training for our staff, including advising on best practice when dealing with victims and perpetrators. This ensures all our front line staff are able to recognise and respond to Hate Crime. S.A.R.I. carry out an annual review of our Hate Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour. This model of case audit has brought about significant improvements in services to our customers. Earlier this year, we partnered up with S.A.R.I. to hold a special meeting for more than 20 BME residents to discuss any concerns and to suggest improvements to the way we provide services. S.A.R.I. also provide regular cultural awareness tours for our staff and residents to raise awareness of issues affecting BME communities. Their input into work like this is invaluable and we look forward to a continued and successful relationship with them in the future – many happy returns S.A.R.I.ʼ

1996: Batook meets Crime Prosecution Lawyer.

1996:Batook with Peter Courtier, the Bristol Racial Equality Council, District Commander John Kelly and Mike Robinson, Chief Executive, South Gloucestershire Council. 1998: Batook outside St Marks Road office.

1999: Batook meets HRH The Queen at an official visit to Bristol.

Memory Lane 9 ‘The workshops were brilliant and really helped the children understand Education what “culture” actually is as well as tackling the area of bullying.’

ʻThe Respect Rap was sick!!ʼ

The key objective for the S.A.R.I. Education Service has been to keep our work exciting, engaging and relevant to young people today. By doing this we can maximise the outcomes for children, young people, parents and school staff. Our staff continually update themselves on the National Curriculum to ensure that all our work fits neatly with a school’s aims and objectives. This approach also allows us to explore where we can tie in sessions to directly contribute to National Curriculum learning objectives.

This year (2011-2012), the S.A.R.I. Education Service has:

♦ Made the distinction between class sessions and workshops less rigid. All sessions have become more inter-active with numerous activities to help engage the children and young people. ♦ Continued to improve the visual impact of its PowerPoint shows by the implementation of colour animation and 3D images. ♦ Developed a great variety of themes and subjects for sessions across all Key Stages so that schools are spoilt for choice when it comes to planning what they would like us to deliver for them. ♦ Designed several new workshops for our staff training ‘The children were sessions meaning that schools are able to book us for very good with each up to 3 Continuous Professional Development other but also were sessions throughout the Academic year. We have made more aware of tailored this training to suit the specific needs of Bristol, respecting other B&NES and South Gloucestershire schools. We now children’s cultures’ have provision to train not just teachers and governors but also all support and SMSA staff.

Now in its fourth year of delivery, the S.A.R.I. Positive Futures for Children and Young People’s service, which works with victims, perpetrators and groups of Students, has continued to go from strength to strength.

‘Thank you for being so adaptable and hard working with each year group. I have had such positive feedback and would welcome the chance to do this again next year if at all possible.’

ʻThe trainer was really cool.I liked what he taught us and he really made me thinkʼ 10 Training in schools Education Department Bristol South Gloucestershire Pro Active work Assemblies: 41 Primary: 10 Primary: 6 Workshops: 131 Secondary: 5 Secondary: 6 Youth Offending Team Sessions: 8 College: 2 Group Sessions: 22 B&NES North Somerset One to One Victim Sessions: 75 Secondary: 2 Secondary: 1

College: 1 One to One Perpetrator Sessions: 62 Staff Training: 20 Children from Two Mile Hill School, the Bristol winners of Community Cohesion Events 6 the 2012 Respect Shield. Total: 365 The Respect Shield is presented in memory of Councillor John Deasy by S.A.R.I. each year to commemorate the good work done in a particular school on achieving success in Equality and Diversity in their whole school community. We would like to thank Su Coombes, Equalities Officer for CYPS, for her ongoing support of S.A.R.I. when promoting good practice in Bristol schools.

We have now been working in Ashfield for 18 months delivering exciting and creative projects. Ashfield cares for a large number of young offenders many of whom are from high social need areas and struggling with complex lives or escaping a life overshadowed by gang affiliation. The prison population is very diverse with nearly 50% from BME communities. Many of the young men are not from the local area either but have been moved from London or the North of England. Thus they bring very different experiences, cultures and histories to a staff team that is predominantly from the surrounding areas. As a consequence there are positive opportunities to experience diverse cultures but also threats and challenges from dealing with culture clash, inter-community conflict and a lot of energetic, complex teenagers who don’t always respond in a mature and calm fashion. S.A.R.I. delivers the following for Ashfield: Association and Engagement visits to the wings and cells and our Respec’ course with our fantastic consultants Blackout and Bandyt – Respec’ is a 6 week course exploring relationships, culture, identity, respect, music, film and positive role models; Youth Focus Groups and Staff Focus groups which consult with young persons (YPs) and staff on their experience of Ashfield and look for improvements from a race equality, diversity and cultural point of view; Forum Theatre with Breathing Fire Bristol Black Women’s Feedback Theatre Company – a really exciting pioneering approach for the young men where they can see real life scripts played out before them and then adapt them to explore the consequences of choices; DIRF Review where S.A.R.I. is the external critical friend asked to review Ashfield’s Diversity Incident Review Forms which are completed for every discriminatory and hate based incident reported by staff or YP’s; Staff Training in a range of topics as requested by Ashfield e.g. Equalities Legislation, terminology and best practice response to hate crime. S.A.R.I. is extremely happy to have been granted a second year’s contract this year by Ashfield which also asked us to do more work than last year – a sign of our success in achieving superb outcomes.

Bandyt Blackout

YOI Ashfield 11 Discrimination

Over 2011-12 S.A.R.I. has continued to provide essential services to the people of Bristol with informal and formal support when suffering discrimination on the grounds of Race and Faith in Employment, with Education or in relation to accessing Goods and Services. The Annual Funding agreement for 2011-12, covering the period 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012 states that the Discrimination Service should:

1. Manage 120 new Race and Faith discrimination referrals by 31st March 2012 2. Support and advice to all referrals when possible, either through the full case service or other less formal means.

‘Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.’

Change does not roll in Martin Luther King, Jnr. on the

This year the Service received 116 referrals. Of these 30 cases were opened and received full support. 67 cases received detailed advice with the remaining 19 not wishing to pursue a case, or being unavailable after the initial contact. 52% of our cases involved complaints around access to Goods and Services. 39% related to Employment queries and the remaining 9% were cases involving complaints about schools and education.

The Service is seeing an increase in referrals from our generic caseworkers, as greater awareness is developed of what behaviour may constitute discrimination from employers and service providers. The Discrimination Caseworkers regularly discuss legal issues with the Generic Casework team, promoting better results in cases of racial harassment, especially through meetings with statutory agencies.

S.A.R.I. has seen an increase in the proportion of referrals coming from agencies, rather than directly from the client. This increase in agency referrals reinforces the fact that S.A.R.I.’s Discrimination Service is becoming better known throughout the city. Our feedback is positive and that groups are happy to refer cases through to us. wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.

12 Ethnicity Sector of Discrimination Discrimination Complex

Cases ʻThank you very much for putting my life back on track.ʼ

RD003-2011/12 S.A.R.I. had worked with this client on a previous occasion, when we successfully RD012-2011/12 appealed her dismissal for gross misconduct This is a very complicated case, which has after concerns over direct discrimination. resulted in the personal attention of Avon and Approximately 18 months after that outcome, Somerset Constabulary’s Chief Inspector for the client was again reporting problems at work Operations for Bristol. and felt that she was being forced out. Her The clients were accused of assault, following a employer indicated that it was seeking to make campaign of racial harassment against them by people redundant and would be looking for some of their neighbours. Some of this volunteers The client was interested as she felt harassment was recorded by the client on her that the employer was being discriminatory, with mobile phone. The police response was other Black staff reporting feeling penalised. extremely disappointing and the clients alleged S.A.R.I. accompanied the client to meetings that they were threatened with arrest if they did and negotiated with the employer, resulting in not cooperate and sign a Restorative Justice her being offered a Compromise Agreement, form. including a lump sump of over £20,000 and the A police complaint was submitted, but the option to take her pension 5 years earlier than response from the Inspector responsible gave she was expecting. cause for concern and appeared to misrepresent force policy and excuse behaviour that, if true, could not be condoned. The accusations against the clients were dropped and the Hate Crime Unit took over the ʻIt has been an extremely valuable investigation into harassment of the clients. experience with S.A.R.I. during my hour of despair.ʼ

ʻExcellent charity, that provides great help to those in great need.ʼ

RD007-2011/12 The client lives in Bristol City Council accommodation above a male with a mental health problem that leads him to hoard rubbish ʻInjustice anywhere and act in a very anti-social manner, including is a threat to justice shouting racist abuse. The council has been everywhere.ʼ aware of these problems for several years, yet has failed to take any appropriate action, despite conceding that the situation is ‘intolerable’. S.A.R.I. has collected a dossier of evidence concerning the state of the premises and the failures of BCC staff and has submitted a lengthy Martin Luther King, Jnr. complaint. The most important part of this complaint has been upheld and BCC are taking action against the Tenant. ʻI found the advice and support first class.ʼ 13 by Richard Allen & Esther Deans, 21st Anniversary Trustees.

Any anniversary, particularly a 21st Anniversary, is usually a time for celebration, an opportunity to acknowledge our successes and our consistent track record of achievements, and to look positively, with enthusiasm and great hope, to the future. But it is also a time to reflect upon people, the dedicated staff of S.A.R.I. who commit their time, their skills and energy towards helping those people who are victims of discrimination and racism, violence and harassment, many of whom continue to suffer. Jackie Canham

So let’s consider the 21 years of S.A.R.I. – an incredible journey that started with a small steering group in Bristol headed by United Housing Association under the chairmanship of Bishop Edmond, who shared Martin Luther King’s dream of an equal society where “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

In 1988 instances of racial harassment and discrimination were on the rise and many people found themselves in distress, isolated, frustrated and with nowhere to go to get the support that was so badly needed. Jackie Canham and Sohail Elahi were particularly influential in determining the initial direction of the charity with key partners on the steering group including Bristol City Council, Bristol Racial Equality Council, the Inner City Mental Health Team and a number of committed individual members.

And so it was that Support Against Racist Incidents was born.

The original aim of S.A.R.I. was to form an organisation that would encourage people to report racial incidents and build trust in the local communities; to research, monitor and publicise the true extent and nature of racial incidents and work with other agencies to formulate workable policies, procedures and service delivery for victims of racial attacks.

As well as individual honours for members of S.A.R.I., the achievements of S.A.R.I. have been recognised by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Home Office; winning the National Charity Award (2001) and gaining the Unsung Heroes Award (2006).

S.A.R.I. was founded as a victim-focused specialist voluntary support agency committed to fight racial harassment and racial attacks, supporting victims and working with other agencies.

What was clear from the very beginning was that S.A.R.I.’s greatest asset was and still is the dedication of the staff, together with the grass roots, enthusiastic support of local people.

Sir James and Lady Tidmarsh with HRH The Prince of Wales while visiting our offices.

Batook Pandya was so passionate about the project that he left a well paid job as an engineer to become the first Director. He took a pay cut, and set up S.A.R.I.’s first offices at the Coach House. Batook was joined by Agnes Yeomans, a Secretary he could not afford to pay full time, but who came anyway because the work was there. Next was Alex Raikes, straight out of University with a boundless energy and enthusiasm and Andi Powell who tells it as it is working tirelessly behind the scenes.

Hours were long, conditions were cramped and the cases kept coming. Supported by funders, the local community, a dedicated staff team and volunteers with a cohesive management committee the 14 organisation continued to grow. As the caseload increased we needed to find new premises. We moved to St. Mark’s Road, but with so little money it was the staff team that gave up their weekend to paint and decorate the rooms we rented so we were able to open (you have to be able to multi task to work here). Despite increasing staff numbers the workload also continued to increase, with caseloads of 80 per Caseworker not being uncommon.

S.A.R.I. highlighted the extent to which racism was an issue not just in Bristol but in society generally. Each case brought new experience and knowledge so that we could continue to improve the service to our clients. We fought for funding to survive (long nights of filling in bids) and forged partnerships with other organisations and also expanded our services to include Education Workers and a Youth Team. S.A.R.I. has now dealt with 5700 cases now averaging almost 400 cases per year. A simple statistic that shows we are doing our job, but it is the people behind those statistics that make our job so worthwhile. Behind the figures, the statistics and case notes lay accounts of lives scarred and destroyed. Each case requires examination and assessment; meetings and liaison; interviews and the compilation of facts. Against that necessary administrative background it can be easy to overlook the often harrowing personal details that can be found within the pages of each file. I am thinking here of the case of a white single mother living in a predominantly white estate with her two dual-heritage young children, both under the age of four. This family was regularly subjected to racial harassment by local people, receiving racist letters, verbal abuse and rubbish being thrown on to their property. Their home was then burgled while they were away and their belongings destroyed. Furniture was ripped, racist graffiti was daubed on the walls and the children’s clothes urinated upon.

There are worse cases. Marlon Thomas is one such victim and his case is not unique. Marlon was the target of a horrific racist attack and suffered life-threatening head injuries and now exists in a ‘waking coma’. Whilst Marlon’s attackers were subsequently sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 5 to 7 years, they are now free, yet Marlon continues his life sentence of what has been described as his ‘living nightmare’. Marlon can only communicate by using his eyelids and he cannot use his arms or legs. As I say, this case is not unique.

21 years ago the victims of racial attacks were those who could trace their heritage predominantly from the Caribbean, China or the Indian sub-continent. The demographics of Bristol is changing and we now have clients from many more backgrounds, including white South African, Kurdish, Turkish, Somali, Polish, Chinese, Filipino and Hungarians, with at least half of these victims being under the age of 16. All victims require help, the young ones particularly so they are able to mature and develop and lead fruitful and worthwhile lives. Every child deserves to feel safe – every person deserves to feel safe. Each case does not just affect the individual but also those around them – without support, hate crimes can be difficult to deal with or come to terms with – S.A.R.I. continues to remain a vital organisation in our community. For me it is the individual people who have been a part of S.A.R.I. There are far too many to name all those who have helped us on our way – but our heartfelt thanks go out to all those that have been a part of our journey, those that are still here and hopefully those of you that take the opportunity to join us. 15 SO WHAT NEXT…

S.A.R.I. finds itself in its 21st year at a time of uncertainty with sluggish economic growth for the foreseeable future; a time of government austerity measures and unemployment, the scaling back of statutory bodies and government intervention. Yet the demands upon S.A.R.I. grow and discrimination in all its forms, whether manifested by way of graffiti to murder, will continue, there is no doubt.

S.A.R.I. is an organisation that represents good value for money. Supporting S.A.R.I. is a sound investment. S.A.R.I. is uniquely placed to play a key role in keeping communities together; an organisation that helps mend a broken society; an organisation that is constantly pro-active in bridge building; an organisation that can reach out where others would be less welcome or their intervention not welcome at all.

Want to know more, need our help? Be part of the S.A.R.I. journey for the years to come.

2000: Batook meets Community Leaders.

2000: Danish delegates visit S.A.R.I. to learn about how the organisation works.

2000: Batook with Su Coombes and WPC Alison Holver outside St Marks Road office.

Memory Lane 16 Bristol ʻEveryone has been absolutely fantastic - very prompt, accessible and friendly.ʼ

Bristol has an ever-changing demographic landscape as the region’s most diverse City. This year saw the Census conducted and we will soon see its results. 2009 figures already show marked changes since 2001 – a bigger population – from 390,000 to 433,000 with a different make up. The White British population has only risen by just under 6000 whilst nearly all BME communities have burgeoned. The exceptions are the Irish and African Caribbean communities. Eastern European, South Asian and African communities grew significantly in their representation. African Caribbean families have moved outside of Bristol to neighbouring authorities as there are corresponding increases in their community’s numbers in North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Such changes bring new needs, challenges and opportunities and S.A.R.I. welcomes these with open arms supporting our partner agencies to respond proactively and offering advice and advocacy for those people faced by hostility or discrimination. ʻS.A.R.I. is really active S.A.R.I.’s statistics are a litmus test to population change. We have seen an and effective.ʼ increase in our African (85 to 89) and White Minority referrals (20 to 33) and our South Asian families continue to be disproportionately targeted as figures remain the same despite a reduction in overall figures. Muslim clients are highly targeted (425 out of 1058 or 40% of total victims) echoing the rise in Islamophobia. Generic referrals have gone down this year but this is because we have opened our Discrimination Service. Many cases are now dealt with by our specialist discrimination advisors rather than the generic casework team where their overriding issue is discrimination rather than Hate Incidents. Previously we supported them via our generic Casework Service rather than turning them away. The nature of attacks has also shifted. We have seen a significant increase in attacks on people at home, on public transport and on a street that isn’t local. This perhaps corresponds with an increase in arson or attempts; lower level and more serious assaults; offensive substances being put on property and complaints about noise nuisance. Criminal damage has also risen and car vandalism remains high. Cases are referred from a greater variety of agencies than before but we are seeing reduced reports from the Police and housing providers perhaps reflecting a reduction in their personnel resources. Communities in Bristol seems to respond to focussed work to tackle Hate Crime. Incidents in have reduced from 63 last year to 10 this year following a sustained effort and a zero tolerance campaign by S.A.R.I. and local agencies. Horfield has also seen a marked reduction. Sadly, South Bristol has remained a hotspot area with 86 attacks reported from the and areas alone. has also seen a dramatic increase from just 3 last year to 20 this year.

This information will help inform our 2012 – 2013 work programme.

ʻThe support and communication was genuine and for me ʻI was a wreck before meeting S.A.R.I. but once that matters most.ʼ I discovered about them things changed for me.ʼ 17 We have strong relationships within South Gloucestershire and work closely with the Police, Safer South Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire Council, and local Housing Associations to provide an extremely effective partnership against Hate Crime.

The demographics for South Gloucestershire have changed, as with all the areas where we work. There has been an influx of communities migrating out of Bristol, as well as new communities coming into the area for work. A lot of the training completed with our partners has been around helping them to be equipped with an understanding of these new cultures so they can provide tailored services.

There has been a significant increase in the cases we have managed in South Gloucestershire, rising from 38 in 2010-11 to 46 in 2011-12.

We continue to have a Service Level Agreement with Merlin Housing Association where we have developed our role to support officers and engaged residents as well as the victims of Race Hate Crime. We have undertaken Cultural Awareness Tours for Merlin staff and residents and facilitated a BME Focus Group to help identify barriers to accessing services. Merlin commissioned S.A.R.I. to complete a full audit of their Anti Social Behaviour and Hate Crime cases, which we then developed further by incorporating the building blocks of the Chartered Institute of Housing ‘Respect Charter’ to produce a report that comprehensively scrutinised performance.

S.A.R.I. continues to be an active participant in the South Gloucestershire Partnership Against Hate Crime forum and worked closely with the members of the South Gloucestershire Housing Group over the year to review the Hate Crime Reporting Protocol. This was a particularly effective piece of collaborative work that sought to remove barriers faced by victims of Race Hate Crime when reporting to the range of providers.

We worked with 12 cases in South Gloucestershire Schools in both Primary and Secondary Schools as well as undertaking a series of workshops with groups of students and in assemblies.

ʻI would recommend anybody to contact you. ʻI know now who Iʼve been treated with respect and attention, and felt to contact if I have any that it has changed my views on how to get help.ʼ further incidents.ʼ

ʻThank you for the fantastic ʻThe S.A.R.I. team has support.ʼ helped me with lots of respect and good communication.ʼ

18 South Gloucestershire ʻS.A.R.I. were the only people North Somerset who came to my defence.ʼ

ʻAt the beginning we felt we were in a mess and alone, but As with the other areas where we work there have been significant since we werein touch with changes in the demographics for North Somerset. Communities S.A.R.I.we were given plenty traditionally living in Bristol have migrated out to North Somerset of support.ʼ creating a much more diverse place to live and work. While we continue to struggle with funding from North Somerset Council, victims of Race Hate Crime in North Somerset receive a full casework service. However we have not been able to participate fully in either the Responding to Hate Incidents in North Somerset (RHINS) or the Case Review Panels (CRPʼs) due to these funding cuts. There has been a 50% increase in the number of cases managed compared to the previous year and our ability to respond to this need has been mainly due to our collaborative working with Alliance Homes. Without the continued support of Alliance Homes it is unlikely that we would be able to provide such a comprehensive service to the residents ʻThe service I received of North Somerset. We provide Alliance Homes a full casework service from S.A.R.I. was excellent. but also undertake surgeries in the areas where they manage properties Bill has been great from the so they can provide a more localised and responsive service for their start, providing me with residents. In addition we work with new communities and support regular updates.ʼ Alliance Homes by facilitating BME Focus Groups that help ensure tailored, responsive services.

We continue to provide Casework and Education Services to residents of B&NES in their homes or at places that are accessible for all. We are contracted to provide casework, and contribute to the Partnership Against Hate Crime and Case Review Panels. We aim to spend 1 day per week in B&NES, although we ensure that all victims receive access to services from our Bristol office and via the 24/7 365 days a year emergency service Funding for our work remains insufficient for the demand, though we remain committed to our ethos of supporting all victims of Race Hate Crime directly. We continue to be supported by Curo (formally Somer Community Housing Trust) through their provision of free of charge ʻDrop Inʼ facilities at Rosewell Court.

We continued to enjoy an excellent relationship with Children’s Services and were pleased to be given a wider brief. Whilst we continued to provide the staples of school interventions and education casework we enjoyed contributing to the Anti Bullying Group and to Safeguarding Forums.

Towards the end of the financial year we learnt that the Policy and Partnership Budget that contributes to the Casework Service will pass to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. We await clarification on how this change in funding will affect our ability to provide services for B&NES residents in the years to come.

ʻWithout the help and support from S.A.R.I. I would still be in a flat, scared to go out of my own front door.ʼ B&NES 19 Memory Lane

2000: Batook with Chief Constable, Steve Pilkington.

2001: Esther and Alex at the Charity Awards.

2005: Mr J Tidmarsh MBE JP, Lord Lieutenant for Bristol, visits S.A.R.I. with Batook, Esther, Dr Shoba Das and Dr Paul Burton.

Our work with Bristol YOT has continued this year and also been adapted in response to demand. Initially we planned to deliver our Respec’ course (as we do in Ashfield) to young offenders serving community sentences. However, it soon became apparent that delivering to a group was not going to work. Many of the young people did not feel confident enough to attend a group session with other young people they don’t know; others feared attending a session in an area where there are rival groups of young people who they fear; some found it difficult to commit to a regular group when they have school or court to attend. The 17 who attended the introductory sessions did however engage very well and clearly enjoyed the course very much. YOT workers reported excellent outcomes including really important ones such as going back to school; gaining aspirations to train for a career or follow dreams and an ability to talk more openly about issues such as identity and culture. This year, we have changed how we work with YOT young people, offering one-to-one sessions with any BME YOT clients . We will then invite young people who have the confidence to attend group sessions so they can share ideas and experiences with others.

ʻIt made me realise I should ʻI have learnt how to open my mind to more things.ʼ respect other people.ʼ

ʻI donʼt want to make the same mistakes again. This Bristol Youth course has helped me think clearer.ʼ Offending Team 20 Child’s Play?

“Young, a fool, not knowing the truth Judged by White my skin may be dark But inside we’re all the same I’m in the park sitting alone ʻSomeone is Watching Usʼ by Here come the racist bullies. Sitting beside me Josef, Polish school victim, age 15. Inside I feel like I’m so different to everyone else Family suffering racist graffiti from But at the end persons unknown. We figure out we’re all the same” Mubina, Somali school victim, age 9

Lexi, African Caribbean school victim, age 6. Racist bullying in the playground.

2006: Paul Goggins MP and Dawn Wood from Government Office South West at S.A.R.I.

2006: Retired HM Lord Lieutenant Sir James Tidmarsh with current Lord Lieutenant Mrs Mary Prior attending Somali Awareness training at S.A.R.I.

2009: Lord Mayor, Geoff Gollop visits the office.

Memory Lane 21 Consultancy

S.A.R.I. committed further resources to develop the Consultancy Service through the recruitment of a Housing Consultant, Jack Bailey. We have combined expertise in Equalities with an extensive knowledge of Housing Management and Project Management to provide agencies with excellent tailored services that build capacity and produce clear outcomes. We offer innovative responses to problem solving and have built a strong portfolio of projects that demonstrate the benefits of engaging us to help manage change. Our work this year saw us be the first non-property owning signatory of the Institute of Housing’s “Respect Charter”. There are a range of interventions that are available that include:

• Full Audit services around Hate Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Management. • Strategy Development, with associated policy and procedure review. • Customer Care and Cultural Awareness Training. • Focus Group Facilitation. • Critical Case Review.

Our consultants are equally comfortable working with Senior Management Teams as with residents in communities. We have the skills and expertise to identify gaps in the service and will make recommendations that allow our partners to deliver service improvements for customers and achieve greater value for money for their business.

2011: S.A.R.I. at the St Paul’s Carnival.

2011: Local Artist Helen Wilson signing her prints for the office of a survivor of the Rwandan Hotel and capturing the tragic case of Marlon Thomas.

2012: A charitable donation made by the Dophin Masonic Lodge. Michael Searle and Navin Manekporia present a cheque to Batook at S.A.R.I.’s offices.

Memory Lane 22 Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Over the past 21 years we have always been able to count on the support of Avon and Somerset Constabulary. While Chief Constables have come and gone the consistent support that we have received through challenging times has been a great source of reassurance. Every aspect of our work incorporates issues that are relevant to the Police, whether it be reviewing Community Tension with Senior Officers or undertaking door knocking strategies at grass roots level with Police Community Support Officers. We believe that our role as ‘critical friend’ has never been more relevant as we prepare for the election of Police Commissioners.

Under the leadership of Chief Constable, Colin Port, we are now entering a period of closer collaborative working as we revise training programmes in Cultural Awareness for Probationers and explore how we might develop the concept of Hate Crime Champions.

Chief Constable Colin Port with the S.A.R.I. Team.

20 years service and still smiling!

Andi Powell, Alex Raikes, Batook Pandya and Agnes Yeomans.

Let’s Celebrate 23 Statistics

Case Numbers 260 Bristol 46 South Gloucestershire 39 North Somerset 29 Bath and North East Somerset Ethnicity Asian Any other Asian background 1 Bangladeshi 11 Indian 28 Pakistani 32 Black African 37 Caribbean 40 Somali 52 Dual heritage Any other mixed background 33 White and Asian 11 White and black African 8 White and black Caribbean 39 Incident Type Middle Eastern Any other middle eastern background 7 Arson and attempt 8 Kurdish 4 Assault (ABH, less) 76 Turkish 5 Assault (GBH, more) 7 Other Attack on property 32 Any other ethnic group 4 Bullying of children 14 South-east Asian Burglary 3 Any other south-east Asian 5 Car vandalism 32 Chinese 6 Criminal damage 19 White Graffiti 5 Any other white background 6 Intimidation 64 British 14 Eastern European 27 Malicious authority complaint 6 Gypsy/ Irish Traveller 3 Noise nuisance 44 Irish 1 Offensive subs on property 22 Ostracisation 3 Other 32 Police discrimination 4 Provocation 7 Racial discrimination 10 Spitting 6 Theft/robbery 8 Threats 43 Verbal abuse 253 Written abuse 9 24 Area of Incident Bristol 17 Avonmouth 20 Bedminster 8 Bishopston 2 South Gloucestershire 3 B&NES East 2 9 Bitton 2 Abbey 4 Cabot 18 Boyd Valley 1 Keynsham North 2 Clifton 10 South 3 Kingsmead 1 Clifton East 1 Dodington 1 Lyncombe 1 Cotham 3 Downend 1 Odd Down 1 Easton 3 2 Oldfield 1 Eastville 6 4 Radstock 1 Filwood 40 and Stoke Park 1 Southdown 8 7 Kings Chase 3 Walcot 3 Hartcliffe 33 Parkwall 2 Westmoreland 1 2 4 Weston 1 Hillfields 17 Rodway 1 Widcombe 2 Horfield 16 Siston 1 Woodstock 1 11 Staple Hill 2 Total 27 Knowle 5 3 Lawrence Hill 68 Thornbury South and Alveston 1 15 Woodstock 5 Redland 1 Total 37 Southmead 10 Southville 21 North Somerset 11 Backwell 2 6 Banwell and Winscombe 1 5 Clevedon Central 1 Westbury-on-Trym 9 Clevedon South 1 12 Clevedon Yeo 1 Windmill Hill 7 Easton-in-Gordano 1 Total 398 Nailsea North and West 3 Portishead East 2 Portishead Redcliffe Bay 1 Portishead South and North Weston 3 Portishead West 1 Weston-super-Mare Central 6 Weston-super-Mare Clarence and Uphill 1 Weston-super-Mare East 3 Weston-super-Mare Milton and Old Worle 3 Weston-super-Mare South 5 Weston-super-Mare South Worle 2 Weston-super-Mare West 2 Total 39 25

Funders Bristol City Council Joint SLA • Community Investment • Neighbourhoods • CYPS • Safer Bristol Bristol City Council • Supporting People • CYPS Positive Futures • Race Equality and Human Rights Service • Bristol YOT

Bath & North East Somerset Council Joint SLA • Policy & Partnerships • Children’s Services

South Gloucestershire Council

North Somerset Council • North Somerset Corporate • North Somerset Community Safety

Bristol Primary Care Trust Avon and Somerset Constabulary Ministry of Justice Victims & Witness Fund

Other Grants and Contracts • Sovereign Housing Association • HMP & YOI Ashfield • Alliance Homes • Knightstone Housing Association • Merlin Housing • Solon South West Housing Association • United Housing Association

Donations In Kind Benefits • The Bristol Port Company The University of Bristol – School of Law for • Derek Finch Associates access to their legal resources database • Bristol Grammar School CFS Solutions – donating a photocopier • Dolphin Lodge Masonic Charities Fund North Somerset Council – for the Localgiving • Scott Fire Protection website subscription

S.A.R.I. is a charity that relies on financial donations and your support is greatly appreciated. If you wish to make a donation go to our webpage at http://www.sariweb.org.uk/index.php?option=com_jdonation&view=donation&Itemid=34

Please note that PayPal administration fee of 1.4% plus 20p will be deducted from all donations. Printed by Sebright Printers Limited. www.sebright.co.uk [email protected] 27 ‘Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.‛

Martin Luther King, 28th August 1963

S.A.R.I. CAN HELP YOU!

For free confidential advice and support contact: Telephone: 0117 942 0060 24 hours Email: [email protected] Web: www.sariweb.org.uk (on line referral)

REPORT IT! In an emergency always Call 999