THTC and Mau Mau produce Official 'Smiley Culture' organic t-shirt

Eco Fashion pioneers THTC have today produced 500 organic t-shirts for the family of Smiley Culture who died from a knife in the heart on 15th March during a police raid on his home in Warlingham, Surrey.

Almost 1 person a week has died in the UK in police custody over the last decade, without a single police officer having ever been charged with their deaths.

For more information please join the Campaign For Justice for Smiley Culture.  This is the official campaign page, set up by Lee Jasper, Secretary, National Assembly against Racism and Merlin Emmanuel.

THTC Founder Gavin Lawson admits to having a personal motivation with wanting to produce this campaign t-shirt, which can be read at the bottom of this article.

Merlin Emmanuel, Smiley Culture's nephew had this to say in advance of the march tomorrow, which will took place on Saturday 16th May.

When asked about THTC Merlin said 'We chose to utilise THTC because of their history of raising awareness of injustice and inequality all around the world,

and the fact that the materianls they use are organic and produiced under fasir trade conditions."

The t-shirts, available for men and ladies, are currently on sale exclusively on the THTC website.

The t-shirts are printed with a water based print, produced on carbon neutral organic cotton t-shirts, built under ethical conditions in association with the Fair Wear Foundation.

Below- Smiley's 1985 hit 'Police Officer'.

Gav Lawson, THTC Founder has this to say:

"Firstly, I am a huge reggae fan and have worked with reggae artists including Trojan Sound System and Mad Professor over the last decade.

More poignantly, when I was 22 I was falsely arrested by the Met Police whilst asking for protection from three violent yobs who were following me around Kingston Upon Thames.

When I asked a police officer for help he simply said 'F*** of or I'll do you myself'.

When I complained angrily to another officer about this response I was cuffed and thrown into the back of a police van.
Once at the station 4 male police passed a photo around of my then girlfriend, all commenting on how they would 'definitely do her'.

I was then lead to a cell and suffered an bad asthma attack, which sometimes happens in cases of severe stress.

I was refused a glass on water and physically dragged away from a tap outside the cell,  although clearly very distressed and struggling for breath.
I was then literally thrown into an empty cell and lay face down gasping for breath for several hours.

During this time the only response I received from the police officers was when they occasionally opened the sliding window in the door to shout abuse at me.

Eventually, the only female officer on duty brought me a drink of water and apologised, and brought a doctor in to see me.

When discharged and released at about 6am I asked why I had been arrested and the response was 'drunk and disorderly behaviour'.  Ironic, I thought, as I'd not drunk a thing all day.

When I spoke to my father's lawyer soon after I was told to drop the case as it would simply be my word vs the word of the police, and I would lose. If I had won, he went on, I would
be victimised by the police for the rest of my life.

It was around about this point when I lost faith in the police force. I realised I was naive in thinking that this kind of behaviour only happened within police forces in other, more 'obviously currupt' countries.

My last comment to the police as I was released into the freezing rain, still wheezing, and wearing a sweat soaked t-shirt was 'I thought you only did this to poor black kids',
the response to which was howling laughter and jeers.

I've been present at many peaceful protests throughout my years of representing activist causes and, almost without exception, I've witnessed the worst aggression and violence, not from the protesters
but from the police themselves. I believe it's wrong that this police violence is rarely, if ever, punished and firmly believe that a lot of police would be on the other side of the bars if they were not police officers themselves.

I would like to add, however, that I have of course also encountered the most professional, courageous and polite police officers over the years, though all too often the opposite has been true."