Discover this podcast and so much more

Podcasts are free to enjoy without a subscription. We also offer ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more for just $11.99/month.

My 30-year fight for justice for my mum

My 30-year fight for justice for my mum

FromLives Less Ordinary


My 30-year fight for justice for my mum

FromLives Less Ordinary

ratings:
Length:
40 minutes
Released:
Apr 21, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Lee Lawrence was 11 years old when his mother, Cherry Groce, was shot during a police raid on their family home in Brixton, south London. The police had been looking for Lee’s brother, Michael, who didn’t live there at the time. The shooting sparked an uprising in Brixton – where tensions were already high between the many black residents and the overwhelmingly white police - and the event became known as the 1985 Brixton Riots. The police officer who shot Cherry said it was an accident and was acquitted of malicious shooting. For Lee and his family the impact of the incident was devastating - his mother was left paralysed from the waist down and Lee became her carer for the next 26 years. After Cherry died in 2011, he continued to fight for justice for her. Lee has founded an organisation in her memory called the Cherry Groce Foundation, which supports people with mobility issues. A memorial to his mum is about to be unveiled in Brixton. The book Lee has published about his family's experience is called The Louder I Will Sing.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Jo Impey and Andrea Rangecroft

Picture: Lee Lawrence, founder of the Cherry Groce Foundation
Credit: Smokin Monkey Photography
Released:
Apr 21, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Extraordinary first person stories from around the world