Three Asian men have been charged with the murder of a young African Caribbean IT specialist who worked for Birmingham CIty Council. The incident took place in the Lozells area of Birmingham last October. Isaiah Young-Sam was with his brother and friends trying to escape the trouble which was going on in the area at the time. A car chased them and hooded men got out producing knives and weapons. Isaiah was stabbed in the heart. The tension and unrest was felt in other parts of the area, including the Rookery Road area of Handsworth where a gang of youths roamed the area causing injury and damage to property. Again there was an underlying racial dimension.
Part of the problem appears to be underlying beliefs that sections of the community benefit more than others from grants and benefits available from the local authorities. Certainly the SRB6 funding has benefitted a group who were allowed to infiltrate the board claimimg that they had hitherto been denied their rightful share of funding available. One group has taken power politically in the area showing little awareness or concern about what had been taking place locally in recent months. Regrettably this is more likely to fuel suspicion and feelings of injustice rather than address it.
Waseem you will make an excellent Council Member in our City of Birmingham and we need young gelnmeten like yourself to come forward and shape the future. I am confident the conmmunity which you wish to represent will elect you to this office upon 5th May next. When so elected, you will need to be careful not to spread yourself too thinly as such, with the many voluntary offices you already hold. I can remember the late Dick Knowles saying to me, if we attended every meeting Graham, we should never be at home . I would suggest as a Councillor you act as a Consultant upon request, thus giving you time to be both a Magistrate and Councillor for which you are well qualified.