Family members speak out over attack on Cherry Groce memorial

Members of the family of Cherry Groce gathered at the memorial to her on Brixton’s Windrush Square to express concern after it was vandalised recently.

The attack, in which large amounts of white paint were tipped over the dedication on the memorial, follows the damage inflicted on the Windrush Untold Stories exhibition in early July.

Lambeth council cleaned the paint from the memorial following the attack.

One of the images attacked with paint and with a sharp object to scratch at the eyes in the July incident was that of Cherry Groce’s son Lee Lawrence.

It was his words on the memorial that were obscured by paint in the recent attack.

“I want this to be seen as a crime,” he said. “And I want it to be seen as a hate crime, not just on my late mum, but also to the family and to the community.

“That’s what this represents. We’ve done a lot of work to try and create community healing and we just feel there are people who are disrupters of that, and these things need to be taken seriously.”
Groce family members were joined by Ros Griffiths, chair of the Friends of Windrush Square, and the originator and organiser of the Windrush Untold Stories exhibition.

“Enough is enough,” she said.” Windrush Square is a very important place in Brixton. It’s a living tribute to the Windrush Generation.

“We want the persons who are responsible for bringing this pain to the community brought to justice. 
“We need to come together and make the place a better place for people to feel safe, respected, and celebrated.

“We cannot continue along these lines where people just can come attack our heritage, our legacy and nothing is done.”
Hear what Lee Lawrence, Ros Griffiths, and family members Rose, Lisa and Sutara Gayle aka Lorna Gee, had to say …

Cherry Groce, mother of six children, was shot by police during an early-morning raid on her home in Brixton in 1985, which led to what has become known as the second Brixton Uprising.

She died in 2011 at the age of 63 as the result of injuries which left her needing a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

An inquest found police failures contributed to her death. After many years’ delay, the Metropolitan Police issued an unreserved apology for these failings.

The Cherry Groce memorial inWindrush Square was unveiled in 2021.

Lee Lawrence established The Cherry Groce Foundation in 2016. Its current mission is to reduce youth violence and promote restorative justice.