How did Michael Jarrett Lowe die?

originally published by: IRR
9th September 2010

IRR News revisits the suspicious death, over thirty-five years ago, of a 17-year-old young black teenager who was found dead in a chimney at a disused shop on Upper Street in September 1974.

The IRR was recently contacted by Bill Goodrham, a friend of Michael’s, who told us he had serious concerns as to how Michael died and that his death had been playing on his mind in recent years. He told us how Michael, whom he knew as ‘Jarrett’, was one of the few black faces around the Kings Cross area when he was growing up and that he was regularly beaten by local police officers.

Bill describes Jarrett as ‘like Eddie Murphy – a big smile with gleaming white teeth’ going on to say ‘Michael was a dear friend not only to me but many others, he was well respected and well liked and I constantly think of him, he did not deserve to die like this. Police at the time were extremely racist and violent towards Michael.’

Bill told IRR News about a particular incident: ‘I remember it as if was yesterday, it was in Kings Cross, there were three of us walking down the street, me, another white boy and Michael, and a police officer on the beat was coming towards us. He beckoned over Jarrett and took him round the corner where no one could see (at the back of the Southern Street and Calshott Street junction) and then we heard a commotion.

Read full article >

Posted by Gaynor Kuye on 15/09/2010. Filed under Police Brutality & Killings,UR Shout. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry