Forever in our hearts

Anne M Jones writes about Grenfell one year later

A large heart in a mid-green colour, not quite lime green, sits beside the words ‘Forever in our hearts’ on top of the white cover shrouding the skeleton of Grenfell Tower in London. I stood among local people during the morning interfaith service there on 14 June, people sobbing loudly, others silently weeping, all of us damp-eyed. Many were comforted by readings from the Qur’an and Bible, interspersed with songs from a group of gospel singers: ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and, above all, ‘Something Inside So Strong’.

For indeed the community is so strong – evident in the way they came together and organised themselves that night and in the weeks that followed, with little apparent immediate help from the borough council. They are continuing to make their voices heard. This, as one of the local spokespeople said, is a sign of hope from the devastation that at last they are being taken seriously. I sincerely hope this new respect for the poor and dispossessed lasts.

Writing in the Friend last June in reaction to the Grenfell tragedy, I posed the question as to whether profit motives had outweighed safety considerations. As time has gone on, there might be evidence for this. Certainly local people think so, as they do their best to carry on carrying on, amidst other frustrations brought on by slow responses from people they looked to for help. (I too found this out when applying to assist in my counselling capacity and received a routine acknowledgement – four months later.)

‘It’s been a very strange time but we are here for each other,’ said one friend there to me. I hope they can remain strong in the face of the gruelling public inquiry, which as we know began with hearing from the bereaved – dignified, poignant and tragic.

I sincerely hope stuff does not get dismissed and this really will be a turning point in social justice. But there is a very long way to go. Maybe it was serendipitous that the day after the anniversary of the fire the National Audit Office drew attention to the inadequacies of Universal Credit and how the poor are suffering under it.

People like me, who have many choices open to us in our comfortable lives, must continue to offer support to help keep that ‘something inside so strong’. We must help to fight injustices where we usefully can.

---

Comments

Grenfell Tower fire was an appalling tragedy, made worse by the failure of the authorities to listen to what the residents were saying loud and clear about fire risk.  But when Anne says ‘Maybe it was serendipitous that the day after the anniversary of the fire the National Audit Office drew attention to the inadequacies of Universal Credit and how the poor are suffering under it’ she is trying to shoe-horn the tragedy into the ideological anti-inequality framework.  The tragedy for the residents was not that they were poor, because living in social housing in Kensington hardly counts as that by global standards, but that fire prevention was neglected by those with the responsibility.  Anne asks the question as to whether profit motives had outweighed safety consideration.  Certainly there has been negligence but not just by for-profit organisations.  We know that the Fire Service gave the wrong advice to the residents when the fire was first reported and that they lacked the equipment to deal with a blaze in such a tall building.  I hope the fact that the Fire Brigades Union is dominated by white men nursing second jobs and supporting Jeremy Corbyn will not shield the membership from the light of scrutiny.

By frankem51 on 19th July 2018 - 16:58

---

Please login to add a comment