The 7th September 2023 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the brutal and needless death of father of three, Michael Lloyd Powell (commonly known as Mikey, and a cousin of the renowned poet and writer, Dr Benjamin Zephaniah) at the hands of West Midlands Police in Lozells, Birmingham. Mikey was experiencing a psychotic episode.

Mikey's 20th year commemoration will be marked in a joint event to be held at The Legacy Centre in Birmingham on 25 November 2023. The event, entitled 40:20:01, combines a celebration of INQUEST's 40th year, a dedication to Mikey's life, as well as the first ever Memorial Family Fund Annual Gala Activists Awards.

The National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund (NMPMFF) is the main legacy to Mikey.

It is the first permanent national resource of its kind specifically for those affected by deaths and killings in custody or state neglect. The NMPMFF makes small grants available for families and their campaign groups across the UK to provide practical domestic assistance and campaign support. They also run (or are developing) a range of other support services for families, children and young people that are affected.

Since it was developed in 2015, the NMPMFF (working in conjunction with the United Families & Friends Campaign) has awarded almost £50,000 in grants and awards, and delivered two major events; 'Looking Back : Moving Forward' in Birmingham (September 2021), and 'Families Matter : Caring Matters' in Manchester (May 2023).

See NMPMFF historic moments here >

See the first major NMPMFF annual report >

Family and Friends (from 10th Anniversary);

Mikey's Sister, Sieta Lambrias said; - “Whilst we appreciate the apology received by the WMP for the pain and anguish caused to my family as a consequence of Mikey’s death, we would be far more appreciative of an apology acknowledging that it was the actions of their officers that caused the death, as found by the inquest jury in 2009.”

Mikey's cousin, Dr Benjamin Zephaniah said; - “An apology for the death of my cousin ten years after the event is cold comfort. We have been asking questions for ten years, protesting for ten years, writing letters, and poems, and statements for ten years, but most of all we have been collectively grieving for ten years. What is important is that we let it be known that although we accept this apology, we are intelligent enough to know that it is just an apology, and it is not justice.”

Mikey's cousin, Joyce Springer-Amadedon said; - “From the beginning we thought we wouldn’t get a guilty verdict in the criminal courts, but we took it so far so that there would be some scrutiny, in particular for West Midlands Police, who have had a poor record in the past and need to be seen to be accountable. It was not just for us but for all the other families who don’t know how their loved ones came to die while in custody.”

Family supporter and radical filmmaker, Ken Fero said; - “Over the ten years of the struggle that this anniversary of the death of Mikey Powell marks it has been a real privilege to know and work with the family. Not only have they run an exemplary individual campaign on the legal and political fronts to get justice for Mikey, they have also worked to support other families that have experienced the brutality of a death in custody.

“They have shown resilience and insight and this has led to real change at different levels in the area. What all families want when they lose a loved one under these circumstances is fairness in the justice system and for those responsible to be punished. 10 years on Mikey can be proud that the unrelenting daily work, particularly of his cousin Tippa Naphtali, has made sure that Mikey’s death was not in vain.”

See more photo galleries here >

Below is a link to read the full moving article that was written by Mikey's cousin, and prominent activist/social justice campaigner, Tippa Naphtali, which commemorated the 15th anniversary of Mikey’s death.

In the article Tippa said; "Such was the impact of his [Mikey's] death, I made the decision to move back to my home town of Birmingham after 28 years living and working in London; so that I could be at the forefront of my family’s fight for justice, as well as to ensure changes were made in both policing and mental health practice.

I was determined that Mikey’s life and death would bring a lasting legacy.

"I was determined that Mikey’s death would not be in vain, and on my return to Birmingham I worked with various parties to ensure that this was the case. Despite criticism from some fellow campaigners, I was also determined to work closely with the police and other statutory agencies in order to bring about meaningful changes in practice and policy, achieved through joint lobbying and other actions. I feel very strongly that these achievements (no matter how small) should be acknowledged and celebrated by all sectors, including the campaigning community."

Several organisations have been developed over the last two decades that were strongly influenced or inspired by Mikey's case - They include:

4WardEverUK: Its purpose is to provide a one-stop-resource for case profiles, news and events, useful resources, statistics, appeals and more; in relation to deaths and abuses whilst in custody; including the death penalty, other injustices and human rights abuses in the UK and internationally.

Red Alert HELP: With support from The Edge Fund 4WardEverUK developed an interactive online advice portal available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help visitors find the information, services or support that they need.

National Mikey Powell Memorial Family Fund: The purpose of the fund is to ensure that families or their campaign groups across the UK get access to small grants to provide practical domestic assistance, to further the work of their campaigns, or assist them to engage in other local, regional or national events and initiatives.

Mentoring & Advocacy Support Hub: Previously known as the Peer Support Programme, was initially developed as part of the MIND & Time to Change 300 Voices Project to support young African and Caribbean men with mental health problems in Birmingham to build resilience, and aid recovery. Catalyst 4 Change now manages this programme independently of MIND.

Catalyst 4 Change CIC: Catalyst supports community organisations, social enterprises, faith groups or businesses that have a significant African/Caribbean mental health/wellbeing service user base. They do so by providing seminars, networking/collaboration opportunities, capacity building, incubation support, representation, research support and access to a professional services directory.

Tippa Naphtali speaks – A Legacy for Mikey Powell

Read full article here >

For 2024 and beyond, Tippa said;

"While we will never forget what happened on the night of Mikey's killing, it is his life and how he lived it, that will continue to inspire us to develop mental health and wellbeing initiatives, and continue to fight for an end to deaths, killings and abuse at the hands of the state."

4WardEverUK, the first organisation set up in remembrance of Mikey, has a mission inspired by Kwame Nkrumah's words - which we wholeheartedly support;

“We face neither East nor West; We face forward. All men of goodwill, organize, organize, organize. We prefer self-government in danger, to servitude in tranquility. Forward ever, backward never”