This year in 2007, the lives of 25 people had ended prematurely on the streets of London. The death toll stopped becoming just a mere statistic in the case of 19-year old Tausif Darbar whose brother, 17-year old Rizwan was stabbed in October.
Rizwan was stabbed by a group in West Ham Park in East London. He was trying to stop a group from stealing his friend’s phone. Tausif rushed to the scene after hearing about the stabbing. He talked to his brother hours before he died.
In the case of Tracey Ford and her teenage daughter, this is going to be like any other typical week of the year. Tracey had lost her 16-year old son, James Smartt-Ford. He was going to the ice-skating rink in Streatham in South London.
James was shot twice near the entrance to the rink. Tracey’s daughter has gone quiet since the incident.
Tracey Ford states: “There’s no happiness, no celebration, its about your family and children… it’s not for us.” Due to her son’s death, she cannot celebrate Christmas as a special holiday.
She adds in regards to her 14-year old daughter: “You can see the loneliness… she can’t be herself because a part of her is gone.
“I’m doing as best as I can, as best as I know.”
She also asks and states: “For me the sadness is always there, the anger is not there – how can I be angry with kids?
“The anger is about the children who are dying daily, weekly… its not a bad anger for me, its just bad acceptance.”
Tausif said a few lines that his brother Rizwan wrote down: “Not one of us can bring back yesterday or shape tomorrow, only today is ours and won’t be ours for long, once it’s gone, it will never be ours again, so make the best of everyday! Good morning!”
In 2007, 25 youths have been killed in London.
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