Joy Gardner and deportations

Joy Gardner and deportations

Joy Gardner (1953 – 1 August 1993) was a Jamaican-born mature student and mother living with her 5-year-old son in Crouch End, North London. Gardner first arrived in the UK in 1986 to join her mother, Myrna Simpson, a British citizen. Prior to 1981, Gardner would have had the right to British Citizenship through her mother, but the 1981 British Nationality Act meant this was no longer possible. In October 1990, she was informed by police and the Home Office that she should leave the country voluntarily, or would be at risk of deportation. She had come to Bernie Grant seeking support in her quest to remain, as she went through appeals processes, and was waiting to hear back on an appeal when she was killed. On the morning of 28th July 1993, a team of police officers and an immigration officer raided her home in an attempt to deport her and her son that same day. But Joy, taken completely by surprise, had no idea the decision to deport her had been taken. As far as she knew she was still awaiting a Home Office reply to her solicitor’s application for a deportation order to be rescinded. In fact, her solicitor only received a letter later that morning after the raid had taken place, which confirmed that Joy’s plea had been rejected. It was later admitted by the then Immigration insiter Charles Wardle that this was a deliberate ploy to avoid any further appeals being lodged.

In the presence of her son, the officers put a leather belt around her body, and taped her legs and mouth to restrain her. She collapsed as a result, was brain dead and officially died in hospital three days later from cerebral hypoxia and heart failure. Immediately after her collapse and admission to hospital, her mother, the local community, human rights activists and organisations expressed their outrage at the treatment of Joy by the police and immigration, and demanded an investigation into the methods of restraint used. Bernie Grant and his office had known of Joy since 1990, as she had come to him for help with housing and immigration issues. At around 11.30am, several hours after she had collapsed, Grant was informed by the local police commander that she’d suffered a heart attack after officers arrived at her home. In his capacity as MP, from as early as the day Joy’s death was declared, Grant petitioned then-Home Secretary Michael Howard and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Condon for a public inquiry, transparency around the internal police investigation, and questioned if the officers involved were to be suspended. The case received considerable national publicity, On 3 rd August, in an unprecedented move, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Condon invited Bernie Grant to Scotland Yard, aware no doubt of the anger in the black community. He informed Grant three officers involved had been suspended. During this meeting, more details were confirmed, including the officers’ use of a body belt and restraints. It is possible that Joy’s death could have sparked another uprising similar to that of 1985, but the quick suspension of the three officers helped to avoid this, as did the role that Bernie Grant played in articulating the indignation of the community about the both immigration policies and brutal police practices.

As with the 1985 uprising, activists, family members and members of the local community had quickly organised a campaign. The Joy Gardner Fund was set up with the help of Bernie Grant, to finance campaigning efforts, pay for her funeral and provide general support for the family. The Joy Gardner Campaign was officially established with the aim of holding those responsible for her death to account, campaigning for an end to inhumane restraining and deportation practices, and challenging racist and discriminatory immigration laws. The campaign also demanded a public inquiry – a demand which has never been met. In January 1994, an internal review of the Specialist Deportation Squad by the Home Office found that the methods of restraint which led to Joy’s death had been used on six other occasions in the years 1992-1994. In a statement in February 1994, Grant and Mrs Simpson asserted that Joy’s death “symbolises all that is wrong with British immigration policy and practice, and that it must not be forgotten”. To that end, Joy’s case led to the exposure of similar inhumane deportation actions. One such case was reported by the Observer in January 1994, wherein immigration officials targeted a flight from Jamaica to Gatwick Airport, detaining 190 passengers. Another case, publicised by the National Union of Refugee Organisations in August 1993 just days after Joy’s death, saw a Ugandan asylum seeker detained in a prison cell – transported to a detention centre only after protests were made against the police – and deported back to Uganda where he faced possible torture and death. After widespread concern was expressed about the case, charges were eventually brought against officials involved but none were eventually found guilty, leaving the impression that “Justice for Joy” has never been achieved. The fateful case of Joy Gardner was therefore symbolic of the immigration and deportation policies that disproportionately affected Black people in Britain, two decades before the ‘Windrush Scandal’ was exposed. Joy’s mother Myrna Simpson continues to campaign for justice for her daughter and others affected by inhumane deportation methods, over 30 years on.