“Arrested for being on my balcony”, a young Black Hackney man speaks out

A young Black man has called out Hackney police after he says he was wrongfully "arrested for loitering on his balcony" and misusing drugs. The incident, saw 10 police officers handcuff 25-year-old Sam Touray who was fasting for Ramadan, on April 19 at about 3pm. Sam says he was "harassed" by members of the Neighbourhood Task Force (NTF) and Borough Support Units (BSU) team in Hackney in his own building at Orchard Grove on Dalston Lane. Sam said: “I'm currently fasting for the holy month of Ramadan but as well as this, I'm grieving the death of a dear childhood friend and neighbour who sadly passed away after being in an induced coma.