Even on the cosmopolitan streets of London we still find it difficult to have open conversations about race.Yet every now and again there is an event that puts race at the top of the agenda across all the media.
Usually the spark that lights the tinderbox is a tragedy; from Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor to the increasing levels of knife and gun crime amongst inner city gangs.
But sometimes it can take an issue that is far less clear cut; a story that becomes difficult to take sides and requires a little longer to reflect.
The grizzly demise of Ray Lewis as the Deputy Mayor for Young People is one such event that should have generated a meaningful and constructive debate.
Unfortunately it won’t. Instead it will degenerate into spurious scandal with whispers of racial motives.
Of course it takes all eyes away from the simple point that has been sorely lacking in the coverage of the build up to and fall out from his resignation.
How does Ray’s departure help reduce the violence on our streets in London?
For many in the city, Ray Lewis is still the right man to help deal with the problems of street crime and how to get the best out of youths that have strayed to the wrong side of town. Whether he is Deputy Mayor or not, most just want to see the problem resolved.
And make no mistake about it; Ray Lewis is the man to tackle youth crime head on.
I was invited to Ray’s Eastside Young Leaders Academy with my son a few months ago and three things struck me about our meeting.
Firstly, Ray is an inspirational leader who “gets it”. Secondly, there was tangible and demonstrable evidence of the change he was making to predominantly young black boys who were otherwise heading for incarceration.
Lastly, in the brochure about the project I couldn’t help but notice a large number of Tory “grandees” amongst the movers and shakers behind the scenes at the Academy.
After spending a couple of compelling and hard hitting hours in Ray’s company I remember leaving feeling uplifted, realising that whilst patrons and trustees of such an organisation would probably have come from the Labour Party in the past, now it appeared that the greater good and social conscience was bridging the gap across the political fence.
It was obvious to me and my son that Ray’s role and approach needed amplification across London because he was having considerable success in transforming many children’s lives.
But did he need to be go and be part of the Mayor’s office to carry on doing that and expanding on that?
The temptation to politicise his role and contribution was unfortunately one of the key factors in his downfall.
I know so many community leaders that are doing a fantastic job despite not having a squeaky clean past. In fact it is because of this that they have the authority that resonates with today’s youth and enables them to connect and inspire change.
Ray is eloquent and hugely articulate but most of all supremely street wise and well connected.
Surely he should have been made a specialist advisor if he had wanted to take advantage of what the Mayor’s office could bring to his “reach”?
The focus would then have remained on what he could bring to the table rather on how he got there before.
The real loss is the opportunity that has passed.
Here was a man that was elevated into the public eye and shot down almost instantly by forces that simply saw a sitting duck to harm their political enemies.
Did the claims against Ray have any relevance as to how he would have gone about reducing the levels of youth crime in London?
Despite the hubris in the papers about another black role model being engulfed in scandal, the focus should not be about race.
It should be about leadership and playing people to their strengths to overcome a problem.
Boris took the necessary move to build a team around him that compensated for his weaknesses. In Ray he picked exactly the right man to spearhead a campaign to make our streets safer and get to the hub of the burning problems of our disaffected youth.
Unfortunately he put him in the wrong role.
As a nation we remain obsessed with structure and job titles and not on outcomes. With a simple adjustment of where Ray fit in Boris’ team, and how he was positioned to the media, he could still be in his role today and doing what he does best.
This sad episode has no winners but us Londoners are certainly the losers.
