Newham Monitoring Project today launched a crowdfunding project to put ‘stop and search on trial’ with the support of its patron, the poet and author Benjamin Zephaniah.

The ‘Stop and Search on Trial’ campaign is hosted by Crowdfunder and seeks to monitor the way the government implements its planned reforms, announced in August, of the use of police powers to stop and search members of the public.  Read more

Newham Monitoring Project and Newham Bookshop are delighted to welcome NMP’s patron Benjamin Zephaniah talking about his new book Terror Kid.

Thursday 2nd October 2014

6:30pm,
Stratford East Picturehouse,
Salway Road,
London E15 1BX

Tickets are £5 and available at the Stratford Picturehouse box office or by calling 0871 902 5740

Rico knows trouble. He knows the look of it and the sound of it. He also knows to stay away from it as best he can. Because if there’s one thing his Romany background has taught him, it’s that he will always be a suspect. Despite his efforts to stay on the right side of the law, Rico is angry and frustrated at the injustices he sees happening at home and around the world. He wants to do something – but what? When he is approached by Speech, a mysterious man who shares Rico’s hacktivist interests, Rico is given the perfect opportunity to speak out. After all, what harm can a peaceful cyber protest do…?

Terror Kid is Benjamin’s first novel in seven years and is set against the backdrop of the 2011 riots. It tells the extraordinary tale of how one boy’s idealism and passion to speak out is distorted and manipulated by those who want to commit acts of terror.

On 2 October, Benjamin will be talking about the issues he tackles in his novel – examining our judgements, intentions and actions, and also the timely issues of terrorism, hacktivism and the exploitation of young people. Always impactful and thoughtful, Benjamin Zephaniah is not to be missed.

Terror Kid is published on 28 August by Hot Key Books and will be available from Newham Bookshop