The funeral of Rashan Charles will take place on Friday 6 October. A commemoration service will be held for the 20-year-old, who died after a police chase in East London, at two local places of worship before he is laid to rest at Manor Park Cemetery.
At 11 am, Shacklewell Lane Ramadan Mosque in Dalston, E8, will hold a funeral service for Rashan, where his father Eesa Green is a regular parishioner. Prayers and commemoration service at the mosque is expected to conclude at midday, when the funeral cortege will collect other members of the family and proceed to nearby St Mark’s Church for a second service at 1pm, in keeping with Rashan’s mother’s wishes. A further service will be held at the graveside at Manor Park Cemetery, E7, at 2.45pm. The public are invited to join Rashan’s family and friends at any of these services.
Erkin Guney, the head of Shacklewell Lane Ramadan Mosque, is a long-term friend of the family and has been actively supporting them through their bereavement and quest for answers on how their son died. The mosque has been the centre of several public meetings concerning Rashan’s death.
Mr Guney (pictured below with Eesa) told T-VINE: “Rashan’s death has shaken not just his family but the entire community. I’ve known Eesa for over 25 years. He cared deeply for his son and was concerned about gang-related problems in the local area. So much so that he moved Rashan to Streatham, hoping he would be safe there. Sadly he died at the hands of the police instead while visiting Hackney to see his nan.”
“There is a lot of anger here [in Hackney] at the death of yet another young black man at the hands of the authorities and yet again no one is being held to account. The Met have refused to uphold the IPCC’s (independent police watchdog) recommendation to suspend the police office involved in Rashan’s death, which gives out completely the wrong message.”
“Friday’s services are about unity in the community. We will be coming together to remember Rashan, a humble and highly likeable young man who was adored by everyone. There was not an ounce of aggression in him. He was a little bit lost – like so many young men in our inner cities are – but he did not deserve to die like this.”
On 22 July 2017, CTCV captured Rashan being restrained by a police officer in a local convenience store on Kingsland Road in Dalston. The young man, who was unarmed, was wrestled to the ground by the officer, who then tried to retrieve something from Rashan’s mouth, resulting in him choking. Conflicting reports arise after this.
The police maintain Rashan was given first aid before being rushed to hospital where he died, while family members understand Rashan was already dead when an ambulance crew attended the scene. An inquest into his death has been adjourned to June 2018 to allow more time into the investigation.
