A blue plaque is to be unveiled in Leeds commemorating David Oluwale, a British-Nigerian man who died in 1969 after being harassed by police.
The plaque will be on Leeds Bridge, close to where Oluwale was last seen alive, being chased by Sgt Kenneth Kitching and Insp Geoffrey Ellerker. His body was found two weeks later about a mile away in the River Aire, which flows under the bridge.
In a landmark case in 1971, the two officers, who had subjected Oluwale to a long campaign of abuse were convicted of assault by a jury, having been directed to acquit them of manslaughter. It was the first successful prosecution of British police officers for involvement in the death of a black person, according to Leeds Civic Trust.
Several nominations were submitted over the years for a blue plaque to commemorate Oluwale, but in 2019 it was rejected by the trust in part because it was not celebratory and his legacy was posthumous. However, the criteria for plaques were changed after an independent review in 2021 commissioned following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent anti-racist protests.
Max Farrar, the secretary of the Remember Oluwale charity, said: “After many years of quiet campaigning by #RememberOluwale, the Black Lives Matter protests put wind in our sails, and this blue plaque for David Oluwale is one of several signs that Leeds is committed to being more welcoming, more inclusive and more equal.
“Leeds Civic Trust is one of our many partners who recognise that Leeds has to face up to its shameful history of racism and take active steps to transform itself. We are extremely grateful to all our supporters.”
Remember Oluwale launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the plaque.
Among those speaking at Monday’s unveiling will be the author Caryl Phillips, who wrote an essay on Oluwale in his 2007 book Foreigners – Three English Lives (2007), the city council leader, James Lewis, and Det Ch Supt Carl Galvin. Galvin’s father, Gary Galvin, a police cadet, acted as a whistleblower, exposing that Oluwale had been the victim of serious and sustained mistreatment by officers.
The David Oluwale Choir will sing songs composed by Leeds United football fans after the imprisonment of Ellerker and Kitching. One of the chants they would sing on the terraces, to the tune of Michael Row the Boat Ashore, was “The River Aire is chilly and deep, Ol-u-wale; Never trust the Leeds police, Ol-u-wale.”
The trust’s director, Martin Hamilton, said: “A blue plaque scheme should be more than a pat on the back for famous, high-achieving people. It should also tell the story of significant points in history that risk being forgotten or overlooked.”
“David Oluwale did not have the opportunity to achieve his potential in his own lifetime, but the legacy created after his death is one that deserves to be highlighted.”
Last month, a footbridge named after Oluwale was installed over the River Aire and a sculpture commemorating him is being created by the British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare for the new Meadow Lane gardens nearby.
