In the 1970s the ‘sus law’ (section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824) allowed police officers to stop and potentially convict individuals as ‘suspected persons.’ Why was a Victorian vagrancy act, intended to prevent ‘begging, showing wounds’ and ‘telling fortunes’, used to criminalise minority groups in the 1970s and 1980s? Who brought a stop to it? Who is under suspicion today?
Fighting Sus is a film produced by young people in East London who were galvanised by their own experiences of exclusion from public spaces and awareness of racism to preserve and explore the events, effects and significance of the SUS laws. Containing performances of poetry, spoken word, drama, rap, singing and music and original animation.
TEAM: Jolina Bradley, Esmeralda Atikpoe, Mariam Bangura, Saqif Chowdhury, Shanaz Conteh, Thery-Claire (TC) Leshe, Tania Aubeelack, Jessica Lima, Liza Akhmetova, Memuna Rashid, Sarah Ogunfeyimi, Brandon Leon
Find out more about Fighting Sus here
