Hibiscus Rising

David Oluwale (1930–1969) was a British Nigerian who was drowned in the River Aire in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1969. The events leading to his drowning have been described as "the physical and psychological destruction of a homeless, black man whose brutal, systematic harassment was orchestrated by members of the Leeds city police force". This culminated in his death by drowning: two independent witnesses testified that they saw uniformed police officers chasing a man who could well have been Oluwale close to the river on the night he is believed to have drowned. The officers involved were convicted, marking the first time that British police had been held responsible for…