A DJ fears she has become a victim of racial profiling after she found police inside her new apartment – ten days after she moved in – following reports of ‘wild parties’ and ‘drug use’.
Kaylee Golding, 22, had only just moved from Birmingham into the flat in Newham, east London, when the officers turned up on August 9.
Ms Golding, who has featured on Radio 1 and BBC Radio WM (serving the West Midlands), claims that the police were called by a neighbour.
She said officers told her they were responding to a complaint about drug use and wild parties during lockdown.
However, Ms Golding, who has been left shaken and confused by the incident, said she doesn’t ‘do any drugs’.
A DJ fears she’s a victim of racial profiling after she found police inside her new apartment – ten days after she moved in – following reports of ‘wild parties’ and ‘drug use’. Kaylee Golding (above) had just moved from Birmingham into the flat in Newham, east London, when officers turned up on August 9. She has presented BBC Radio 1’s Early Breakfast, as part of the station’s schedule of new DJs over Christmas and the New Year
Ms Golding, 22, said officers told her they were responding to a complaint about drug use and wild parties during lockdown. However, the DJ, who has been left shaken and confused by the incident, said she doesn’t ‘do any drugs’
She first moved to London four years ago to attend Westminster University and recently returned after spending much of lockdown in Birmingham.
Ms Golding moved to the Royal Docks to live with her brother and a friend – but her excitement to be back was short lived when she was confronted by officers.
‘It was me and my partner in the living room, cooking dinner,’ she said. ‘We heard “Police, police!” – but because it was a busy area, we thought it was someone else.
‘I thought it was getting louder so went to go and check. At the bottom of my hallway were police officers. My door was closed but it wasn’t locked. They let themselves in.’
Ms Golding said her brother then began questioning the police more about the reason for the visit.
‘We hadn’t done anything wrong and the police said that with my brother questioning him, he could have taken it further.
‘They said there was drug use and continuous parties during the lockdown at this apartment. They could see nothing was happening. I was so confused.
‘As the conversation continued, they asked me how I “got this place” and “was it a council house”.
‘[The officers] had no mask and were within one metre from me, in my home leaning on my walls. It was a bit hypocritical barging in without any warning, not asking if any of us are high risk. You just invited yourself into our home.’
Ms Golding believes the incident was a result of racial profiling from her neighbours.
‘I have always gone about my life thinking this exists,’ she said.
‘I have never had bad neighbours. I am on edge. It’s really disheartening. Why couldn’t you have just knocked on the door and got to know me.
‘We’ve got to the point where people say don’t blame it on race, but it comes to a certain point when I think what can I blame it on? What reason is there?’
Ms Golding has been left traumatised by the incident and fears leaving her home.
‘I feel extremely uncomfortable. Everyone knows me as a happy, carefree person. I didn’t come out of my apartment, I didn’t want to be seen in the reception or speak to the concierge,’ she said.
Ms Golding continued: ‘I am on edge to do my work and play it out loud, to watch TV, to have my windows open. All it takes now is for one neighbour to not be happy with us to call the police.
‘My occupation is a DJ. It’s confusing. If we do play music, we have to be aware that they will contact our landlord. This doesn’t make any sense.
Ms Golding believes the incident was a result of racial profiling from her neighbours. ‘I have always gone about my life thinking this exists,’ she said. ‘I have never had bad neighbours. I am on edge. It’s really disheartening. Why couldn’t you have just knocked on the door and got to know me?’
‘They came expecting to see drugs and now I shouldn’t be playing music because if I do they can contact my landlord. I have been here for 10 days. This is just ridiculous.’
The Metropolitan Police Service said: ‘Police are aware of a complaint against officers in Newham. The complaint follows a call to police on Saturday, August 8, stating that an address in Newham was involved in anti-social behaviour (ASB) and cannabis use.
‘On the afternoon of the next day, two officers from the local safer neighbourhoods’ team attended the address. On arrival, they reported they found the front door open, but they knocked until an occupier came to the door.
‘They asked to come in and discuss the matter, to ensure privacy, and were then admitted to the hallway. A conversation took place where the reason for the police attendance was explained.
‘No offences were detected. The officers left the scene and recorded the visit on the appropriate log for an ASB matter. Following the visit, a complaint was received from a person who had apparently been informed of the visit.
‘The complaint has been passed to the North East Command Unit for attention.’
… and on the same day, Labour MP Dawn Butler was stopped by police in east London
In a separate incident on the same day, Dawn Butler MP accused the Met Police of racial profiling after she was stopped while travelling in a car in east London.
The former shadow equalities minister said she had agreed to meet local police commanders to discuss ‘taking the bias out of the system’.
The Met said the stop was a mistake due to an officer incorrectly entering the car’s registration number.
Ms Butler said the car was being driven by a black male friend and it was pulled over by two police cars.
She said officers said the car was registered in North Yorkshire and took the keys while checking the registration.
They then admitted there had been a mistake, that it was registered to the driver and apologised, she said.