Notting Hill Carnival is as colorful and
celebratory as it is increasingly
contentious.
It is hard to find anyone who cares more
about the safety of people there than
the family of Shem Maximum. The
32-year-old was killed in front of her
young daughter last year by someone she
didn't know.
>> Some people say, "Oh, you know, wrong
place, wrong time." No, she was in the
right place at the right time when she
should have been there and still she
wasn't safe.
>> Her family believe she was failed.
>> She was in the safest location possible
on family day with her daughter and she
was murdered directly in front of police
officers. So if it can happen there, it
can happen anywhere. It's an
unmanageable event. So whatever they say
they're going to put in place, they
can't put enough precautions in place to
make it safe. It's absolutely
unmanageable. in its current form.
>> Sher's grandmother, Viene, believes
those hijacking the carnival to cause
harm have ruined what it represents.
She's told organizers it needs to
relocate.
>> When I had the meeting
with them, I said, "Uh, why can't you
move it to uh a different place, i.e.
Hide Park? It's a big enough park." Um,
I was told, um, well, it wouldn't be
called Notting Hill Carnival.
>> Would you like to see it moved out of
the current venue where it's held?
>> Yeah.
>> To provide that safety for people.
>> Yeah. Have it structured this in out,
but on the streets you can do whatever
and just escape through the streets.
You could turn up the day before. You
could be there. You could step out of
the front door. You're in the sight. So,
could it happen again? Of course, it
could happen again.
>> Of course, it could happen again. A
sobering thought as more than a million
people descend on West London over the
next 3 days. This is a direct call to
action. This is a family that has lost
everything by what happened at this
event, but they also understand its
cultural significance and the importance
of maintaining the integrity of
Carnival. It's why they say it's now
outgrown its home and needs to be
relocated.
But the option of moving it isn't on the
table.
>> Our hearts are very much so with the
family. Um but you know, Carnival should
remain on in the streets of Notting
Hill. What we need to do is actually
tackle the root causes of the issues of
violence that we have in the capital
that happen 365 days of the year. Last
year, the number of carnival related
crimes were down on the year before and
the majority related to drug offenses.
This weekend, 7,000 officers and staff
will be on site each day with facial
recognition cameras and screening arches
used at the busiest entry points.
>> We've put a lot of measures in place as
we always do, but even more so this year
to keep people safe. Um, you know,
Carnival is a safe space. It's no more
unsafe than than the rest of London. So
um I would say come um and you know be
respectful. Carnival is a safe space.
But not everyone is convinced. Sher's
family know that it can just take
seconds for this vibrant event to be
marred by violence. Ash Harinag, Sky
News.