Why Anti-Violence Work is Dangerous for Women.

Marie-Eloise Hurley Reports for Toxteth08.

Heartbroken Paula Ogungboro, 51, explains what the loss of fellow Mother Against Violence, Pat Reagan, 53, means for their cause…

Pat Reagan, 53, was a mother of six who died ridding violence from Britain’s streets on Sunday. She campaigned without resorting to crime (two wrongs don’t make a right) but through education and political campaigning.

But last weekend, Pat her self was murdered, in an ironic attack by her own grandson, police think.

Pat Reagan founded Mothers Against Violence in Leeds and Paula, Mothers Against Gun Crime in Toxteth, Liverpool. Both women lost son’s due to the gun and knife violence, which has ripped apart inner city families for decades now.

Both women battled to raise their kids amidst inner city mayhem. This was hard enough but when Pat’s son Danny was stabbed to death in Leeds and Paula’s son Danny was shot in Toxteth, both committed themselves to anti-violence work, not just in their own neighbourhoods, but across Britain.

Paula reminisces with fondness: I met Pat six years ago in London. There were quite a few of us taking part in a DVD named ‘why’. We were mums from different cities whose sons had been shot and we wanted to know why.

I looked at Pat and she looked at me and I just said to my husband –I’m going to sit with her. I felt like I knew her. I said Hi, my names Paula and I’m from Liverpool. She said, Hi, my name’s Pat and I’m from Leeds. She told me about Danny what happened to him and I told her about Eugene, what had happened to him’.

To be honest, she was like a sister to me and I loved her like one. She’d say, ‘goodbye I love you’ and I’d say, ‘I know, I love you, Pat’.

Eugene’s murderer was found, tried and sentenced to life in prison but Pat never found Danny’s killer. And what she’s always wanted was justice. It was burning away at her.

I spoke to Pat just three earlier. She still wanted justice. She tried and tried but her son’s killers were never found.

‘Pat, if you’re out there I hope danny waited with his arms wide open. You wanted justice but you never got it.’

Continuing to campaign against violence, Paula recently took part in a new documentary for Channel4 which saw her showing Eugene’s blood stained shirt to expelled school kids.

‘It upsets me and upsets the kids but I reckon if it saves one life it’s worth it and I carry on’.

Paula also allowed Channel4 in to film her in the bedroom of murdered child, Eugene, which she’s kept untouched all this time.

The conversation shifts back to Pat.

‘Pat was on a mission. And that mission began when her son Danny was murdered. She wanted to go out and educate kids against gun and knife crime and that’s what she did. She was a real woman. We were so alike. What u see with us is what u got. She was warm hearted, with a lovely aura. Despite all her kids and grand-kids she still got out and ran workshops in other cities.

Says Paula:

‘Something like this makes families react in one of three ways:

1. Familes come together and deal with things.
2. Families split-up –Paula has seen a lot of this.
3. Families take things into their own hands –Pat and Paula tried to do this'.

Paula says she’s already encouraged Pat’s oldest remaining son, Danny, to keep things going now that his mother’s gone.

Adds Paula: There aren’t many people I can say this about but Pat was like a sister to me. We were both light skinned, curly haired, black women –she with green eyes, me with brown. Me tall –she smaller. Pat would say she didn't feel so welcome elsewhere. She’d walk right in, open the fridge and put the kettle on'.

Yet something went wrong. Pat failed to gain trust from her community.

Admits Paula:

‘I’ve been threatened myself. Not long ago the police knocked and told me somebody wanted my life. I’ve lived in Toxteth since I was twelve years old but suddenly I’m a snitch.

And we don’t get paid for what we do. We’re voluntary. I never thought I’d get an office but I might lose it if my funding is refused this year. The paper work’s too much for me’.

Paula lacks formal qualifications and is reluctant to gain admin skills. She began with six workers but says, ‘they weren’t getting paid and hadn’t lost a son themselves so they left me’.

But because Paula knows four other Toxteth mothers who have lost children the same way, she persists on.

'I still blame the British government. my son's murderer got fourteen years. In the states, life means life and that's as it should be'.

Last year Paula advertised for an admin assistant but had to withdraw the offer due to a funding crisis –and so despite national support, this Mother Against Gun Crime remains poverty trapped. And now that her ‘town centre’ office is threatened by funding losses she’s in real danger.

Back on the streets, money is at stake, as well as reputation or street ‘cred’. The Home office knows this but delivered little preventative matter to protect either women. Like Pat, Paula is a brave female campaigner, surely deserving the protection that our police, territorial army, and even voluntary police force are accustomed to.

Pat Reagan left children behind. What Paula needs to defend her family against these ongoing attacks is finance.

M-E Hurley.