There is a drawing of Grenfell Tower created by children who lived there in 2015. It shows the building before flammable cladding was added. It features a union flag, the tower covered in stars, and drawings of the low-rise walkways, football pitches and green spaces around the Lancaster West estate. One of the children has written “Grenfell Tower”, another: “Live, laugh, love.”
Eighteen children perished in the June 2017 fire. Residents had done everything they could beforehand to raise concerns about emergency services access, fire safety provision, the quality of the refurbishment and power surges. No one listened.
On Monday, as the public inquiry opened, the first of a sequence of pen portraits written by the families of those who died were presented. We heard the voice of Mohamed “Saber” Neda, in his last ever phone call, on the night of the fire. We saw and heard Khadija Saye, in a documentary about her exciting career as an artist at the Venice Biennale.
And we saw a picture of the youngest casualty, stillborn baby Logan Gomes. His father, Marcio Gomes, told the inquiry of the happiness his son had brought his family, even before he was born. They never had the chance to get to know their son and brother, born while Marcio’s wife, Andreia, was in a coma along with his two daughters. He talked about the future they had imagined. “He was going to be my superstar.”
How do you begin to chart such loss? Where do you start if everything is gone – not just your father or your children, but all their photographs and effects?
The purpose of these commemorations is to bring the voices of the bereaved and survivors into the inquiry. It is to make sure that the victims sit at the very heart of the process – that when we talk about lessons needing to be learned, we understand why. They should be required reading or viewing for all the lawyers representing the state and corporate bodies; for all ministers, and everyone responsible for public policy, including the prime minister.
This is the first time pen portraits have been presented in a public inquiry. Such an opening wasn’t a given: families and lawyers fought for it. It marks a change from the first Hillsborough inquest, in which victims were referred to as “body 52” and “body 77”. It shows us how the Grenfell inquiry could be successful, if it learns from the mistakes of the past.
Over the course of the next few days, we will continue to hear stories of lives cut short – of laughter unheard, the love of those left behind, and the memories that remain. These are beautiful and compelling testimonies produced by relatives who still need time and space to grieve. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the stories. But it is our responsibility as citizens not to allow compassion fatigue to set in. Do not look away – because these lives matter.
