On her 1990 debut album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinéad O'Connor sang about police brutality in the UK on the song "Black Boys On Mopeds."
Although the lyrics do not mention Colin Roach, a 21-year-old black British man who died on January 12, 1983, from a gunshot wound inside the entrance of Stoke Newington police station in the London Borough of Hackney, the entire album is essentially dedicated to his family.
Amid allegations of a police cover-up, Roach's death spurred protests and demands for an independent public inquiry. Before Roach's death, Hackney Black People's Association called for a public investigation into policing in the area, alleging that there existed a culture of police brutality, wrongful detention of black people, and racial harassment and racially motivated "stopping and searching".
Such an inquiry did not take place, although police did conduct an inquest into the incident. The verdict of the inquest was that Roach had committed suicide.
Resource:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Colin_Roach
released July 12, 2016
Artist: Shea Rose
Producer and Arranger: Simone Scazzocchio
Mix and Mastered: Will Holland (Chillhouse Recording Studios)
Album Artwork: Jeff Manning
Original lyrics and melody by Sinead O'Connor