grenfell tower

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[Image: A man with black hair, in a white jumper, smiling at the camera]

Part 13 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Mohamed Amied Neda, from the 23rd floor of Grenfell Tower

Mohamed Amied Neda tried to help his neighbours on the top floor of Grenfell Tower, but lost his life in the attempt. The 57-year-old, who
was known to his friends and family as Saber, fled the Taliban to come to
Britain, and started work as a pizza delivery driver before becoming head of his own chauffeur company. He supported his son Farhad’s career as a competitor in Tae-Kwon-Do tournaments, and drove him all over the country to compete.

He lived in the tower with his wife and son and got them to safety before thinking of himself on the night of the fire. Both of them were left in comas afterwards, but they pulled through. His son released a statement at the Grenfell inquiry:

“In the 18 years that we lived in Grenfell, there was never a bad word said about him. My dad came to the UK on 1998 with my mum and me. I was only about 5 years old, but I can remember from the moment that he set foot in the UK, that he found himself a job and he worked hard until the day he passed away.

We are a very close and happy family. I grew up in a safe home full of love and full of laughter. My dad loved life, and loved meeting people.”

He was such a friendly person that one of his customers, whom he only ever met once, called his family with condolences after he passed
away.

His brother Mohamed Aref Neda paid tribute to his heroism:

“Losing Saber was like my world came crashing down. I have faced many blows in life, losing many family members, but this was the worst.

The way in which the fire happened, his death, and the sudden severity of it all left me with so many questions and a big void in my life that I have still not come to terms with.

… The only thing I know is that my brother was a hero. He gave up his life for his family and for others.”

His family faced further heartbreak after his death when they had to hold a second funeral for him after a piece of bone was recovered too late. His wife Flora told Channel 4 of her feelings:

“I’m angry with that. We are angry. Why didn’t they check proper? Why did it take so long? Even the police aren’t getting the answer for me.

They tell the truth for us, I think it is respectful but we are angry because why they didn’t check first time and they didn’t tell us?

This time is more difficult from the first time, it is more
difficult, we did again. The ceremony … reburied, everything.”

Mohamed Amied Neda’s final phone call and last words were played for the Grenfell inquiry.

–

Sources

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/21/europe/grenfell-tower-inquiry-opens-commemorations-intl/index.html

https://www.metro.news/tributes-paid-to-grenfells-victims-at-emotional-first-day-of-inquiry/1066794/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/01/grenfell-fire-police-apologise-after-victims-bone-fragment-found-tumble-dryer

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/i-hope-havent-disappointed-you-12572286

https://news.channel4.com/2017/grenfell-tower/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2018/may/21/grenfell-tower-fire-inquiry-opens-with-tributes-to-72-victims-live-updates?page=with:block-5b02c420e4b05aef3eee7b16#liveblog-navigation

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[Image: A girl with light brown skin and curly black hair looking at the camera]

Part 12 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Jessica Urbano Ramirez, from the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower

12-year-old Jessica Urbano Ramirez was alone when the fire started,
as her mother and sister were working and her father was visiting someone else in the block. Her family desperately hoped she had survived, and she was briefly listed as missing, with Doctor Who actor Noel Clarke (a friend of her uncle) among those who appealed for information. But sadly she had died. She would have turned 13 on 4 July.

She is believed to have died alongside Berkti Haftom and her
son Biruk. Berkti lent her a phone to call her mother, family members said, and their bodies were among six found in the flat of Raymond “Moses”
Bernard. After Jessica’s mother Adriana got the call she ran back home, but
firefighters prevented her from entering the building.

Jessica’s family released a statement via Metropolitan Police:

“We have received probably the hardest news any parents will
ever have had to bear, over the past weeks we have been in a state of confusion and limbo. Now that she has been formally identified we feel totally crushed.

Nothing will ever bring our little girl back, and we are
angry that this should ever have happened to our little angel. We will not rest until we get justice for her and for the many other lives lost as a result of this crime.

We will only feel justice has been served when the highest possible charges are applied to culpable individuals. We entrust this task to the authorities in the hope that we will not be let down.”

Our little girl was loving, kind-hearted and caring. She brought joy to everyone who met her and her laugh was contagious.

Jessica will leave a lasting legacy in the hearts of her family and friends and the many, many people who didn’t know her personally but
have come to know her since that night of 14 June.

Her light will shine bright and will light our individual paths as we start to move forward into coming to terms with our loss and heartbreak.”

–

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/02/inquest-for-grenfell-tower-victim-jessica-urbano-ramirez-12-told-of-familys-pain

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/16/young-girl-escaped-fire-draws-heartbreaking-image-blaze/

http://www.thejournal.ie/london-fire-kensington-3442864-Jun2017/

http://www.etelford.co.uk/News/Details/25349

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-week/20170624/281479276417858

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[Image: A boy and a woman, with the woman’s arm around the boy]

Part 11 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Berkti and Biruk Haftom, from the 18th floor of
Grenfell Tower

Berkti Haftom, 29, and her 12-year-old son Biruk both died in Grenfell Tower. Berkti was a refugee from Ethopia: she fled the country in 1998, forced to leave her oldest child Nahom behind in the care of her own
mother.

18-year-old Nahom spoke, through tears, at the Grenfell inquest:

“When my grandmother died in 2016, everything changed. She [Berkti] was really worried about me because I couldn’t cope on my own. Since that time she kept calling me to promise me, saying, ‘you will soon be with me’.

When I remember her voice you cannot even imagine how I feel. I was looking forward to living with my mum and little brother but the fire in Grenfell Tower on June 14 2017 changed everything. I didn’t see my mother for 15 years.”

Berkti worked as a caterer at King’s College Hospital. She loved working for the NHS, her family said, because she was a very caring person and possessed a strong work ethic.

In the days after the fire, the family paid tribute to both mother and son in a statement released via the police:

Biruk was a loving, pure hearted boy, wise beyond his years
and known for his politeness, kind heart and his love for his family and
friends.

He wanted to be a footballer, his family said, and loved Chelsea’s striker Eden Hazard. He worried about his brother overseas, but was almost always a happy and cheerful young boy.

“Berkti and Biruk left an everlasting legacy full of lovely
memories and their contagious laughter and charisma will live in our hearts forever.

We are deeply hurt and heartbroken our angels were taken
from us so cruelly, so young. We will not rest until justice is served!”

Berkti’s sisters told the Grenfell inquiry that she had been ten weeks pregnant at the time she died.

–

Sources

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/grenfell-tower-inquiry-berki-haftom-who-died-alongside-her-son-12-was-10-weeks-pregnant-a3850391.html

http://www.itv.com/news/london/2017-09-06/pure-hearted-12-year-old-biruk-haftom-identified-as-grenfell-tower-fire-victim/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-pregnant-woman-10-weeks-berkti-haftom-a8374941.html

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2018/may/29/grenfell-tower-fire-inquiry-tributes-continue-on-day-six-live?page=with:block-5b0d5bf0e4b00330690602b6#liveblog-navigation

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[Image: A white man with glasses, looking at the camera]

Part 10 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Tony Disson, from the 10th floor of
Grenfell Tower

Tony Disson, 65, was a retired lorry driver, a father and grandfather. Like many Grenfell victims, he made a last phone call before the fire reached his flat, telling a friend “Tell my sons I love them.” His sons posted messages listing him as missing, and one of them spoke to The Independent:

“I’ve heard that he did not make it, but I have not completely given up hope. I’ve left my details at the rugby club which is being used as an emergency centre and I have been asking around for him.

My dad was well known down here and I have had loads of calls. He had been in the flat for about nine years. He lived alone and was
quite happy there.“

But sadly, he had died in the flat. His family released a statement via the police, reading:

“Losing him has left a void that can never be filled. Tony was the most generous person you could ever meet, he didn’t have much but would always be there to help people.

He had a great sense of humour, especially in the face of the practical jokes the boys would play on him.

Tony was a real family man. His boys were his life. He was a
loving husband, and a one in a million Dad.”

Tony had four sons, five grandchildren (with a sixth being born later), and three great-grandchildren. 150 people attended his funeral, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan. His funeral procession included multiple floral tributes, including one in the shape of boxing gloves, as he was a big fan of both boxing and football.

–

Sources

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-fire-latest-grandfather-tell-sons-love-them-final-call-trapped-a7792681.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/grenfell-tower-death-of-grandfather-tony-disson-leaves-void-that-can-never-be-filled-a3575221.html

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/funeral-held-grenfell-tower-victim-10708528

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/sons-goodbye-to-best-dad-at-grenfell-funeral-35879553.html

https://www.metro.news/sons-say-final-farewell-to-dad-like-no-other/658058/

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/yorkshire-post/20170630/281711204664863

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[Image 1: A woman (Farrah) holding her baby and looking at the camera. Image 2: A man (Omar) and Farrah smiling at the camera. Image 3: A little girl (Malak) dressed as a witch]

Part 9 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

The Belkadi family, from the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower

The Belkadi family: Omar Belkadi, 32, Farrah Hamdan, 31, Malak Belkadi, 8, and Leena Belkadi, six months old. Leena was found in her mother’s arms, reports said. Malak was rescued from the building and taken to hospital, but sadly she died there. Only one member of the Belkadi family survived: a girl whose family requested she not be named, who is six years old. (Her identity is all over the internet, but this post won’t name her.)

Farrah worked at a nursery before going on maternity leave. Her manager there paid tribute to her:

“She was a very calming person. She was quiet, quietly confident but was funny and could give and take a joke. I can’t believe Farrah’s gone… We’re trying to remember the good times. We hope her daughter who survived the fire will come to the nursery to visit one day. We are thinking of creating a memory book of her mum for her with some old photographs and memories.”

Malak and her sister were found together and taken to hospital as their
family members frantically searched for them, their sister and their parents. Things were so chaotic and disorganised after the fire that their relatives had to plead to hospital staff to let them look for their family. Adel
Chaoui, Farrah’s cousin, told the Telegraph what happened:

“We have had no help from the police, we understand that they’re busy, but they’ve got casualties in the hospitals. The hospitals had no idea who these children were – they didn’t even realise they were related.”

The family of the Belkadis were too distraught to speak of them at first,
but they did so at the inquiry. Farrah’s father said that his daughter and her
husband “really loved each other. You can see them in the photos, you can see how they were. It’s very obvious how much they loved each other.” He would “never forget” his lost grandchildren, he said. “Death has separated us and left me torn into pieces.”

–

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/28/baby-found-dead-mothers-arms-grenfell-tower

https://www.daynurseries.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1585596/Staff-grieving-as-nursery-worker-dies-in-Grenfell-Tower-fire

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/searching-grenfell-tower-missing-familiesgoing-hospital-hospital/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2018/may/30/grenfell-inquiry-final-day-of-tributes-live-updates?page=with:block-5b0e773ee4b0033069060a2e#liveblog-navigation

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2018/may/30/grenfell-inquiry-final-day-of-tributes-live-updates?page=with:block-5b0e8ca8e4b069235b5ce69c#liveblog-navigation

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[Image: a white woman with short white hair and a white jumper]

Part 8 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Sheila Smith, from the 16th floor of Grenfell Tower

Shelia Smith, 84, had lived in Grenfell Tower for 34 years. Her son posted a “missing” message on his Twitter after the fire to try and find her, but sadly she had died inside the building. She was the oldest victim of the disaster. After her death her family released a statement via the Metropolitian Police:

“A very active and well-respected member of the local community, Sheila was cycling around London, performing yoga daily and swimming regularly in the Kensington Leisure Centre until she was 80 years old.

“With her exploration of the alternative, in her lifetime she amassed a wealth of knowledge, wrote poetry and philosophical and political thoughts, and created some highly original artwork – nearly all of which now sadly lost in the fire at Grenfell Tower.

“Sheila leaves two sons, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. As a family we are heartbroken as to this senseless tragedy that took her far too early, and will do all we can to honour her name.”

–

Sources

https://twitter.com/adam_westbay

https://firenewsfeed.com/incident/235190

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/grandmotherofsix-84-killed-in-grenfell-tower-blaze-pictured-a3582941.html

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[Image: a man with a white beard, wearing a suit, with an arm around him]

Part 7 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Ali Yawar Jafari, from the 10th floor of Grenfell Tower

Ali Yawar Jafari, 82, was a grandfather of seven and one of the oldest victims of the fire. He loved animals and travel, his family said, and once he had caught a wild pigeon in order to free it from string wrapped around its legs. He lived in Grenfell tower with his wife and daughters, but became separated from them in the chaos as they realised how serious the fire was and tried to escape. His son searched rescue centers for him in the hope he had survived, but he had died of smoke inhalation after being pulled from the building. His wife and daughters survived.

His son Hamid told the Grenfell inquiry that in the months after the fire, he prayed to die so that he could see his father again.

“I have never dreamed or thought of going to heaven but now I fight every day, every second, because I want to join my dad.

“And I pray every day – and even I request my friends to pray for me – that I die soon to meet my father.”

In the days after the fire, his daughter Maria spoke to the Telegraph:

“We are really angry. There was no fire alarm. No water.
They don’t think about our safety…Money is not important. Life is important. No one can bring the life back.”

At the multi-faith memorial service for the victims of Grenfell, Maria read a poem by Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi in her father’s honour.

His son has a Twitter where he posts tributes to his father.

–

Sources

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2018/05/23/familys-tears-as-victims-son-tells-grenfell-inquiry-of-his-hero-father/

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/grenfell-missing-the-loved-ones-sought-by-desperate-families-a3565401.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/17/daughter-tells-agony-surviving-grenfell-tower-blaze-claimed/

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[Image: a smiling woman in a black and brown stripey hijab]

Part 6 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Khadija Khalloufi, from the 17th floor of Grenfell Tower

Khadija Khalloufi, 52, was a pharmacist, a Marks and Spencers worker, and
the carer for her husband, Sabah, who had health problems. Both lived in
Grenfell Tower, but became separated from each other as they tried to escape. Khadija escaped the building with help from a firefighter but died of smoke inhalation, her husband was told, “in the greenery and the flowers, in the fresh air.” She was the fifth Grenfell victim to be named.

Sabah spoke of his anguish after she was confirmed to have
died:

“We had a 30-year marriage. She was my other half, she was my partner. She was everything.

Being a retired person, she was the only one to look after me. Thanks to my friends who are all here, but that was my wife. This is a different situation now.

She was always with me. Someone very important is missing. And why? What did she do? Does she really deserve that?“

She spoke frequently to her family back in Morocco. Her brother Karim told LRB:

“Khadija was the eldest child.  She was always like a second mother. She came to London a long time ago and worked to send money home. That was her first aim.

…When she came home last time she seemed different. Something different in her eyes. She went to Rabat. She insisted on seeing people she hadn’t seen in years. When she was going back to Heathrow for the last time, she sat silent in the car and we cried saying goodbye.”

Sabah was granted an emergency passport to attend his wife’s funeral in Morocco, after his was lost in the fire. But her family in Morocco have said that they were “blocked” from attending the Grenfell public inquiry.

“When I went there I didn’t ask for anything, I went there to find out how my sister died, I was suffering. I didn’t have good treatment, they put me in a hotel and they forgot me. My mum was really suffering, she was crying all the time, she didn’t expect that she would be as badly treated like this. Really we are still suffering, we are still grieving and no one is helping us to get over this.”

Her brother was prevented from attending the inquiry.

Today it is nearly five months since I and my mother applied for a visa to the UK.

“We had been led to believe that we could be in London for the inquiry, but now does not seem to be the case.

“No-one seems to care about our history or relationship to this case, or to care about our pain, our heartache or our desire for answers.

I am now at a loss as to what I can do to defend my family’s rights in this case and to represent my sister, who seems to have no representation.”

–

Sources

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/anguish-retired-lecturer-who-thought-10640183

https://www.lrb.co.uk/v40/n11/andrew-ohagan/the-tower

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-victim-family-home-office-immigration-uk-stop-enter-khadija-khalloufi-karim-amal-a8202881.html

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/national/article/Relatives-upset-that-visa-issues-prevented-them-paying-tribute-in-person-ed1440ad-7db3-461e-a42f-2f28a438837f-ds

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[Image: a black woman dressed in orange, in an orange and red room]

Part 5 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Mary Mendy, from the 20th
floor of Grenfell Tower

Mary Mendy was Khadija Saye’s mother, and was staying at her flat the
night the fire broke out. She was 52 years old when she died.

She and her daughter were given a joint memorial service. At
the service, Amazing Grace and Abide with Me were played, and the minister gave a speech in which he criticized perception of Grenfell as “deprived.”

“In so many ways, Mary and Khadija represented the life and
soul of this community: western and African, Christian and Muslim, creative and caring.

The deprivation of those who know nothing of the life in Grenfell Tower, who do not know, who never experienced the incredible personalities of Mary and Khadija, or whose lives are untouched by this appalling tragedy – they are the really deprived.

“We are those who have been strangely blessed, at least in the sense that we have been truly blessed to know Mary and Khadija, and we know that all our lives have been enriched by them.”

Mary’s sister Betty
issued a statement on behalf of the family:

“My beloved sister, words can never describe the pain of losing you. I can’t believe you are gone. You were a wonderful sister, an incredible aunt, the best mother any child could have wished for.

You were an amazing friend to all those who knew you. Your heart was pure, your soul was one of a kind. You will be missed for a lifetime. You will remain forever in our hearts; you and your beautiful daughter, Khadija Saye.”

Mary’s niece Marion also paid tribute to her at the Grenfell inquiry:

“Mary Mendy was a carer who worked within her community. She
was a humanitarian who made it a passion to help those less fortunate than herself. She frequently travelled to Gambia and offered donations to hospitals and other organisations. On the night of 14 June 2017 our family lost two much-loved members. My aunt was the strong one, the fighter and the protector. The pain is unbearable. There are no words to describe the emptiness that it is in our hearts.”

Her cousin Clarrie Mendy set up the support group Relative Justice for Grenfell, and co-founded the group Humanity 4 Grenfell. She said,

“I don’t believe my soul’s going to rest… I’ve got life illnesses but they are secondary compared to this, this quest for justice. Because it’s unjust. There needs to be redress, by the grace of god’s will. Every drop of blood and bone you see in me when I’m standing, and those surrounding me, will be looking for this and we’re not going to be shortchanged.”

–

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/21/hundreds-pay-tribute-to-mother-and-daughter-who-died-in-grenfell-fire

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2018/may/21/grenfell-tower-fire-inquiry-opens-with-tributes-to-72-victims-live-updates

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2017/12/13/grenfell-tower-nightmare-getting-darker-every-day/

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[Image: a smiling black woman speaking into a microphone]

Part 4 of a series of posts honoring the Grenfell Tower victims.

Khadija Saye, from the 20th
floor of Grenfell Tower

Khadija Saye, 24, was a Gambian-British art photographer and a care worker. The day before she died, an art gallery director asked to set up a meeting with her, moving her closer to recognition as a talented artist. Her artworks were also being exhibited in Venice at the time she and her mother lost their lives at Grenfell. She was “in love with images” her father Mohammedu Saye told the Grenfell inquiry.

Her friend and fellow artist Nicola Green spoke to The Guardian about her, and the scholarship she won at 16 to the famous Rugby School:

“She was incredibly grateful for the experience, but she told me it was one of the most difficult things she had done. It was a completely different world to the one she was part of – she was living at the top of Grenfell Tower and the school was full of privileged people who sometimes seemed to her to have no understanding of that privilege.

It gave her an understanding that confidence is a mysterious thing – she was in search of it because she’d seen it. I think maybe it gave her the tenacity and determination to find it in herself.”

Her best friend Charlotte Levy also spoke to the Guardian:

“She was just the most incredible person, she went through so much stuff, but she always listened and was always there for you. She was making such powerful work, but still saying she didn’t have a clue. She was such a beautiful person, she lit up a room.”

MP David Lammy, a friend of hers, told The Guardian that before the Grenfell Tower Khadija had been wrongfully arrested by the British police and they had taken her phone off her. Despite her name being cleared they had never returned it. When the fire broke out Khadija had no phone to call for help, and used Facebook instead. “I am desperate about that fact,” Lammy told the newspaper.

Khadija’s uncle Damel Carayol handed Prime Minister Theresa May a painting titled “Eyesore!! Final Straw” during a meeting. Both the picture and the photograph paints a thousand words.

You can see Khadija’s artwork here and her Instagram here.

–

Sources

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/khadija-saye-tributes-inquiry-art-work_uk_5b029b1be4b07309e05a479b

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/17/khadija-saye-artist-was-on-cusp-of-recognition-when-she-died-in-grenfell

https://news.sky.com/story/grenfell-campaigner-theresa-may-is-on-another-planet-11367010

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