“Tackle knife crime, but Carnival did not kill Cher”

The von Cher Maxim family, who was killed in the Notting Hill Carnival, demanded that more to be done to tackle the underlying causes of razor crime, and said that the cancellation of the event would do nothing to stop violence.

On Friday, Shake Thibou, 20, from Kensington in West London, was detained for life for her murder with a minimum penalty of 29 years.

The killing led to a renewed examination of the annual event, but the relatives of Ms. Maximgen say that it was supposed to trigger a broader conversation about the youth violence and security of the community, and added that carnival “is not what it was killed”.

BBC News contacted the organizers Notting Hill Carnival LTD for a comment.

The Notting Hill Carnival takes place on a three and a half mile (5.6 km long) route in North Kensington for over two days in August and has been running for more than 50 years.

TJ Jacobs, who is the godmother of Cher's daughter, said that the cancellation of the event would not stop the crime of the knife, but that “everyone has some responsibility”.

“Carnival absolutely has to look at himself and I understand the unique reason why Carnival for people was set up in the Caribbean heritage,” she said.

“This does not take the fact that it can be quite dangerous in some parts.”

She said the organizers of the event should deal with security questions and address them to prevent them from preventing them from heating up a story about the entire festival.

“To ensure that the focus is only on carnival, we decrease the fact that we are stabbed in the last 18 months that were not in the carnival,” added Ms. Jacobs.

“We say we don't want someone else to lose a loved one through the razor crime. So it makes no sense to concentrate on carnival, because we realize that this is not what Cher killed.”

A spokesman for organizers Notting Hill Carnival Ltd previously said that those who carry out violence “have nothing to do with Notting Hill Carnival and its values”.

The grandmother of Cher, Vyleen Maximen, agreed, but said that although she really enjoyed the event, she had taken care of security, especially about the large number of people on the streets.

“These are just my thoughts … I personally think it should be in a park, that's my opinion,” she said.

“If the real opinion is, we all appreciate the value, the inheritance, the meaning of the carnival, then it deserves a conversation,” added Ms. Jacobs. “To really look at, how do we protect those who come here just to have a good time?”

In 2023, the organizers said in response to the views that it should be moved: “The Notting Hill carnival belongs to the streets of Notting Hill and will not remove the problems that our community suffered this year.”

This includes Cher Maximen, two people were killed during the 2024 event. The 41 -year -old chef Mussie Imnetu was repeated and kicked and died near the carnival area.

According to Metropolitan, according to Police Data, eight stitches were stuck overall last year.

The numbers that range from 2017 to 2024 show that 2019 was the highest number of stitches of 18 and none fatal.

A fatal stitch was recorded at the 2022 carnival after the 21-year-old father Takayo Nembhard was killed.

A report on the event of the London Assembly police and crime committee published in April interpreted the publication of public sizes and police resources.

When the committee of the committee gave evidence in September 2024, the deputy commissioner of the Met, Matt Twist, said: “While we acknowledge that crime often receives the headlines, what worries me the most, the public density and potential for a mass accident event.”

Susan Hall, member of the London meeting and a unique mayor candidate, moved the carnival to Hyde Park.

When publishing the report of the committee, which she heads, Ms. Hall gave “a number of incredibly worrying incidents with crowd density” in the carnival.

She expressed concerns about the ability of the metropolitan police to “keep visitors safely or to react to incidents”.

The organizers have announced that they “use experts from all areas of the event organization” and in 2024 3,300 stewards on duty to manage the masses.

Cllr Sarah Adenbrooke, senior member for communities in Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “Our thoughts are at Cher Maxim's family because they continue to deal with their devastating loss.

“Notting Hill Carnival is a space for the cohesion of the community and a global celebration of diversity and Caribbean culture. It is an estimated event that is enjoyed peacefully and safely by so many people.”

Ms. Jacobs asked people to think about the event of Cher's daughter in discussions. “The story of another is more important than that,” she added.