Hi. I thought now would be a good time as ever to check in with you all once again. I’m going to spend more time getting virtual pen to paper as I don’t write nearly as much as I’d like to at present and as I’ve been writing this blog for many years it would really be a shame to see if fall to one side.

When it comes to training I’m as always enjoying my time at the gym, heading down there around four times a week at present but hoping to up the ante this week onwards. The more you put in the more you get out right? I guess really is the same when it comes to me and my writing. It’s a natural bias I’ve inherited from both my Auntie Blossom and my dad. and so of course, I’d rather not let it sit on hiatus.

I was asked not so long ago if I would like to write a 500-word piece on my journey through political policing for Netpol the Network For Police Monitoring and I think I still may well do so. I’m becoming increasingly well known as a public speaker and cop watcher and of course, a member of Bristol Copwatch who is very much all about police accountability and these days accountability, or rather lack of it from the police is something we should all be paying attention to.

My own journey through stop and search and the criminal justice system through to fighting for my rights and an unshakeable determination to hold not just one but three police forces to account for a complete abuse of power isn’t really going to be done justice in 500 words or so, which is why I’m going to get my story into a couple of releases. It’s going to be called “John’s story” and something I intend to resonate as with all things written from the heart.

Training is currently helping me navigate trauma from a series of data protection breaches that looks increasingly like a malicious attempt to position me as someone I’m not and, having an understanding of how the police operate when they are trying to protect themselves I want to be able to share my experiences as guidance and inspiration for others who are fighting for their rights and may sometimes feel alone in the wilderness.

Of course, having never done any form of activism alone and having never lived a sheltered life I understand how desperately police can attempt to cut you off from your friends when push comes to shove, and how damaging that can be. At the points when I’ve felt at my lowest like many years ago I’ve always had Muay Thai as well as family and friends to keep my head up and of course relentless community activism. There’s nothing more rewarding than holding the police to account and I love helping others do the same.

Part of my journey or “John’s story” is going to be a small snippet of a writing project called “The Last of the good guys” a project that needs life breathed into it again and is about how martial arts helped me change my life and take my power back. Little by little and day by day despite the cops and trauma, despite bereavement and heavy periods of grief, I’m finding that it’s once again helping me walk taller than I ever thought I could.

This year I hope to go with my mum to South Africa for a second time to lay my dad to rest. Part of me just like before will no doubt feel like I’ve come home and you know something? I’ll probably write about that too. Have a good week and train hard, and just like the last time… I’ll see you on that road.