The lingering trauma of Manchester's Moss Side: A resilient community's struggle with loss

ITV Granada Reports correspondent Tasha Kacheri has been speaking to those affected most deeply by the violence for her special report.

Manchester's Moss Side is a community often thrust into the spotlight for tragic reasons.

It's one that has to grapple with the violent loss of young people.

Despite its rich history and tight-knit inhabitants, the shadows of past and present violence loom, leaving families and the wider community devastated and searching for answers.

I first met Suwaidu Sanyan three years ago on the first anniversary of her son Cheriff's death. The pain etched on her face as raw today as it was then.

When asked how important her son was to the family, tears filled her eyes. Her grief is palpable, a mother’s anguish that transcends time. She says she's not stopped grieving.

Recalling her last moments with Cheriff, she shared: "That was the only thing - to pray for my son. And that's what I did. I prayed for him to go peacefully."

When people see a headline about a shooting or a killing, they often only see a face, not the devastation left behind.

Suwaidu believes that the sorrow she carries is evident to those around her.

"I think people know because when they see me, you could see their faces," she says. "You could see the sorrow that they have for me."

Moss Side has long been a community fighting to shed its troubled past. Though much progress has been made, old perceptions persist.

As someone who was raised here, I know that this place is more than its headlines. To me, it is an amazing community where neighbours become family.

But it is also where friends have died, leaving behind families that struggle to recover.

One such tragedy was the death of Jessie James, the first person I knew who didn’t make it to adulthood.

Jessie was only 15-years-old, the same age as me at the time. The police said he was innocent, merely caught in the crossfire of Moss Side’s gang warfare.

His murder was a catalyst for change in the community. Yet 18 years later, the cycle of violence continues.

Kemoy Walker, a senior youth worker and close friend who grew up with me, reflects on the impact of Jessie’s death.

"Losing Jessie was a big shock," he says.

"Going back to school that year was very hard because I'd never experienced loss like that. That was when I realised I needed to help change our community."

Despite the progress made, young people are still dying.

In April 2024, Kemoy’s nephew, Prince Walker, was stabbed and killed just days before his 18th birthday.

It’s the first time Kemoy has spoken publicly about it. He said: "My niece rang me and she said he's in hospital, they are trying to work on him.

"So I said, ‘Right, okay, okay. Just keep me updated, I’m on my way back.’

"I got another call and from that next call, I knew it. Yeah, I knew it from the next call. She just said, ‘He's gone.’

"I couldn't breathe. I just couldn't speak. I just broke from then."

The loss of young lives like Prince’s has become heartbreakingly familiar in this community.

Kemoy noted: "Things like this are normalised here, where we lose people. But when we lost Jessie, it was a shockwave through the community.

"Now, it feels like it just happens, and the community has given up because they feel that sometimes the support isn't there."

Kemoy’s words resonate deeply, especially for families like that of Javell Morgan, who was stabbed at Manchester's Caribbean carnival after-party in 2022.

On the anniversary of his death, his family came together to leave flowers and celebrate his short life.

"They say time is a healer, but whoever said that is a liar because with every day that passes, it's another day that you don't get to see your child," said Javell’s mother, Vicki Morgan.

"If anything, you learn to deal with it better. But the grief worsens."

Knife crime and youth violence is a nationwide issue. Vicki attributes these tragic incidents to more than a decade of cuts to youth services.

"This is the generation where they cut all the money for the kids. They need to put more into these young kids so they don't feel like the streets is their only option," she argued.

In the North West, spending on youth services has fallen by more than 70%. However, those I’ve spoken to believe the problem is complex, with no consensus on the root causes or solutions.

Akemia Minott, who runs the charity 84 Youth, witnessed Javell’s murder and has been supporting the mothers of those who’ve died.

Reflecting on the trauma Moss Side has endured, she said: "It's historical trauma. It's generational trauma. Everyone's holding this pain, and there's no healing. It's ongoing."

Four years since Cheriff Tall was gunned down during a lockdown party, the grief is still fresh.

Akemia took me to the car park where he was killed.

She said, "This is another one, similar to Javell. None of the perpetrators were from Manchester. None of them were from Moss Side.

"But because it happened here, we still get the blame. We're the ones that experience the trauma. We're the ones that drive past every day and know that this happened."

Despite the pain, there is still a sense of community. Suwaidu finds solace in the support from her neighbours.

"He'll never be forgotten in this community," she says. "No way. Every year, the kids come, celebrate, put flowers, put candles. He was special."

As Moss Side continues to heal, its residents remain resilient, determined to remember those they have lost while working towards a safer future.

A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: "Supporting our children and young people throughout the city is an absolute priority for us. We fully recognise the part that youth services play in this which is why in each of the last four years we've put an additional £500,000 directly into youth services to help with this.

"Against a backdrop of funding cuts and pressures on council-run services over the last decade we're determined to continue to do everything we can to further improve our support for children and young people."

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