The family of Michael Powell said they were still no nearer to finding out how the father of three had died, despite three years of investigation.
Cousin Joyce Springer last night said it was still "chapter one" in their fight to find out what had happened while Mr Powell was in the police van and then in a cell at Thornhill Road station. "Clearly there's an inquest which we are hoping to ask our solicitor to re-open. There are civil proceedings and we are considering with our solicitor pursuing a civil case and the chances are we will."
She said several factors, including the number of defendants and the time that had elapsed for witnesses since Mr Powell's death, had contributed to the jury's verdicts.
"From the beginning we thought we wouldn't get a guilty verdict, but we took it so far so there would be some scrutiny, in particular for West Midlands Police, who have had a poor record in the past and need to be seen to be accountable," she said.
"It was not just for us but for all the other families who don't know how their loved ones came to die while in custody."
The family of Michael Powell did not want to erode trust which had been built up between the police and the black community, she said, but wanted to make sure lessons were learned from what had happened.
Ms Springer, who campaigned tirelessly for justice for her cousin, said the family were planning to launch a support group for people whose loved ones died in custody - named Family Advice and Support Trust - capitalising on the knowledge gained over the last three years.
