London Riots

[Pica Pica]

Just wondering if you guys have seen the riots in Tottenham, just down the road from me here.
They were rioting because the police shot a man in a taxi cab as part of some anti-gun thing...I think a large part of it was people enjoying rioting though.

Some rather dramatic pictures

[Anatta]

Kia Ora Pica,

I caught the tail end of the riot on our local news, luckily nobody was kill in the actual riot...Was there anything racial to it ?

Metta Zenda

[Pica Pica]

Only to the extent that the original cause was something to do with a police operation to reduce afro-carribbean gun crime.

[Anatta]

Kia Ora Pica,

Thanks... Information surrounding the incident seems to be pretty sparse at the moment...

Metta Zenda

[Pica Pica]

Now, groups of people throughout London have seen how easy a bit of chaos and looting is, there are incidents throughout the city. In Brixton, a few shops have been looted (especially mobile phone and sports clothes). In Walthamstow and Enfield there have been windows smashed and such and in Islington a police car was attacked. Wouldn't be too surprised of Harlesden or Elephant (where my parents live) doesn't get in on the act soon.

[tekla]

(That's why we gonna be)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight;
(Say we gonna burn and loot)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight;
(One more thing)
Burnin' all pollution tonight;
(Oh, yeah, yeah)
Burnin' all illusion tonight.

[Pica Pica]

Or

'Let's loot the supermarket again (like we did last summer)' by the Deviants

[tekla]

That's great. 

[Pica Pica]

It's particularly fun to get drunk to and sing along, cos everyone has their own version of the lyrics.

[justmeinoz]

Classic case of too much time on their hands, and not enough brain cells left.
I think it's fair to say that he was a baddie when there was a bullet lodged in the Police radio.

[tekla]

everyone has their own version of the lyrics.

So it's kinda like religion then ain't it?

[Pippa]

I think the rest of the UK is looking on with bemusement.  OK the family were upset at the shooting but as far as I am aware, the man in question was armed.  It is pretty likely that he was involved in criminal activity or gang violence.  The IPCC, the independent police complaints body is to investigate, as is required in all such cases and most reasonable people would expect such an investigation to take time.  They were never going to get answers the day after the shooting.  Then what happens, groups of thugs, some as young a 10 I believe, decide to wreck their own high street and pinch everything in sight.  Now areas of London completely detached from the incident are hit by hooligans after expensive hoodies and trainers.

In the 80's, the riots in Toxteth, Brixton, etc, were the result of long standing tensions in communities and widespread anger at the police and local polititians.  These do not seem to be there on anything like the same level.  These riots seem to be using the shooting as an excuse to cause chaos and to go on the rob.

This is why I could never live in London.  It is a very schizophrenic city.  Areas of extreme poverty and high crime next to areas of extreme wealth.  I just looked at a job in the city, £250,000 for an identical house to my own (worth £145,000).  Ex social housing on a sink estate upwards of £180,000.   A two bed flat, over £1000 a month in rent.   Yet there is high gun and knife crime and areas of the city which are little more than gettos.   Never mind the Olympics next year.  London has far bigger problems to solve.

[Pica Pica]

 

All this started because the police shot a man and the community thought the man had not been given the chance. However, seeing the way London police work, especially after de Mendez, the police know that the British public (especially London) are enormously against the police shooting anyone.

Adding to that the usual police tactics, which involve overwhelming a suspect with police to make any chance to fight back pointless, the police would have done everything in their power not to shoot the guy.

However, there is a terminal case of 'wasn't me guv, did nuttin wrong, you're just picking on me' - no responsibility for actions.

everyone has their own version of the lyrics.

So it's kinda like religion then ain't it?

Not really, because I know the right lyrics and I will defend them to my dying breath.

I think the rest of the UK is looking on with bemusement.

Business as usual then.

I'm in one of them poor ghettos, but I still wouldn't want to be anywhere else, I love this city.

(Oh, and the Olympics was supposed to sort out the East End - and so far, no riots in the East, all Norf and Saf)

[Cindy]

Sounds grim,

Caught up with it tonight (Oz time, you OK?)

I was caught up in race riots in Liverpool 40 years ago. Terrifying. A riot is what they say, nothing and no one is safe.

Hope you are all safe

Cindy

[justmeinoz]

Classic case of criminals not obeying the law, if they can still get a pistol despite the UK's stringent firearms laws. 

I bet a lot of people would love to grab a politician and  point out that is what criminals do, that's why they are criminals for crying out loud! You need to actually DO something!!

[Pica Pica]

Classic case of criminals not obeying the law, if they can still get a pistol despite the UK's stringent firearms laws. 

I bet a lot of people would love to grab a politician and  point out that is what criminals do, that's why they are criminals for crying out loud! You need to actually DO something!!

This whole thing started because they are doing something - the spark of it was 'Operation Trident', which is about removing guns from the street, they went to a man to frisk him for a gun and he shot at them (something like that, it's all a bit confusing still).
Also, this thing is not all that dangerous to people, no one has died, because there have been no guns used in the rioting or containing it- just bricks and petrol bombs.



I'm in Brent, most of the trouble is in Harringey.

[justmeinoz]

The UK has had strict firearms laws for many years and the powers that be have just woken up to the fact that criminals are getting their hands on them? 
I guess I am just being a cynical retired copper. 

Karen

[Pica Pica]

Nottingham is oddly enough the easiest place to get a gun (known sometimes as Shottingham).

However, deaths by gun in the whole country (including suicide) have rarely exceeded 200 per year and most of our gun crimes involve people waving fake guns around.

[Pica Pica]

It's spread to Lewisham (where my family are from) - three or four cars burnt up, loads of debris.
A bus has been set fire in Peckham
Fights in Hackney with the police - cars burnt out, man had epileptic fit on an attacked bus.

Something in Streatham - busses not going to hackney, peckham or streatham.

And my housemates just got the taxi back from a five minute walk away because of 60 masked people smashing in a jewellery shop. All the shops of the parade have pulled their shutters down - lots of sirens and shouting from just up the road.

[Pica Pica]

Peckham got worse, ten minutes walk from my parents house, shops been set alight. The shop in Peckham was one I have been too a few times, weird to see stuff you see all the time on fire.
Violence in Croydon -

Three or four shops on fire and a bus - must be a few busses now.

So far, only the raid on the 'sell-your-gold' shop here, everything closed though, we went to pick up some milk and every shop was shut (unheard of) lot's of people out and about, sirens everywhere.