London town is burning down

08-11-11


London has been engulfed in the flames of rioting and looting since Saturday night. The initial anger stemmed from the shooting of Mark Duggan by a Metropolitan Police Officer. Mr Duggan was a family man who also took part in drug dealing and other illicit activities in a Tottenham gang. Family and friends gathered outside Tottenham Police station on Saturday night looking for a simple official acknowledgement of his death. The failure of the Met Police to provide a satisfactory response or statement relating to his death fanned the flames of anger in the crowd.

After the families had left following failure to get a response, all that was left was a large group of young, angry men. Starting out as what could be described as a protest in exasperation to the incident; it quickly expanded beyond Tottenham into other London boroughs and eventually other cities, while becoming more of an anarchistic and opportunistic call to action.

The information that was originally released made known that there had been a two way shoot out between Mr Duggan and the Met Police. Subsequent information showed that this was a falsehood as it was revealed that Mr Duggan did not fire any shots. All that did not matter much at this stage to the rioters as the revelation came amidst the full swing of the looting.

    The shameful occurrences of theft, vandalism, arson and burglary escalated when three men in Birmingham were run over by a car while trying to protect their neighbourhood.  No sides looking on are arguing to defend the actions of those involved. David Cameron and Boris Johnson have been quick to dismiss any socioeconomic context, which as the party in control they have to downplay. Their party is also guilty of inflicting a large share of the burden on the working class with all the severe cuts so such a implicating discussion will be avoided at all costs.

      The question is not on the motives of the rioters. We can guess that greed, adrenaline rush, belief of impunity and gang mentality all played their part. The more important question is the underlying causes. This behaviour can only be perpetrated by those that believe they have no stake in society and their locale. We have a growing population of frustrated unskilled and undereducated youth with the perception that they are being marginalised and left behind. The economic turmoil coupled with government cuts, the bending over to rich bankers, government and media corruption played a sizeable part in creating a culture of despair.

   Those  that would take part in such gang activity are mainly from deprived neighbourhoods where they live without any social or educational aspirations. The job market has in recent times been failing graduates let alone inexperienced under qualified kids. The cutting of youth programs which served to keep the minds of these youth busy for a finite time results in groups of angry and idle youngsters with no purpose. The perception of the bleakness of their futures is also a very important catalyst. Youth in dire situations with a good sense and visibility of a road out are less likely to participate in illegal activities. It is only when they see no change, no chances, and no opportunities to leave their insulated neighbourhoods that the alternatives start looking inviting.

Violence is a daily occurrence in these areas and as such those inhabiting have been desensitised. Peers and aggressive grime artists reinforce social pressures on young men to act ‘hard’ to be manly.  These ‘artists’ and sports figures are the main role models, both of which are examples of a natural talent, not learned ones. Seeing those that take the short-cut to wealth creates a great disconnect to education. They perceive education as the hard road as opposed to the main road there.

As a result of the events of the last few days, millions of pounds in damage have been inflicted on public property, homes, local and national businesses and citizens have died. The police failed at arrest of Mark Duggan, failed breaking the news of his death, all just weeks after the head of London’s Metropolitan Police resigned over allegations of corruption. The greatest tragedy that can occur here is the continued refusal to address the culture of violence and hardship that we are imposing on our inner city youth. As a wise man once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard." (Martin Luther King, Jr)