As I said in my last post, the recent explosion of violence across England should not be attributed to the late Mark Duggan or about being oppressed. It wasn't about race or politics or poverty. The riots was nothing more than wanton criminal acts, culminating in the murders of five people.
But the recent well-meaning platitudes and usual hot air being spouted by community leaders, politicians and so-called "experts" is obscuring some disturbing points:
Various people, youth and adult, from all walks of life, either in work or in higher education have been charged and prosecuted. Perpetrators included a youth ambassador for the 2012 Olympics, a teaching assistant and the daughter of a millionaire. Yet there has been a knee-jerk response to classify this as the work of a young, predominately black "underclass" (take a bow, SKY News and historian David Starkey).
The Prime Minister has backed plans to cut benefits and evict families of rioters from their homes by several council authorities, including Manchester, Wandsworth and Salford, and last Friday, Wandsworth Council became the first to serve a tenant with an eviction notice after their son appeared in court in connection with the Clapham Junction riot. This isn't justice (otherwise shouldn't we also chuck out those rioters who live in owned property and sell their houses?). This is demonising a section of society, and I believe it's also setting a dangerous precedent in our law.
If the police had adopted the 'all guns blazing' approach at the start of the riots they would have taken criticism for being too heavy handed (as with the student & G20 protests). They are damned if they do, and damned if they don't - and the planned police budget cuts by this government is not going to help. Folks, we have got to solve this problem, otherwise get ready for more vigilante patrols by the friends of Anders Breivik (aka the English Defence League).
Peace, Ω.
PS: I keep thinking about a comment made by the late Bernie Mac about disciplining errant children:
"If you grown enough to talk back, you grown enough to get fucked up!"
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