Anger Sparked by Tragic London Shooting
On Thursday, August 4th, a Scotland Yard police officer shot and killed a London man named Mark Duggan, 29, while attempting to arrest him. The officer indicated later that he fired under the belief that he and his fellow officers were in mortal danger.
An illegal firearm found at the scene is thought to have been in Duggan's possession and is still undergoing ballistics tests to determine if it was fired, although preliminary results suggest that the weapon was not used against the arresting officers.
The tragedy occurred in a neighborhood called Tottenham, a low income, ethnically diverse area in North London. As news of the shooting spread a sense of unrest and injustice grew among the area's residents, inflamed by the fact that a statement by law enforcement officials regarding the shooting was not immediately given.
Law Enforcement Overwhelmed by Rioters
Two days later on August 6th, an initially peaceful march of more than 200 London protesters angered by Duggan's death became ugly as members of the group turned against police with violence that included throwing missiles and setting cars and buildings around the neighborhood ablaze.
Outright looting began after midnight in the Tottenham Hale Retail Park, and law enforcement officers in the area were quickly overwhelmed by the large number of rioters. The violence spiraled out of control throughout the night, with vandals breaking glass storefronts, pillaging shops and burning empty shelves. Fires smoldering in emptied stores and in cars on the street kept fire crews working throughout the day.
Escalation of Anarchy
Over the next two days the riots escalated further, with looting and general lawlessness peaking in the wee hours of each morning. With London youths spurred on by a sense of anarchy, chaos quickly spread to neighborhoods around Tottenham and even outside of London. By August 9th, violence had been reported in nearly all boroughs of London, and a police station in the British city of Birmingham had been set on fire.
News statistics report more than 1,000 people arrested and five killed in connection with the week of rioting. To deal with the enormous number of detainees, London courts were forced to work through the night for several days in a row. The damage to already impoverished communities left London residents in a state of shock, afraid for their safety and personal property.
Motives of a Mob
The rapid spread of destruction perpetrated mostly by young, lower income London citizens has raised widespread speculation about the motives behind the turmoil. Many theories point to a combination of anger at the British government, a feeling of unimportance in society and pure opportunism as possible reasons that a mob mentality grew so quickly.
Recently enacted austerity measures, including sweeping cuts to public programs such as community youth centers for the poor have left many members of the British lower class feeling abandoned, with a growing fear for their futures in education and employment. This sentiment, coupled with a sense of restlessness at the lack of jobs and the public outcry against the police at the shooting of Mark Duggan could have created the perfect storm of emotion in which the riots began.
While the debate over the motives behind the London riots continues and politicians use the tragedy as a platform for their own agendas, the citizens of Tottenham and its outlying areas will quietly go about rebuilding their lives. Average citizens armed with household cleaning items have begun clearing the rubble from the streets, proving that dignity can prevail in the face of fear and anger.
On Thursday, August 4th, a Scotland Yard police officer shot and killed a London man named Mark Duggan, 29, while attempting to arrest him. The officer indicated later that he fired under the belief that he and his fellow officers were in mortal danger.
An illegal firearm found at the scene is thought to have been in Duggan's possession and is still undergoing ballistics tests to determine if it was fired, although preliminary results suggest that the weapon was not used against the arresting officers.
The tragedy occurred in a neighborhood called Tottenham, a low income, ethnically diverse area in North London. As news of the shooting spread a sense of unrest and injustice grew among the area's residents, inflamed by the fact that a statement by law enforcement officials regarding the shooting was not immediately given.
Law Enforcement Overwhelmed by Rioters
Two days later on August 6th, an initially peaceful march of more than 200 London protesters angered by Duggan's death became ugly as members of the group turned against police with violence that included throwing missiles and setting cars and buildings around the neighborhood ablaze.
Outright looting began after midnight in the Tottenham Hale Retail Park, and law enforcement officers in the area were quickly overwhelmed by the large number of rioters. The violence spiraled out of control throughout the night, with vandals breaking glass storefronts, pillaging shops and burning empty shelves. Fires smoldering in emptied stores and in cars on the street kept fire crews working throughout the day.
Escalation of Anarchy
Over the next two days the riots escalated further, with looting and general lawlessness peaking in the wee hours of each morning. With London youths spurred on by a sense of anarchy, chaos quickly spread to neighborhoods around Tottenham and even outside of London. By August 9th, violence had been reported in nearly all boroughs of London, and a police station in the British city of Birmingham had been set on fire.
News statistics report more than 1,000 people arrested and five killed in connection with the week of rioting. To deal with the enormous number of detainees, London courts were forced to work through the night for several days in a row. The damage to already impoverished communities left London residents in a state of shock, afraid for their safety and personal property.
Motives of a Mob
The rapid spread of destruction perpetrated mostly by young, lower income London citizens has raised widespread speculation about the motives behind the turmoil. Many theories point to a combination of anger at the British government, a feeling of unimportance in society and pure opportunism as possible reasons that a mob mentality grew so quickly.
Recently enacted austerity measures, including sweeping cuts to public programs such as community youth centers for the poor have left many members of the British lower class feeling abandoned, with a growing fear for their futures in education and employment. This sentiment, coupled with a sense of restlessness at the lack of jobs and the public outcry against the police at the shooting of Mark Duggan could have created the perfect storm of emotion in which the riots began.
While the debate over the motives behind the London riots continues and politicians use the tragedy as a platform for their own agendas, the citizens of Tottenham and its outlying areas will quietly go about rebuilding their lives. Average citizens armed with household cleaning items have begun clearing the rubble from the streets, proving that dignity can prevail in the face of fear and anger.
About the Author-
Eric Johnson is a contributing writer at privatestudentloan.org .
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.
