Disgusting scenes in Brixton- Young People we need to do better and be better

In shocking scenes, social media footage showed hundreds of people gathered at the south London Unlicenced Music Event (UME), reported fighting between revellers broke out before a crowd of people turned their anger towards the police who were there to stop the event.

“I was disturbed watching social media videos that strongly resembled scenes in the 2018 film The First Purge, where for 24 hours a city is left lawless and unsupervised.”

Seeing the police defeated and retreating left me saddened for the community left behind particularly vulnerable people and residents. Especially, as it was reported that two people were stabbed that night. In a place deserted by police, how on earth can it be acceptable for us to consider this as anything other than a complete fucking tragedy?

Young people need to show restraint, disciple and self regulation during times like this. You had your party in the midst of global pandemic, I’m not even bugging about that, but when it’s time to go home, go home. Not start a mini riot. Remember it wasn’t a protest or demonstration championing a positive cause. This turned into utter hoodlumism.

Media coverage in the Daily Mail sought to politicise this as somehow linking the police’s epic fail on the night with the fact that some officers knelt as a mark of respect in the Black Lives Matter Demonstrations. Implying they had somehow lost authority as a result. This is irresponsible and futile, the usual whipping up of resent among their readers. For me this moment transcends partisan affiliations or cheap points.

This event showed the magnitude of resentment, hatred and abhorrence felt by a largely young crowd out in Brixton. It exposed a glaring disconnect between the police and this section of the community which we know has very dangerous consequences for race relations and tensions that play out in wider policing and judicial structures.

“How could the police get it so wrong, what have they been doing to improve community relations in the past decade?”

I’m particularly interested in the tactical process of how this went from zero to a hundred. What was the Police’s strategy given the evidence led research and report produced by Dr. Clifford Stott of Liverpool University on Crowd Psychology and Public Order? It suggests a range of police tactics should be formally developed for the policing of crowd events within the UK which enhance police capability for ‘dynamic risk assessment’, dialogue and communication. This increased range of tactics seems to allow policing to move from the reactive controlling of ‘public disorder’ to the proactive management and maintenance of ‘public order’.

His evidence shows that crowds can be managed more effectively when the police concentrate on enabling lawful behaviour - such as protests - rather than merely trying to control criminal behaviour through fear and force. Showing up with helmets and riot guards on some level is going to rile up the crowd dynamic. What interactions did they have before showing up in force?

We do not want to hear statements from Priti Patel or Boris Johnson- please take a back seat. Frankly the Conservatives have no credibility...

I want to know what Cressida Dick and Sadiq Khan have to say for themselves. This is serious! We require leadership and deserve protection as citizens of this land.

Love or loath the police, I stand wholeheartedly behind the rule of law and order as being the only protection against crime within our community.

This event shows the importance now more than ever for solutions led approaches to tackle root causes and the underlying issues that resulted in the appalling behaviour exhibited by some people at the event. We already saw an attempt to repeat this in Notting Hill last night; this could develop to more areas and cities around the UK much like the 2011 riots.

“We need to draw a line in the sand, rip up the book and start again on a clean page with meaningful dialogue led in part by the young people in society".

I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments box below

Photo by Étienne Godiard on Unsplash