London mayor faces tough crowd amid protests

We cannot afford to be divided in our pain and pursuit of justice and unity that involves every aspect of our community — from our grass roots groups, our businesses, our politicians and our police. Police need our consent, and the community needs good policing because the night Tottenham burned, all civilians needed each other.
Community activist Symeon Brown • Offering his take on the situation in London, where protests against a man’s death in Tottenham, north London descended into chaos on three consecutive nights. Brown’s take, which he wrote for CNN, notes that “We must reclaim the streets in London” — that is, move beyond the violence currently engulfing the streets. Brown compares the spark for the violence, the shooting death of local resident Mark Duggan, to the deaths of Cherry Groce and Cynthia Jarrett, which led to two separate 1985 riots in London, one of which led to the death of police officer Keith Blakelock. “Although we have lost buildings and landmarks that have been a part of Tottenham’s heritage,” he argues, “the spirit that saw us overcome the deaths of Cynthia Jarrett and PC Blakelock in 1985 is all we have.” source

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09 Aug 2011 22:45