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Rioters Burn London in Rage After Fatal Police Shooting of Black man
Fire fighters attempt to put out the last remaining flames in a building in Tottenham
But other residents tell a different story. One 18-year-old man told reporters, “Police know what they should have done, they should have come to speak to the community themselves. They don’t care. You don’t get no opportunities around here,” he went on. “The police stop you because you’re black. They stop you because you’re wearing a hood.”
Another woman told reporters, “Tottenham is a deprived area. Unemployment is very, very high … they are frustrated.”
Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone told reporters: “While the first priority is to restore peace, to ensure the safety of everyone now and in the future it is also necessary to have a serious discussion about why this has happened. I am concerned that there is growing social dislocation in London and a threat that the police will be forced into escalating conflict with some London communities. We do not want to go back to the 1980s.”
But President of the Police Superintendents’ Association Derek Barnett accused the media of giving too much attention to people who condone rioting. He said, “It is disappointing that such great attention is being paid in the media to those who see fit to condone such acts of atrocious behavior. What we saw last night is plain and simply criminal. There can be no excuses and those responsible should realize that they will be brought to justice for their actions.”
Source: Agencies
