Reclaim Brixton movement - meetings and April 25th protest planned

[Up the junction]

It was exactly the same in the local elections in Lambeth last year. In the end Labour swept all before it but the Greens were always considered the threat - and they were; in a number of wards Labour returned all three councillors but the Greens were the next three:

http://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/mgElectionElectionAreaResults.aspx?Page=all&EID=25

 

[boohoo]

Good piece.

Ten years ago? I do not agree it felt unsafe. Nor was it a place without jobs. Its not a description that I would give to Brixton ten years ago.

Ten years ago - Brixton was looking much better than thirty years ago. Even twenty years ago was a huge improvement on thirty years ago and was feeling safer.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Instead of number crunching- a very New Labour pastime- I would have thought they might look at why the Greens are getting support.

The Greens ( and SNP) say all the right things about inequality etc. Things that the Labour party no longer wants to talk about.

Well quite!
What they're also doing, which our Labour councillors seem to have withdrawn from in a big way over the last ten years (unless combined with a photo-op or other publicity opportunity), is basic grassroots work in the community. Labour's problem is right there, combined with the lack of activists (Streatham CLP has about a quarter of the membership it had when I left the party 20 years ago) willing to assist.

 

[299 old timer]

Well quite!
What they're also doing, which our Labour councillors seem to have withdrawn from in a big way over the last ten years (unless combined with a photo-op or other publicity opportunity), is basic grassroots work in the community. Labour's problem is right there, combined with the lack of activists (Streatham CLP has about a quarter of the membership it had when I left the party 20 years ago) willing to assist.

That's complacency. Given the last set of results in the recent local elections when they took complete control they probably think they don't have to bother.

 

[Pickman's model]

Well quite!
What they're also doing, which our Labour councillors seem to have withdrawn from in a big way over the last ten years (unless combined with a photo-op or other publicity opportunity), is basic grassroots work in the community. Labour's problem is right there, combined with the lack of activists (Streatham CLP has about a quarter of the membership it had when I left the party 20 years ago) willing to assist.

surprised you left after the poll tax.

 

[ViolentPanda]

That's complacency. Given the last set of results in the recent local elections when they took complete control they probably think they don't have to bother.

Very foolish position to take, though. As it is, Lambeth Labour's estate "regeneration" programme is going to mean them losing votes in those wards for at least the next 5 years, and "Reclaim Brixton" has shown us that there's wider discontent with the way the Labour administration has "managed" the borough.

 

[ViolentPanda]

surprised you left after the poll tax.

Grin and bear it. Blair's "clause 4 moment" caused me to stop doing so.

 

[Gramsci]

Ten years ago - Brixton was looking much better than thirty years ago. Even twenty years ago was a huge improvement on thirty years ago and was feeling safer.

I never felt unsafe in Brixton.

It was outside factors that affected Brixton. Such as Thatchers government causing mass unemployment.

IMO Brixton always worked. People got on with their lives. The riots were caused by police action.

I remember after the first riot there was a sense that crossed all age groups that Brixton had defeated a racist Met. I remember seeing a senior Tory politician do a walkabout in Brixton after the riot and getting heckled in the street by middle aged Afro Caribbean ladies. What I am saying is that it was not doom and gloom.

I really object to the view that Brixton was this crime ridden area that was terrible to live in back then. It was not perfect but neither was it a terrible place to be.

 

[boohoo]

I never felt unsafe in Brixton.

It was outside factors that affected Brixton. Such as Thatchers government causing mass unemployment.

IMO Brixton always worked. People got on with their lives. The riots were caused by police action.

I remember after the first riot there was a sense that crossed all age groups that Brixton had defeated a racist Met. I remember seeing a senior Tory politician do a walkabout in Brixton after the riot and getting heckled in the street by middle aged Afro Caribbean ladies. What I am saying is that it was not doom and gloom.

I really object to the view that Brixton was this crime ridden area that was terrible to live in back then. It was not perfect but neither was it a terrible place to be.

I don't think it was terrible but I do remember a lot of crap things happening outside our house. I was a child and then a teen growing up in Brixton next to one of the rough estates. There was quite a lot of car crashes outside the house which didn't help the number of upset people I witness however there was other stuff that happened. My mum got mugged about four times around there - once outside the house. It taught me to dress down, look scruffy and cover up.

It was about ten years ago I started feeling safe walking around the streets anywhere. Maybe it's different because I'm female.

 

[BigMoaner]

I never felt unsafe in Brixton.

It was outside factors that affected Brixton. Such as Thatchers government causing mass unemployment.

IMO Brixton always worked. People got on with their lives. The riots were caused by police action.

I remember after the first riot there was a sense that crossed all age groups that Brixton had defeated a racist Met. I remember seeing a senior Tory politician do a walkabout in Brixton after the riot and getting heckled in the street by middle aged Afro Caribbean ladies. What I am saying is that it was not doom and gloom.

I really object to the view that Brixton was this crime ridden area that was terrible to live in back then. It was not perfect but neither was it a terrible place to be.

hmmm i can remember a feeling a little unnerved being offered crack by about 10 different dealers on cold harbour lane every time i walked down it. you think old people/young people feel safe around open drug markets?

 

[BigMoaner]

can also remember a HELL of a lot of people getting shot in brixton in yardie shit in late 90s early 00s.

 

[BigMoaner]

,

 

[BigMoaner]

what did happen to all that yardie shooting stuff?

 

[boohoo]

what did happen to all that yardie shooting stuff?

Maybe it's still there just not getting as much coverage. The book Yardie was out in the 90s and that probably brought that group to people's attention. No-one talks much about the Triads.

 

[BigMoaner]

Maybe it's still there just not getting as much coverage. The book Yardie was out in the 90s and that probably brought that group to people's attention. No-one talks much about the Triads.

but there was a lot of street shootings back then, no? i witnessed a gun being waved out of car and pointed at one of hte cafes on CHL

 

[boohoo]

but there was a lot of street shootings back then, no? i witnessed a gun being waved out of car and pointed at one of hte cafes on CHL

I'm not sure. I don't know how much street crime went up or down. I think Stockwell/ Brixton was mugger mile at that point.

 

[co-op]

hmmm i can remember a feeling a little unnerved being offered crack by about 10 different dealers on cold harbour lane every time i walked down it. you think old people/young people feel safe around open drug markets?

Crack and coke came in mid 90s at the earliest (in terms of street dealing). Before then there was plenty of weed for sale but it never felt heavy to me. When crack came I thought it felt more nervous and edgy on the streets, especially all those ones like Saltoun Rd etc where street dealers kind of backed in off from Railton Rd where the weed had always been pretty openly sold but without agg that I remember.

 

[co-op]

but there was a lot of street shootings back then, no? i witnessed a gun being waved out of car and pointed at one of hte cafes on CHL

There was gun stuff everywhere in the UK big cities for a while, Brixton seemed like a lot less than North London or the outer south - Norwood, Thornton Heath Tulse Hill I thought. Got no figures to back that up mind you...

 

[HASL]

With regards to the bike sound system. Who are they and can we help.

Nice little rig they had. Fairly clear sound with a fair bit of a punch, bass wise. They were well up for random people chatting over the mic and even sticking their own phones to play tunes ( cant think of many rigs that open lol )

I for 1 would certainly contribute to see them back on the road and to celebrate to completion of this i may post some photos of flying hats

Hey we are currently looking after the sound system and it would be really great if people wanted to contribute to its repair! We have finally got it back off the police and on first inspection the frame is broken, the battery's dead and now unuseable and the wiring has all been ripped out.

We would like to raise £100-200 to buy replacement parts for it, with most of this going on a good battery that doesn't need replacing when it is left with no charge for a while. If you want to contribute anything for it then email HASLemail@gmail.com and we will send you the bank details.

Thanks for the help and hopefully pedals will be back up and smashing the system soon!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I accidentally deleted the above post this afternoon instead of approving it so I have just undeleted it and am bumping the thread.

 

[David Clapson]

More coverage of Reclaim Brixton on C4 News tonite - fascinating piece putting the protest in the context of the election http://www.channel4.com/news/stanley-greene-uk-election-war-photographer The Brixton images start at 7 mins 30 secs

 

[Not a Vet]

Just as a footnote to the disorder. All the people arrested were not from Brixton.

 

[Rushy]

Just as a footnote to the disorder. All the people arrested were not from Brixton.

Stirrer.

 

[editor]

I hope this becomes a regular event. It was an important protest.

 

[peterkro]

Crack and coke came in mid 90s at the earliest (in terms of street dealing). Before then there was plenty of weed for sale but it never felt heavy to me. When crack came I thought it felt more nervous and edgy on the streets, especially all those ones like Saltoun Rd etc where street dealers kind of backed in off from Railton Rd where the weed had always been pretty openly sold but without agg that I remember.

Crack was being dealt on the street well before that.The frontline was still about (in somewhat reduced form) and I remember scoring before the Dexter Playground was extended and that was done in 1986.It certainly wasn't as pervasive as it later became but it was happening.

 

[co-op]

Crack was being dealt on the street well before that.The frontline was still about (in somewhat reduced form) and I remember scoring before the Dexter Playground was extended and that was done in 1986.It certainly wasn't as pervasive as it later became but it was happening.

My dates are a bit hazy, possibly not unrelated to frontline product consumption.

 

[editor]

Please try and keep the evening of Thursday 11th June free. That is all for now.

 

[Winot]

Scene and Heard from David Ziggy Greene:

 

[editor]

Scene and Heard from David Ziggy Greene:

View attachment 71281

Have you got a source for that as it's just a bit too small to read all the text?

 

[Winot]

Have you got a source for that as it's just a bit too small to read all the text?

Here you go:

http://samu.co.uk