The depressing growth of people with substance dependency on the streets of Brixton

[story]

They sold most but not all. They kept at least one of the Victorian blocks for social rent. Some of the blocks contain long-term residents ie. 30+ years that bought their leaseholds many, many years ago when they were mega-cheap.

I’m glad of that. But my main point was the the demographic in that street has definitely changed.




Like, I was at a residents meeting at the Academy recently and the locals who had been in the area for time had a completely different attitude to those who’d moved in more recently. The long term residents like the Academy, had no issue with the results of having a large venue in the area (including feeling the bass in their front room) while recent residents were complaining about everything from parking and litter and people coming to the venue, to people shitting near their home. They held the venue responsible for all of it and want them to make it stop. When it was pointed out that shitting in the street was happening everywhere, it turned out that the person making this particular complaint had it happen even when there was no gig, and in any case doesn’t live adjacent to the venue. The demographic has changed, so the priorities and complaints have changed,


For clarity, I’m NOT saying it’s okay to shit in the street! But maybe part of this problem includes the fact that there are not enough public lavs.


Policing the problem at the front end just leads to tyrrany.

 

[Meerkat]

Yes, totally aware of the demographic change of said street as I've been a resident of it since last century We suspect the three cats we took in were left behind when the squatters were turfed out in 2011. I've not been able to get to any of the recent community meetings but someone from my household has. I reckon the young professionals that rent in the (now) private flats in the Victorian blocks are some of those shouting the loudest because their rent will be astronomical and the addicts are constantly gaining entry not just to use but to nick parcels and to try their luck gaining access to individual flats. One was photographed stealing a sewing machine from a flat a couple of weeks ago.

 

[newme]

.

 

[Meerkat]

Idk shit about Brixton. I do know we had a new events square open, shops, houses, flats and unsurprisingly a square for events.

Didn't take long before the rather rich owners of all the housing there started complaining about events noise. In events square... they knew all of this before it was even built. Not even historical and some idiot with no clue of the location or usage.

It's now non-event square locally after they had it all shut down. Commercial is fading too since why bother going there?

They are now trying to build a new events square. Surrounded by housing, removing the main mid town parking used by residents, visitors and commercial to make a new one. It's wildly unpopular and also would cut the route through town around the pedestrianised bit entirely.

Plus I give it 5 minutes before the houses nearby object once it's completed and the car park is less of an option to use while moving traffic through the town and making it better for house prices there too. Whole things a mess.

Which event space are you referring to? Windrush Sq? Pop Brixton?

 

[Leighsw2]

Some of the blocks contain long-term residents ie. 30+ years that bought their leaseholds many, many years ago when they were mega-cheap.

Yes, the freehold for our block was bought out way back in 1982!

 

[story]

Yes, totally aware of the demographic change of said street as I've been a resident of it since last century We suspect the three cats we took in were left behind when the squatters were turfed out in 2011. I've not been able to get to any of the recent community meetings but someone from my household has. I reckon the young professionals that rent in the (now) private flats in the Victorian blocks are some of those shouting the loudest because their rent will be astronomical and the addicts are constantly gaining entry not just to use but to nick parcels and to try their luck gaining access to individual flats. One was photographed stealing a sewing machine from a flat a couple of weeks ago.

Being robbed or burgled is fucking horrible. I'm not minimising that.


But shouldn't the door security be beefed up? And residents be careful about making sure the door is properly closed etc.

I know deliveries and visitors can be slack, but again the issue is not exclusively about street users being in the street. There's another aspect that also needs attention.


Since you know the street, you'll know that these poor souls used to gather at the alcove further towards Windrush Square. The flats on the same block as The Ritzy, where Rushcroft Road turns into Electric Lane. I'd see them there every day. Then for a while I'd see them being hassled by the plastic plod every day. So I guess they just moved further down Rushcroft Road to the mansion blocks.

I guess the plastic plod got that specific job done, and now they're further along the street it's ostensibly a brand new problem.

Just moving things along to create a NIMBY chain isn't the solution.


We have a drug problem in Brixton. But just bashing the street users like whack-a-mole isn't going to solve it.

 

[Rushy]

Being robbed or burgled is fucking horrible. I'm not minimising that.

But shouldn't the door security be beefed up? And residents be careful about making sure the door is properly closed etc.

I'm not convinced that doesn't read a bit like minimising it, to be fair.

 

[story]

I'm not convinced that doesn't read a bit like minimising it, to be fair.

I’m not minimising it. I made a point of saying that.

I didn’t put a lot of time into that point, because neither my post nor the thread is about burglary or security.



How would you prefer me to say it?
Is this better for you? (We’re getting into Tl;dr territory now though.)

It’s fucking awful when anyone gets burgled or robbed. It has a deep and lasting impact on the victim that’s often not fully appreciated by anyone who’s not experienced it.

However, I wonder if stronger security at street door and flat door level could make it more difficult for thieves to get into the flats.

While also recognising that delivery people and posties can sometimes be slack about closing the door behind them, I consider it my responsibility to ensure that my door security takes account of the various different ways that someone might gain access to the property.

It’s likely that the street users are opportunists rather than organised intentional burglars. Making it more difficult to get through the door could make a difference. Their priority is finding fast easy ways to pay for their drugs. If they can’t get through the door easily, they’ll look for another option.

I doubt the residents moved to Brixton without prior knowledge of the area’s long-standing reputation for street crime, riots and uprisings, guns, knife wars and drug use. This is not to say that the residents are in any way responsible for the actions of the street users, only that, in my opinion, they can act on their autonomy with respect to their own door security with good locks etc. They have more options than the street users do.

This isn’t victim blaming. It’s recognising that I have the option to make my property more secure, while drug users are compelled to take care of their habit to the exclusion of other considerations. Personally, I’d rather take action about ensuring good security than risk trusting drug users not to take advantage of a slipped lock.


Just by the way, I used to live in downtown Brixton. I now live up the Hill. I still have street crime, drug use, knife wars, gang activity, police killings, and shitting on my doorstep here, just as I did downtown. It’s less, but it’s not zero and some of it is worse (one of the big bad gangs is based on my street. Chris Kaba was gunned down just down the road). Over the years I’ve also been struck down in the street by gang runners, had mates mugged, and had stuff robbed off me, and been far too close to gun sieges and murders. I don’t like it, but want to live in Brixton more than I dislike all of that.


I’m not minimising it. Not at all. I fully recognise it. I don’t support it. I’d prefer it didn’t happen.

But, I also recognise that all the people who act in these ways are also part of our community. For good or ill, for reasons we can change or can’t, or won’t, we’re kinda stuck with them. And anyway, we’re looking at yet another shitty outcome of late stage capitalism and the patriarchy.
I’m not giving them a free pass, I’m saying we can’t vanish them out of existence.


Will that do?

 

[pbsmooth]

Not really. I stopped at “have they definitely closed the door properly”

 

[story]

Clearly.
Because that’s not what I said.

Oh well. I guess I shouldn’t have bothered trying to clarify. Nevermind.

 

[editor]

Lambeth's PR blurb says:

The council and the police are holding ongoing days of action in the town centre, most recently in September when a number of drug dealers were arrested. Further operations have been planned.

In response to increasing concern about drug use in public, Lambeth Council’s public health team is working with substance misuse services to run the on-street engagement team.

The team work to boost referrals to treatment programmes, cut the number of injecting drug users, decreasing drug-related deaths and lower of drug and alcohol-related antisocial behaviour.

Lambeth Council announces initiative to address Brixton town centre social issues

Lambeth Council say that they are leading on drug outreach and community support alongside a boosted Met Police service presence in Brixton town centre to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour wh…

www.brixtonbuzz.com

I cycled down Rushcroft Road last night and it was as grim as ever, with drug users huddled in several doorways to the blocks, a bloke openly pissing and a woman getting really hassled for money as she was trying to get into her own flat ( I waited around to make sure she got in OK).

This is very much what the Barrier Block used to be like in the early 2000s and it's a horrible experience for everyone. It's also really hard to stop people 'tailgating' behind you when you gain access to the block as it's dangerous to attempt to block or confront desperate and aggressive people high on drugs.

 

[sparkybird]

By the way, for context:

Those Rushcroft Road flats were squats, social housing and long term tenants on rents they could afford. Then the council sold on every single property to private investor(s) and the flats were done up and sold on.
Locals will remember how that made some of our friends etc homeless after long tenure or secure squats.

One of the people quoted in the article has been a resident on the street for 40+ years. Her block was never a squat. She's a friend of mine. I would tend to believe that she can remember back then and compare it to now, and say it's worse.

Unsurprising really given that services have been cut to the bone.

 

[Rushy]

Residents are being invited to add their names to an open letter from councillors of the four Brixton wards, addressed to the Met Police's Commander for Lambeth.

It's a positive initiative although I'm not sure the letter adds much new to the argument for need that has been put to the commander already. It would help if the letter spelled out just how uniquely bad things currently are in Brixton.

Figures from the Met's crime dashboard for the year to Sep show that Windrush Ward ranks 12th out of 679 London wards for "all crime"; 10th of out 679 for drug offences; and 1st for everything out of the 48 wards in Lambeth and Southwark (drug offences, violence, sexual offences, robbery, vehicle offences, crimes against society, possession of weapons and public order offences). It could not look much worse than this. This clearly contradicts the - now departed - Superintendent for Lambeth who repeatedly implied that resource is allocated according to need, and is diverted away form Brixton because locals are not reporting enough! Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP publicly described this as gaslighting, and the Met's own figures back her up.

 

[Winot]

Signed

 

[DietCokeGirl]

Why don't Brixton Bid fund a couple Assertive Outreach recovery worker posts, based don't of Lorraine Hewiit House - they've got the income, and it'd come nicely under the "Safer Day & Night" strand of there mission statement.