Tottenham Riots

After a weekend of unrest and anarchy on the streets in Tottenham and other pockets of London, many are wondering what triggered it off.

Tensions have been running high in Tottenham following the death of Mark Duggan, who was fatally shot by the police on Thursday.

His family, along with around 100 people held a silent protest outside Tottenham police station on Saturday evening.

Just a few hours later and Tottenham High Street was turned into a war zone, with youths in hoodies and scarves around their face running riot, hurling petrol bombs and bricks at police and looting and destroying shops and flats.

The incidents which took place in Tottenham as well as Enfield and Brixton have been rightly condemned. But for some, the seeds of anarchy were sown a little while ago and the murder of Duggan was the trigger which set it all off.

There is a school of thought that recent budget cuts to youth services have left the young people across the capital and the country feeling disenfranchised and unwanted.

In the borough of Haringey, a number of youth clubs have been shut down after the youth services budget was slashed by 75% following a cut of £41m to the council's overall budget.

Symeon Brown is a youth worker who was brought up in Tottenham and has been left heartbroken by what he has seen in his home town.

He co-founded an ambitious initiative in 2007 called Haringey Young People Empowered, or HYPE, with an aim to inspire and educate young people and give them pride in their communities.

He said,

“There's a sense in the community that the police are 'not for us' and as we've seen with events this year like the student protest, there's a hostility between young people and police - and that has manifested even more so in 2011. The trigger for this was a young man being killed – this is the context that must not be forgotten."

He added,

"Young people feel their representatives do not care about them. The council’s youth services have been cut by 75%, which is astronomical. It is a real assault on social democracy and public services."

Brown though is calling for calm and hoping the people of Tottenham get the answers from the authorities and for the community not to be ignored once the cameras switch off and roll out of town.

“What I'm hoping for some truth and some honest answers – institutions that try and create that community spirit are suffering right now and this must not be forgotten.”

There has been plenty of concern of the consequences of closing down services and clubs for youngsters who already feel they are a “lost generation”.

Many are comparing the events leading up to Saturday night to the Broadwater Farm riot in 1985, which was triggered by the death of Cynthia Jarrett, who suffered a stroke while police searched her home.

Tense scenes with local black youngsters and the police followed and during the riot, PC Keith Blakelock was killed.

Youth worker and community leader Stafford Scott was present on the night of violence in 1985 and was also by Duggan family’s side on Saturday seeking answers from the police about the death of the 29-year-old.

He lays the blame solely at the police for helping to flame the tensions by not responding to the family’s request to speak to a senior officer.

Scott said,

"I told the chief inspector personally that we wanted to leave before nightfall. If he kept us hanging around after nightfall, it was going to be on his head. We couldn't guarantee it wouldn't get out of control."

Scott has been a long-time campaigner about the disaffected community in Tottenham, who feel ignored by those who are there to serve them.

He believes that a lack of leadership in most of Britain’s grassroots black communities has led to youngsters expressing their frustrations in ways which are making the front pages of the national press, and not in a good way.

The time has now come for those in power to rethink their strategy to put in severe cuts in youth services which could have a detrimental effect on the upcoming generation.

The mistrust of the authorities and police is something which is concerning politicians, with by London Assembly member Jenny Jones (Green) putting some of the blame at those who reside at 10 Downing Street and take up their seats in the Houses of Parliament.

She said,

“The Government must take some of blame for what went wrong last night. Cuts to local services, especially youth services, played a role in fomenting tensions in the area. With one of the highest unemployment rates in London, Tottenham urgently needs help - emergency funds to stop youth centre closures and a review of policing must now be a priority.”

Zohaib Rashid

Picture: Haringey Civic Centre