Riots
  • graeme
    Japan's lovely and well organised. What's up with it?
  • Papa L

    I agree with the idea of protecting our own streets by being there in numbers, and the madness of people being sent home from work early and shutting down entire streets is basically inviting the looters in.

    However, surely there is a crucial point about Green Lanes and Dalston and that is that if you believe the usual stories there are some pretty heavy duty people that operate in and around those Turkish / Kurdish businesses and I'd imagine most of the local kids know that you don't mess with them.

    Those people defending the streets of Dalston weren't giving the looters a ticking off. Not sure how many of us on here subscribe to that school of hard knocks - I certainly don't.

  • Margolada

    Guardian's blog says that Nag's Head area shops are closing down. Hope its all ok in SG? i have an hour journey from work ... :/

  • EdShakes
    Just heard that it is business as usual in SG. My wife is sat in Finsbury Park with a group of mums and babies and they are completely oblivious to the whole thing. Apparently there are some drunks on a bench shouting but nothing out of the ordinary. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
  • pie eater
    Margolada, I've just come from the Nags Head area. I may be wrong but I didn't see anything going on so hopefully it's just a precaution.... many of the shops on Hornsey road also had their shutters down.
  • ArkadyArkady

    I didn't mean literally free Ali, as I'm sure you already knew.

  • Margolada

    @pie eater thanks. im working out of London, keep having Guardian blog on and they give such information - also a lot of companies are letting people go earlier, which is probably helping to create a sense of nervousness... cant wait to be back in SG!

  • Misscara

    Anyone know which/if any businesses in Stroud Green are closing early tonight? I have no specific plans, but thought it might be helpful for people who have plans to eat out etc. I might go for a drink later on as I'm inclined to think we shouldn't let this stop us going about our normal lives. Does anyone know if the pubs are closing early?

  • ArkadyArkady

    I’m not even talking about direct confrontation necessarily, not without sufficient advantage in numbers. But if, instead of closing early and being left empty, all the cafes and pubs stay open and people made an active effort to be out and about tonight making sure that anyone looking suspicious knows that they are being watched it would be far more successful than any formal or self-imposed curfew. ‘Eyes on the street’ – it works.

  • aelsom
    Just caught up on this blog. I'm all for local community members being visible on the streets this evening and not hiding away. I lived in South Africa for a while and the reasons the streets there are unsafe is because there is nobody there... so if you are walking you are walking alone and ripe for a mugging. Safety in numbers if you ask me.

    Saying that, I'm going to head to the The Dairy if it's open. Better than sitting home alone and freaking myself out at every noise outside.
  • Brodiej

    Completely agree Arkady. All London residents in my office have been told to leave early, and around 30 stores in and around the M25 will close at 5pm. It seems to be creating the type of environment that a looter might enjoy....less people around, nobody to give them any beef when they lob a chair through a window, general levels of fear in people that shouldn't be worried. Its compounding the problem IMO.

  • aelsom
    Also, did anyone hear about the girl getting mugged on Tollington Park last week at about 10pm. A bunch of people around and noone did anything to help her except my (also female) colleague who was on her bike and stopped.

    Please don't stand aside if you see people in trouble. That's why the criminals think they can get away with it. SG always used to be safe and shoudl continue to be.
  • ArkadyArkady

    Right - Stroud Green street party tonight?

  • aelsom
    Arkady - you're on! We didn't do it for the Royal Wedding so let's get make up for it now!
  • ArkadyArkady

    I wish I wasn't bankrupt and could afford to actually go out drinking. Never mind, I shall done my waistcoat and hat and stroll the streets with bottle of cider. Maybe I will bamboozle the thugs with pure eccentricity.

    Emma - if I'm found dead then you were right.

  • Margolada

    you should wear the waistcoat in a shocking colour so that if we see you on the street and fancy giving you the money we will know that you will spend it in a noble way by getting drunk locally (and not smashing any shops) ;)

  • Ali

    Brodiej How about asking the people doing this why they are doing it ?

  • Caboose
    Just had a wonder down SGR. Porcetta looked like it had closed early. Sugar Lounge, Stapleton, Park Tavern all open. A few shopkeepers standing outside their shops. The road was pretty busy.

    Tesco open, not even partially shuttered yet. Sainsbury's at the top end of SGR is closed.
  • ArkadyArkady

    The waistcoat will be brown I'm afraid. But there's a feather of many colours in my hat if anyone does want to sub my vigilante drinking.

  • Alex

    Maybe best to stick to the Haringey side of SGR, given Islington police have just advised as follows according to the Islington Gazette:

    Do not be on the streets unless absolutely necessary. We appeal to parents and all those responsible for young people to work together with police to ensure that youngsters do not get drawn into the kind of disorder we have seen.

  • tosscat

    Hitech enterprises, Style opticians, Estate 141 and Chapter One have all closed early.

  • Kaz

    Hope Stroud Green escapes any damage! Trying to follow the going-ons from afar. Horrible stuff.

    Currently in Scandinavia, and I would have to disagree with tosscat, I think London/UK could learn a thing or two from these countries...

  • miss annie

    @Ali They are doing it because they want new trainers, phones and bikes. And because they can. To say anything else is making excuses for them that they aren't even making for themselves.

    I don't believe that any of the youths (and adults) that have been out pillaging would have decided to go for a nice game of pool instead, even if there was a youth club open. You can't blame any government for this. Not even Labour for selling off school playing fields thus preventing young people from burning off excess energy and testosterone by playing sport.

    @Arky, if you see any likely suspects let me know and will come - armed with lethal shoes.

  • slats
    Chapter One was open?
  • andy

    Check out the "movers and shakers" on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/movers-and-shakers/sports/ref=zg_bs_tab

  • Misscara

    Chapter One Tosscat? It's only been shut about a year and a half!

  • djalicat
    the world's end pub is boarding up their windows.
  • Kaz

    Dairy has just tweeted that they are open as normal with pub quiz going ahead.

  • tosscat

    Gosh, you live and learn :D

  • ArkadyArkady

    Spoke to the staff at the World's End to ask why they were boarding up (and closing at 20:00) - allegedly a gang of '200' ruffians heading down to Finsbury Park from Hornsey (of all places).

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