It is nine in the evening, last night, and I have just finished work in NW London. I was slightly worried and wondered what exactly I was going to see as I made my journey home to North London, Crouch End to be exact. I was receiving bits and pieces of rumours and he said she said all evening but, who knew what was true?
I boarded the train and the Jubilee line was eerily quiet and empty. I tried to read my copy of Caitlin Moran' funny new book but could not concentrate on the c*nt vs. vagina debate at the moment.
I changed at Green Park and the mood in the station was tense. The Victoria Line train to Walthomstow was not empty at all, but even quieter than the Jubilee line. People were scared. I could see it in their eyes. They were heading into the Heart of Darkness which is North London right now. They didn't know what they were going to find when they got there, and neither did I.
The queue for my W3 bus to Crouch End was like a queue at a funeral to see a dead body. Nobody talked. Everyone was fidgeting with something or rocking side to side. Nobody could stand still and nobody could take their mind off of what was happening in our city.
On the bus to Crouch End, which also goes to Wood Green and Turnpike Lane, people weren't sure if they were walking into a firestorm. Like going over the top in Vimy Ridge, they didn't know what to expect. I felt some trepidation, indeed, as we drove through Stroud Green and noticed that it had turned into a ghost town. It reminded me of that village that Toshiro Mifune walks into in Yojimbo, except less evil samurai. There was literally not a sole on the street, and by literally, I mean it the way the word should be used, not the way morons use it. Even the bloody Worlds End Pub was closed! I mean, the humanity!
I got home without incident and found that my local off licence was closed. No beer? Against my better judgment I walked further into the centre of the High Street and found a shop open. I passed the Blockbuster (Loc Buster) Video that has been vandalized last night and it looked...not bad. Crouch End was spared most of the violence.
As I walked home, avec beer, I noticed that the sky was quite red. I knew this was not the sun setting, this was fire, something very near me was on fire!
I rushed home, made sure my fiance was alright and checked all the news sources I could. What I found out over the course of the night is that London was indeed on fire! All around me, places were being smashed, cars were being lit of fire, Police being attacked, and general anarchy.
The gentleman who was killed, we do not know the full extent of that, so I will not comment. The people who peacefully protested, that is their right and I have no problem with that. But the people doing
this must stop. They are destroying their own neighborhoods and putting good hardworking people out of their homes. People who are not going to have proper insurance, and who will likely never be able to replace the possessions they have been accumulating their entire lives.
These rioters and looters need to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves, "Why am I doing this? What is my ultimate goal?"
If it's revolution against a Tory government your're looking for, the goverment that is cutting spending on child benifits and closing youth clubs, well, it's something to be protested and discussed. But sadly, I have a sneaking suspicion that these youths and not-so-youths are doing this for more selfish reasons, more destructive reasons, more macho bragadocious douchbag-ish reasons.
People. The Tories and our government are shit, we all know that! And a little social unrest and protest can be a
very good thing. But this nonsense is just a dirty, ugly, selfish incident involving hoodlums that makes the UK, and especially London, look like a fucking joke! I for one have a very bad taste in my mouth today. And if you are one of those cowardly looters is reading this, if you
can read, you should be ashamed. What would your mother say?
PS. I had no time to re-read or edit this so if there are mistakes, I apologize.
Kapla!
