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YouTubeGuess this deserves a mention:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14450248
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-14452468
Lots of arson... looting coordinated via facebook and twitter, apparently.
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London Burning
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TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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A looting youth was quoted in one news article as saying the riots were a working-class uprising. Many may dismiss that claim for good reasons, even tho there may be at least a grain of truth there.
This reminds me of what Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in one of his books, "Where Do We Go From Here : Chaos or Community ?"
To paraphrase, if I recall correctly, King claimed a riot to be an expression of despair that results from having neglected or failed to mobilize a more effective way to address grievances which are often, tho not always, legitimate.
Posted 9 months ago # -
rus
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Get the Video Plugins Posted 9 months ago # -
rus
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http://apnews.myway.com//article/20110809/D9P0CPQO3.html
LONDON (AP) - A wave of violence and looting raged across London and spread to three other major British cities on Tuesday, as authorities struggled to contain the country's worst unrest since race riots set the capital ablaze in the 1980s.
...
The riots appeared to have little unifying cause - though some involved claimed to oppose sharp government spending cuts, which will slash welfare payments and cut tens of thousands of public sector jobs through 2015.
Others appeared attracted simply by the opportunity for violence. "Come join the fun," shouted one youth, racing along a street in the east London suburb of Hackney, where shops were attacked and cars torched.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Chicken
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Get the Video Plugins Posted 9 months ago # -
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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DavidF
Elysium Fields
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rus said:
Guess this deserves a mention:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14450248
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-14452468
Lots of arson... looting coordinated via facebook and twitter, apparently.
Actually, the most interesting thing I've read so far says that twitter and facebook were not the main coordinating factor of the riot, but rather blackberry instant messaging. Wish I had the link, because it was an fascinating read on the rise of blackberry among urban youth, and the reasons behind it.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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On NPR this morning, they were discussing the areas where all the looting is taking place - areas that already had problems with gangs, and rising violence/crime. What folks are saying is that the rioters don't care about the "cause" of the original, peaceful protest, but are just interested in wreaking havoc.
There was some discussion on twitter about the statistical unemployment for youth in the riot areas, but I haven't seen anything posted about it yet. My guess is - high.
Posted 9 months ago # -
rus
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jeff_r said:
European Spring?Rioter Martin Bishop said: "I'm not entirely sure who is to blame for me wanting to steal things and then set fire to the building where those things used to be.
"But it is nice to have the flimsy excuse. It makes me feel more mature."
;-)
On a more serious note, someone's put up a 'catch a looter' page...
http://catchalooter.tumblr.com/
London Riots: Shop-owners defend their businesses in east London - video
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2011/aug/09/london-riots-london
And you'd think this from the BBC would be satire...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14458424Posted 9 months ago # -
ohiogirlie74
Short North/ Italian Village
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It's flippin' crazy. I shudder to think what would happen if our unemployed and disaffected youth were to try something like that here. Good thing lots of Americans are terminally inert.
Can you imagine? Years and years of authorities saying "don't do that, or you'll get in trouble," and then you do it, and nothing happens - except a rush of invincible feelings, and free stuff as a bonus. Madness ensues. Very unnerving.
Posted 9 months ago # -
rus
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ohiogirlie74 said:
It's flippin' crazy. I shudder to think what would happen if our unemployed and disaffected youth were to try something like that here. Good thing lots of Americans are terminally inert.Can you imagine? Years and years of authorities saying "don't do that, or you'll get in trouble," and then you do it, and nothing happens - except a rush of invincible feelings, and free stuff as a bonus. Madness ensues. Very unnerving.
If it happened here again it would probably go like the last time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots
http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2011/01/los-angeles-times-recently-ran-story.html
Posted 9 months ago # -
melikecheese
Merion Village
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This just seems like a joke. Bunch of spoiled kids with smart phones stealing and burning.
Then that video of the guy stealing from the bloody kid, yeah your really sticking it to the man with that one...some people should have beat the crap out of him.
Posted 9 months ago # -
rus
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The Guardian has a google map up:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/aug/09/uk-riots-incident-map
Posted 9 months ago # -
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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ohiogirlie74 said:
It's flippin' crazy. I shudder to think what would happen if our unemployed and disaffected youth were to try something like that here. Good thing lots of Americans are terminally inert.Can you imagine? Years and years of authorities saying "don't do that, or you'll get in trouble," and then you do it, and nothing happens - except a rush of invincible feelings, and free stuff as a bonus. Madness ensues. Very unnerving.
This reminds me of being in Pittsburgh in 09 during the protests against the G-20. The people there talking about "f---king shit up" were a small minority. But it concerned me in that it made me think that if political apathy on the part of the general population continues, we're left w/ undesirable outcomes :
(1) hooliganism which has little, if any, relevance to social justice; (2) heavy-handed police crackdowns using high-tech devices such as sound cannons; (3) further erosion of civil liberties in the US and other democracies; and (4) criminalization of activism and dissent in general.
To what extent does the lack of activism and other forms of political involvement leave a vacuum which tends to be filled with (1) thru (4) ?
Unfortunately, I suspect that some anarchists here or in other parts of the world might have a straight face as they refer to the London riots as some type of manifestation of political consciousness.
Posted 9 months ago #
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