From Happy Slap to Flash Riot via Blackberry
Balancing the scales of Justice after the Flash Riots of Summer 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biJgILxGK0o I strongly feel that what our society needs so acutely in the aftermath of these uprisings of rage and mass acts of criminal damage, arson and mass lootings is something called RESTORATIVE justice as a key part of sentencing options. There are SO many hundreds, if not thousands of victims now as well as thousands more witnesses to the crimes that have been committed in these Flash Riots.
I am calling them Flash Riots deliberately. Perhaps they’ve already been called that by others but these riots are exactly the same as Flash Mobs really. Except instead of a crazy and intense music and dancing experience in the middle of your local shopping centre you are suddenly terrified that you may be robbed, beaten or burnt from what you are seeing around you and on the instant media. This is Happy Slapping en masse applied with fearless fury to the state and the ‘perceived’ rich (with local traders and businesses) as well as to major corporate retail outlets. There will be MANY traumatised people out there, including the familes of the rioters too. We must NOT let this degenerate into MOB ‘justice’ or we will be descending back to the days of public lynchings and other barbarisms that we shook off many years ago in this part of the universe. As shocking as the riots are there have been responses that have chilled me to the core.
There will need to be an intensive support for victims and witnesses as well as a focus on community healing and recovering. These young people caught up in this must not be further outcast … we ALL have to live together and support each other with guiding the children and youth in our lives towards opportunities for HOPE and tangible success not destroying the lives of their neighbours.
Working through with this patiently, calmly, maturely and with integrity is, in my idea of what is right and wrong, is only going to be done if we understand what we mean when we talk about something like ‘justice’. Should it always be about ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ in court sometimes. No-one has won in the wake of this mass youth unrest and expression of hopeless and ruthless rage. Surely these cases are going to be filling up court rooms all over the country soon. How will we ensure that in the haste for ‘speedy’ justice and harsh punishment that I see some people calling for there will be also due fairness and process for alleged offenders? There will be an evidence mountain that could fill Wembley so it’s a good job they cancelled the game!
I want to have an open, frank conversation about this with others and I feel passionately that others should also try and put desires for revenge and retribution out of their minds for the losses that people have incurred and the enormous fear they all must have felt.
Who is going to pay for this? Don’t anyone disrespect reality and say ‘the rioters’. Get real. They have nothing and have nothing to lose so that will not pay back the £30k lost in stock for just one couple who run a family business Iwho do not know how they will survive as of today. They had buildings insurance but no contents cover, presumably because like a lot of people they were struggling to make the mortgage, bills and rising costs of everything … including supporting the very kids who are struggling to get jobs and can’t afford college any more.
Personally I think we should take back those bank bonuses and use them to set up a national fund for healing and restoring justice. People would be able to get back up on their feet again and we can get to work, with those offenders who have caused the harm and devastation when properly convicted, in clearing up our cities and towns and in providing opportunities for young people to harness their passion into something that benefits their community and gives them a sense of hope in their future without crime. We need armies of women and men like the magnificent un-named fearless Hackney resident in the Youtube video going around today or Darcus Howe, a grandad and dad who can talk to young people but most of all who can LISTEN and help them channel that anger into creative positive action for themselves and their communities.
I hope that makes some sense to anyone out there who is struggling to know what to do for the best in these difficult and dangerous days. One thing is absolutely certain … everyone needs to keep their cool but make no mistake, this government has to GO, we need a General Election and the cuts have to stop NOW! Else we won’t be talking days … it really will keep on erupting as long as there are people who have nothing left to lose … and we’re just going to see even more of them in the future with things as they stand.
