After the worst night of rioting in living memory, London this morning wakes up to the remains of cars, home and businesses destroyed by mindless thugs. For me, it was a waste of time going to work. Not because my business was damaged but because the customers simply kept away. People were scared for their safety and only ventured out for distress purchases and things that they can’t live without.
The most striking thing was all the peoples stories that have been told to me today. Most acts of violence don’t get reported and those who commit crimes either get caught or not, however if a major supermarket had 50 people break into it and steal all the electrical goods, that would be very big news. However, that is something that did happen last night and it went un-reported. Major shopping areas like East Ham, Barking, Romford and Ilford had riots in their towns but the press failed to mention it. A retail park security guard was beaten up and slashed with a knife because these idiots felt that he would have the keys to all the shops. He’s alive but in hospital recovering from his injuries. None of these and many more stories have gone unreported in the press and in some cases, unsupported by the police who were clearly dealing with even bigger issues.
However, this changed a little today. A few thugs tried to cause trouble and when I called the police, I had a Terminator 2 moment. When asked, how many people arrived, I said, ” All of the I think” Very impressed with the response and I’m told by some of the officers that things will be different tonight. Lets hope so. I certainly love seeing those pictures of people cleaning up the city together.
However, it would appear that it’s another night of terror in the UK and Manchester appears to be having its turn tonight. All my business can do now is close early and board up the windows and just get through tonights events.
Moli
