I am writing this after watching an especially shocking looting of the Debenhams store near where we used to live in Clapham Junction. Apart from sadness at the madness, I am feeling outraged - if all these so-called jobless people could spend all this time and energy plotting and pulling off a riot, shouldn't they just put their efforts to better use? Instead of breaking and looting, they could learn to respect other people's properties and hard earned assets and go off and earn some of their own... respect and assets, that is. I am disappointed that this wonderful city, known for its multi-cultural inhabitants and an overall feeling of celebrating differences, is now reduced to midnight madnesses of the violent kind.
Clapham Junction in particular is home to the busiest rail station in Europe, and it is full of commuters who go to and from work on a daily basis. Yes, they grumble and wish they were where the grass is greener at times, but the point is they get out of bed everyday, get dressed decently everyday, and head off to work everyday. They have the discipline and determination to make the best of things, regardless of how bad the financial climate is. The area is also home to a lot of young families and dog lovers, who now have to think twice before they take a stroll through their once peaceful neighborhood. I remember all the lovely shop and cafe owners on St. John's Hill and hope that their businesses do not suffer as they work as hard if not harder than anyone.
I sincerely hope everyone sits up and takes notice, and that the police and other law enforcers are given adequate support in these trying times. I also pray that all my friends and loved ones in London stay safe. Finally, I hope that the looters and rioters reconsider directing their efforts elsewhere, on the inside first perhaps, before they seek to damage what is outside.
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