London / UK Riots

[CE]

Re: London - riots

@goddamniamsoawesome

I worked a lot with some community members (ex-gang members and some current gang members) in South and South-East London. We would visit council estates most of the time and have talks and door-to-door visits to talk with the youth, their families and such like. Most of the time there was no ‘family’. You’d have children being raised by their ‘tough’ cousins or ‘tough’ uncles/aunts or such like. No role models to look up to, nothing to say the least. That is the issue.

Yeah, there was oppression, exclusion, etc… at some point in time but now its all about lack of strong role models, the desire to get easy money, pathetically sissy legislation and general culture. The reason most youngsters gave us were they wanted to make money. Apparently making money to them means hustling and not doing work that is dignified. They crave power and control, that was the jist of it. I’m still in touch with lots of them, you might know of PDC, Suspect and of course a lot of the Yardie ‘factions’; there is no organised Yardie presence. Even now, they are only talking about making paper and ****ing with the pigs. Trust me, its not injustice or frustration. Its simple fanaticism.

They have been given enough chances to sort their lives out. The UK literally wipes your arse if you’re a citizen. If millions of people can choose to work as chicken-shop assistants, supermarket trolley collectors, weekend market stall salespersons, etc… why can’t these yobs pick that? Simply because they want more, they crave more and so it goes on and on. You get JSA, you get education, you get vocational courses, you get a bloody PC system that won’t say a word and yet you run about wreaking havoc like this? Piss poor excuses for anything.

Jamal and Sean don’t want to play ping-pong at the youth center. There are no justifications for this. And the government’s response is pathetic.

Heads need to roll.

Your post suggests that these teenagers have themselves to blame for their misfortune but I would respectfully disagree. These teenagers are at a disadvantage to begin with compared to others who are brought up in more influential areas. Although, I agree that the majority of these kids have probably just got on the bandwagon to get freebies and have fun, there is bigger issues that need to be addressed by the government and that is thinking about the future of youths.
I agree, they do need more role models, but before role models they need stability which needs to be provided by the love and support of a family. However, like u said many of these kids are either brought up by either extended family or single parents (and lets not forget children from care homes). Therefore, the issue lays in educating parents and carers and giving them the support they need.

I have briefly studied the youth in the London area and it appears the government hasn’t made it easy (in the earlier days) by first of all segregating ethnic/class groups across the capital which has led to deprivation in certain areas and a lack of understanding for each others cultures and beliefs. Then (IMO) there is the big issue of parenting, there is evidence to support that single mothers working a low paid job will take on an authoritarian parenting style (extremely strict) who will often turn to physical abuse as a means of punishment which can mentally effect the child and their home relationship. This then leads the children to finding comfort in others ie. friends. like I already said in my earlier post these kids dont understand the value of community, caring or loving they just think about themselves and are just plain greedy. They might be thugs and criminals now, but I dont believe its their fault for what they have become but more socities fault.