Anyone paying attention to London??

[Garg]

Riots in the streets. TSHTF... on some level..

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[MA Duce]

This is more akin to the riots in Oakland or any other city when an individual of a minority is killed by police. In England the impact may be more due to the culture that is anti-gun. Keep in mind that a firearm described as "Non-Police" was recovered and one police radio had been hit by fire from the apartment. When you compare the area effected by the unrest to the whole of the city it is actually a small blip on the radar.

 

[Redcap]

Nice!

 

[tfbit]

Yep, and I keep wondering what happened to shooting looters on sight? It's what I'd do in my neighborhood.

 

[CrossHairs]

We don't have all the evidence yet, but it appears a police officer was shot, and a civillian was put down. A pistol was found and off we go.

Sadly, the locals decided that this was not a good thing and decided that rather than waiting for a hearing, they figured that the police was at fault and decide to commit acts of violence and other acts of law breaking. The truth is that there is a minority that decided to use the occassion to loot, burn and wreck their own communities with little regard for the consequences.

I've never really understood the rational that, in the event that something happens, you resort to unfettered law breaking to make your point....all it does is generate deeper distrust, hate and bias towards the looters and rioters. In effect, you dig yourself a deeper hole. I'm not so sure i'd advocate wholesale shooting on sight of looters/rioters, but I have to say the thought has crossed my mind. It's a mindless and selfish act that has no place in a modern society and tells me more about the mentality of the perpetrators than the cause they are supposedly 'fighting for'...basically, it's complete BS!

The 'social contract' implies that we all find a level of civility that allows society to function. When you have this rampant dis-regard for social 'norms' it's usually because a true minority have nothing better to do and decide to stir up trouble for their own entertainment...and see who comes along for the ride. Sadly, there are an even larger bunch of idiots that follow along without thinking about it. I hope that the jail time is worht it!?

 

[chemist]

I'd say it was more like Watts in '65 than Oakland. Like East LA, the whole depressed area of Tottenham was waiting for a trigger to set it off, and now it's spreading to what were "safe" places a few short nights ago. An entire generation of disenfranchised youth is aching for any excuse to go wilding, and by exploiting social-network technology like Twitter they've found that they can overwhelm the authorities just about anyplace they go.

These young people live in an environment that is more hopeless and abandoned than anyplace I've ever seen in the US, so it's not surprising that they'd cast their vote for burning it all to the ground. Just like in Watts, the worst damage is in the very areas where the rioters live - it's as if they're rebelling against the world in which they find themselves trapped.

I'm not making any excuses for the random destruction - merely comprehending it as the act of enraged young males who think they have nothing to lose.

The lesson I remember from the Rodney King riots in '92 is that shopowners who stayed put and defended their property were bypassed, while those who took the advice of the police and fled lost everything. That's why I've chosen to 'bug in' and take my chances that the ammo holds out, rather than trying my luck on the road.

 

[pdx lefty]

Yep, and I keep wondering what happened to shooting looters on sight? It's what I'd do in my neighborhood.

tfbit, welcome to NWFA! Though i can understand where you are coming from and i take a pretty hard line, on some issues, from time to time. I'm thinking, as you navigate your way through the site you will find a hundred reasons why "shooting looters on sight" would not be the best plan, unless of course, lives are truly on the line. If that is the case, do the right thing. But if you have people stealing TVs from the local electronics joint?

Just my opinion.

Lefty.

 

[tfbit]

In my wooden neighborhood, if someone is setting things on fire and looting, I will make them stop.
And really, in Europe, they are going to have to find their balls pretty quick and do something drastic or the anarchists are going to burn the whole place down.

And yeah, here in the US it's going to keep getting worse...

 

[mjbskwim]

Yep,

sooner than later

 

[tfbit]

London went nuts last night. With all the jail cells full, what are they going to do now? People are starting to die. When innocents are dying, rioters should be also. If they don't care about going to jail, maybe they would care about possibility being shot...

 

[tac]

Mark Duggan, 29-year old drug dealer, gang-member and historical criminal, was shot by a police officer whilst an attempt was being made to arrest him as part of the Op Trident crack-down on guns/crime in the black community.

He shot at a police officer, the bullet was deflected by a pocket radio, and the second officer shot twice in response, killing Duggan.

99% of those responsible for these outrageous 'responses for the gunning down of our bro' are black - 8% of the population is responsible for 80% of the crime.

Go figure.

So far almost a Billion $ damage has been done to stores, homes, infrastructure and lives.

tac

 

[Gunner3456]

Gee, it has been that long since British police prided themselves in not having to carry guns, has it? Am I wrong about that?

 

[tac]

Gee, it has been that long since British police prided themselves in not having to carry guns, has it? Am I wrong about that?

Not a matter of pride, but of government decisions. The ordinary British uniformed police officer on the street has not been armed with a firearm since the formation of the police force.

On the other hand, tactical firearms units [TFU] are part of every police station staff in the cities and major county towns. Three counties' TFU's share the use of our club range with us, and help pay the rent.

tac

 

[2506]

So basically, its kind of of the same thing that happened in Greece. The government had to cut entitlement programs and its entitled population went nuts, the shooting was just the match that lit the gas(literally). Wait until entitlements are cut in the US...

 

[Gunner3456]

So basically, its kind of of the same thing that happened in Greece. The government had to cut entitlement programs and its entitled population went nuts, the shooting was just the match that lit the gas(literally). Wait until entitlements are cut in the US...

So far no one has the guts to do it. It sure didn't get any press in this last budget fiasco. Maybe we'll have to go broke first like Greece did.

 

[EZLivin]

Why am I visualizing millions of Brits cowering in their homes, doors barred, holding the only weapons they are allowed to own (disposable plastic utensils), while their "leaders" are lounging on beaches in the Riviera?

-------------------------
From Nigel Farage courtesy of King World News:

“It’s absolutely horrifying. In the past we’ve had civil disorder, I mean thirty years ago there were a very major series of riots that took place. What is so extraordinary and perhaps even more frightening about this is there is no real political motive, there is no real cause, this is just mass criminality on a quite unimaginable scale.”

“There aren’t just one or two flash points, there are hundreds of flash points at which people are going out and smashing down doors, looting, setting fire to buildings and you literally, this morning, have millions of decent, law abiding Londoners who are very, very frightened indeed. And we have a government who are mostly on holiday, who appear not to have a clue what to do."
-------------------------

Maybe that guy should have kept that scary .22 cartridge he found on the street a few weeks ago

(I know, I know, the stuff going on over there is limited to certain areas, but there has to be some spillover.)

 

[olydemon]

Here is a good photo set if anyone is curious.
Tottenham London Protest and Riot and Clean-up Photos

Map overview with clickable info links.
Initial London riots / UK riots - Google Maps

 

[tfbit]

BBC News - London rioters: 'Showing the rich we do what we want'

 

[tfbit]

Those are some amazing pictures. This is the result of way too much restraint on the part of the police.

 

[mjbskwim]

Yep, and I keep wondering what happened to shooting looters on sight? It's what I'd do in my neighborhood.

Uhhh hey don't even get to own guns in London let alone think of shooting looters
That wouldn't fair too well over there in any way, shape or form,unless you lived in a castle and could just feed the looters to the dogs.

Go ahead and talk all you want about murder rates and gun violence over here.This is the kind of things that happens to societies that can't defend themselves.
It could happen in Canada.They don't seem to like the citizens to have guns either

Try that up here or in say Montana,Alaska.Place where they will defend their property
Heck even in L.A., the Korean butcher shop had the guns out for the RK riots