Caught
up in the blaze of the House of Reeves was Croydon's community
plummeting to a new low.
August
2011 will always be remembered as the gloomy, generation-defying
summer when rioters were in power of our 'glorious' country
whilst the remaining public watched David Cameron's 'greater
monopoly' crumble.
Although
Cameron did have problems of his own; like unwillingly forcing
himself to take photos abroad with an Italian waitress after he
clumsily forgot to tip her. You can understand why he couldn't hurry
back...
With
a reputation of a high crime-rate and regular gang violence, Croydon
was already one of London's major towns in need of vast improvements.
Following
the incidents in Tottenham, it felt like only a matter of time for
our dear old Croydon town to become the infamous highlight of the
nation's most heartbreaking riots for 25 years.
Walking
down the South London streets, I was witness to the diminishing
collapse of everyday people's lives.
Countless
years of tireless effort and excruciating pain counted for nothing as
hard-working individuals watched their independent newsagents and off
licences being torn apart on live television.
What
else to do but sit back and watch your customers tear your life away
before your very eyes?
The House
of Reeves in flames became an iconic image of the riots as
fire-fighters found it too difficult to prevent £3million worth of
damage and endless sentimental value.
The
furniture store owner, Trevor Reeves, recalls the incident as “one
of those fatalistic moments...” He remembers asking: “What are we
going to do now? That's the end of that.
“I
stayed quite calm and didn't worry. When the fire engines arrived too
late it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. There wasn't
going to be any incredulity.
“The
staff turned up for work and we all made the best of what we had and
everyone got stuck in. People felt closer in the community because
everybody was in the same boat. There was more tolerance. It was much
more pleasant.”
Once
the public felt safe to walk on their own street at 3pm and
businesses no longer felt threatened to open, London, and in
particular Croydon, saw a rejuvenation.
Despite
all the destruction and devastation surrounding the capital, a small
pub on the corner of Croydon's Surrey Street changed the atmosphere
dramatically.
The
sun was coming up and I was blinded by a mass of yellow. Post-it
notes covered Green Dragon's windows giving reasons as to why 'We
Love Croydon'.
Manageress
Espher Sutton made immediate impact: “My friend and I wanted to do
something positive because everyone was in shock.
“I
invited friends and regulars to post up one thing each and it took a
life of its own. We had people coming in off the streets just to
write something.”
Residents
had taken their time to restore a little faith by doing something so
minuscule. Comments ranged from praise for the town's musical
influences, places to shop and the general attitude taken by everyday
Croydonians.
The
senseless vandalism was soon swept aside as the Croydon Recovery
Campaign got well under way. The Croydon Business Improvement
District (BID) represents and funds town centre businesses and
delivered the project on Croydon Council's behalf.
In
1999 the London Borough of Croydon began the regeneration programme;
Croydon Vision 2020, to improve the urban planning of the area. With
major developments already years into place, the riots added another
two years onto the workload, although residents certainly helped
reduce that.
As
one of the 32 unitary London Borough's, Croydon Council is the
single, all purpose authority responsible for the vast majority of
the town's functions.
Croydon
councillor, Vidhi Mohan, said: “My faith in humanity was largely
restored by the
reaction of
the community as a whole in the aftermath of the violence.
“Everyone
rallied around and the message that came across loud and clear was
that local people felt passionately about their borough and their
neighbours.”
Leader
of Croydon Council, Mike Fisher, added: “Long-term regeneration is
not just about the physical and economic – we're also committed to
focusing on social recovery.
“Croydon
residents have shown immense community spirit and belonging following
the riots and we want to use this as a catalyst for renewed
engagement across the borough.”
Major
of London, Boris Johnston, alongside the Department for Communities
and local government, provided the heavily-hit town with £23m.
The
council supported by distributing £1m packages to local businesses,
giving up to £100,000 for families made homeless, providing a
weekend of free car parking and tram use; the list is endless.
MP
Gavin Barwell is leading Project Change, a program trying to restore
the damaged reputations of young people not involved.
Croydon
teenagers have had enough of being victimised and have taken
initiative to build their reputation by using a hands-on approach to
speak to the public, clean up the streets and paint positive messages
around the town.
More
than eight months on and 33-year-old Gordon Thompson has been jailed
for 11-and-a-half years for burning down 144 years worth of
historical landmark and legacy. The heat-of-the-moment thought of
stealing a laptop was assisted by a cheeky lighting of a sofa on the
way out of the House of Reeves. So whereas the youth may be targeted,
it's a middle-aged man who is convicted for one of the most harmful
crimes involved.
People
have needed a place of comfort and reassurance in this dire time, and
the Croydon Buddhist Centre has seen an overwhelming increase in
numbers since the autumn.
Buddhist
leader, Dhammavijaya, said: “People would say that when the Buddha
spoke, it was like a light being brought into the darkness so that
people could now see clearly. The riots in Croydon show that our
society has its pockets of darkness, yet even within those pockets
there is a hunger for the light.”
“The
Buddha's last word was 'strive', and that is what we intend to do to
raise people's awareness; both, a set of coherent values that are
more satisfying than the purely material, and an understanding that
the world we create cones from the states of mind we inhabit.”
De
Stafford school teacher, Amit Chadda, attends the Buddhist Centre
regularly and is touched to see “members of the youth spending time
with their elderly neighbours to support them and keep them company.
“Charities
have been established to help rebuild long standing businesses that
have served the community for years. I mean, this is amazing. Isn't
it? Its incredible how the mindless, blind behaviour of an unskilful
minority has helped the wider community open their eyes and arms to
one another.”
The
born and bred Croydoner feels “it seems that we have recognised
that our little Croydon is special, it has heart. It's 'ours', and we
will stand by it, and its people.”
Perhaps
it's too naïve to say the riots had a positive impact on the town,
but this rehabilitation of an already tarnished reputation has seen
the silent majority speak out and take action. However many times
Croydon may perish, it seems nothing can bring it down for good.
Is
it permanent though, or is an anniversary repeat during the Olympics
only inevitable?
