10 Aug: Damage after night two
The first three photos are of a bank on New Street at Victoria Square. Next row: the Sainsbury's on Navigation Street near the intersection with Hill Street; The Old Fox on Hurst Street (which has many stained-glass windows); New Street shops.
9 Aug: Preserving a family's source of income
Locals took to the street on the second night of the riots--determined to defend their businesses and their communities in general. On the corner of Bromsgrove and Pershore Streets, behind the hotel, a household miscellany store (seen in the picture below) is owned by what I believe is a single family. Unfortunately, the store was attacked the previous night with windows and merchandise damaged and some goods stolen.
Usually, there are women working there with their children sometimes seen playing in the doorway or on the sidewalk. But on the eve of the second night of the riots, the women stayed home while an older man and possibly his son stood vigilant. They put samples of their merchandise outside, as always, to draw customers (the man crossing the street in the picture went inside and bought something) and left them there until the atmosphere became more tense hours after this late-day photo was taken.
The two men stayed at the doorway until past their usual closing time in order to stand watch and attempt to protect their store. Eventually, however, the street became too dangerous with police and rioters clashing, so they either locked themselves inside for the night or went home.
The two men stayed at the doorway until past their usual closing time in order to stand watch and attempt to protect their store. Eventually, however, the street became too dangerous with police and rioters clashing, so they either locked themselves inside for the night or went home.
8 Aug: The first night, corner of Bromsgrove and Hurst
At about 11.30pm, the rioters owned the streets. The cops, who weren't expecting the high level of activity that occurred, didn't show up near the hotel until about three hours later, when they were able to spread out, away from the earlier action in the city centre.
9 Aug: Looters strike the Tesco... again.
On the first night of the riots, a large group of vandals broke into the Tesco Express on the corner of Hurst and Bromsgrove Streets near the Arcadian Centre. So, the next day, the front of the store was boarded up.But destroying property requires food-fueled energy, thus, yet again, around 10pm the next night, the rioters broke into the Tesco. But this time, they didn't get much.
9 Aug: Signs of the times
9 Aug, day-after headline the morning after the riots began; 12 Aug, local newspaper headlines (for more on Tariq, see this previous post); 9 Aug, letter from the hotel manager posted in the elevator for the guests the day after the riots began.
9 Aug: Chamberlain Square questioning
The day after the first night of riots, the police were patrolling public areas fairly heavily, even early, as riot vans circled in preparation for the evening and the whipping rush of helicopter blades came and went wherever you were in the core of the city.
Outside of the library, two cops were standing watch over Chamberlain Square. My coworker and I ate lunch in the square and watched two very different scenes involving the policemen. The first is partly shown in the video below -- they stopped three young boys dressed like the rioters in order to question and perhaps influence them to not take part in the riots or to go in a different direction when they grow up (though they might, instead, develop a (greater?) hatred for police due to the incident). They inspected items on their person and eventually seemed good-natured with them -- even laughing a little at some point -- though it was clear the boys were nervous and embarrassed.
The other incident was included in a previous post, when a group of roughly a half-dozen also fairly young boys (though a little older, perhaps, than the boys in the video) passed closely by the cops, the ringleader strutting proudly in the forefront, rapping at a high volume. The policemen watched as they passed but didn't stop them--probably due to their being outnumbered by the boys as well as the large amount of people in the square should things get ugly (i.e., if the boys had weapons).
Outside of the library, two cops were standing watch over Chamberlain Square. My coworker and I ate lunch in the square and watched two very different scenes involving the policemen. The first is partly shown in the video below -- they stopped three young boys dressed like the rioters in order to question and perhaps influence them to not take part in the riots or to go in a different direction when they grow up (though they might, instead, develop a (greater?) hatred for police due to the incident). They inspected items on their person and eventually seemed good-natured with them -- even laughing a little at some point -- though it was clear the boys were nervous and embarrassed.
The other incident was included in a previous post, when a group of roughly a half-dozen also fairly young boys (though a little older, perhaps, than the boys in the video) passed closely by the cops, the ringleader strutting proudly in the forefront, rapping at a high volume. The policemen watched as they passed but didn't stop them--probably due to their being outnumbered by the boys as well as the large amount of people in the square should things get ugly (i.e., if the boys had weapons).
9 Aug: Damage after the first night of riots
A few notes on the photos below:
- The first picture on the second row has a lot of reflections in the glass but I was trying to shoot the interior, a mobile phone shop that was heavily looted.
- The third picture on the third row is Boots Pharmacy on New Street. I went there to buy something the morning of the first night of riots -- it was hit roughly twelve hours later.
14 Aug: "They did not die in vain; they died for this community."
There was a peace rally held today in Birmingham. The major speaker was Tariq Jahan, the father of one of the three young men who died on the second night of the riots after being hit by a car driven by a rioter. The next afternoon had the battered city closing down and boarding up for what was believed to be a much more violent night than the two preceding it. The reason? The driver of the car was black and the men he killed were Pakistani. The talk of revenge and an emotional clash between the two groups spread quickly and people were warned to get home early and stay there.
But the race riot never came. In fact, the riots themselves rather died for the most part. This was partially due to the increased police presence and their stronger show of force the night before. Also, the cops had been given the OK to use rubber bullets if necessary. But the credit is mostly given to Tariq Jahan who, on the day after his son's death, pleaded for peace. He did not want more people dying in the name of vengeance and, apparently, people listened.
Here's a news article regarding the peace rally: "UK riots: thousands attend Birmingham peace rally"
But the race riot never came. In fact, the riots themselves rather died for the most part. This was partially due to the increased police presence and their stronger show of force the night before. Also, the cops had been given the OK to use rubber bullets if necessary. But the credit is mostly given to Tariq Jahan who, on the day after his son's death, pleaded for peace. He did not want more people dying in the name of vengeance and, apparently, people listened.
Here's a news article regarding the peace rally: "UK riots: thousands attend Birmingham peace rally"
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