Brixton Riot 1995

Brixton Riots 1995

The Brixton riots of 1995 began on 13 December after the death of a black 26-year-old, Wayne Douglas, in police custody. Douglas had allegedly robbed a couple in bed at knifepoint hours earlier. Trouble broke out after what had been a peaceful protest outside the Brixton Police Station where the death occurred. Panther UK, who organised the peaceful protest as a vigil for Wayne Douglas as well a marches for Wayne Douglas and Stephen Lawrence, claim that other groups who were not involved in the organisation of the vigil, encouraged the protestors to march the length of Brixton High Road to the Town Hall with the express intention of blocking traffic to bring attention to the demonstration.

Police allowed the march to set off with protestors waving their banners, banging drums and chanting loudly. However, before the the march had reached the Town Hall, van loads of police in full riot gear had asembled and cut off the first group of protestors (the organisers) from the main parade. With several hundred people hemmed into the small space infront of the Ritzy Cinema and surrounded by riot-police an uneasy stand-off ensued. Then police agent provocatuers began throwning bricks, bottles and other misslies over the heads of the riot police and into the crowds who began to panic and fight their way out of the early form of 'Kettling'. The riot resulted in damage to property and vehicles in the area. Police sealed off a three-kilometre (2 mile) area around Brixton in south London.

The riot lasted for five hours. 22 people were arrested and charged with public order offences, theft and criminal damage. Three police officers were hurt.

The Deputy Prime Minister at the time, Michael Heseltine, condemned the riots and said "efforts to improve Brixton would continue".^[

The New York Times reported that local residents were outraged by the death of a black man in police custody and saw the riots as expression of alienation in an impoverished area devastated by race riots in 1981. The New York Times quotes Harold Douglas, 39, as saying:

"Last night happened because the only time a black man is seen and listened to is when he comes out on the street...They cause a million pounds of damage and then people start taking notice."

At a news conference at the time Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Condon is quoted to have said:

"It was not Brixton rioting last night. It was a small minority of thugs and criminals who, as ever, were looking for the opportunity to embark on criminal activities."

A local resident at the time stated:

"Local people are not only pissed off with the death of Wayne Douglas but the whole gentrification of Brixton. Council houses and houses occupied bysquatters are being sold off and local pubs like the Atlantic, traditionally run by black people, was opened last week by yuppies as 'The Dog Star'. In anger this was smashed, looted and burnt out. The £33 million City Challenge development including CCTV is only of benefit to big business not local stallholders."

SchNews quoted another local resident, identified as "Joyce", as saying:

"People were putting up barricades. There were hundreds of people involved, mostly young black and white people and they were local, they weren't outsiders. This was a combination of black people dying in police custody and the way Brixton is at the moment. The place is being yuppified with City Challenge while unemployed centres, adventure playgrounds and libraries are getting shut."