BRIXTON RIOT 1985

C I V I L  C H A O S

In 1981, the whole United Kingdom was affected Britain by a recession.                              Brixton is a deprived area with a high number of unemployment, social problems and a predominantly black community. This part of London suffered two riots in 1981 dubbed " Bloody Saturday " by Time Magazine and the 1984 shooting of Mrs Groce. Both riots were related to incidents where the police and black civilians collided. 

Brixton Riot 1985

On the 28th of September in 1985, the Brixton Riot started in Lambeth, South London.

This was the second major riot which the area had suffered in the space of four years.

It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy 'Cherry' Groce. The police were looking for her son Michael Groce in relation to a suspected firearms offence- and assumed Michael Groce was hiding in his mother's home. It is stated that the police did not give any required warning (which left residents thinking that a raid is about to happen). Mrs. Groce was in bed, when the police began their search. Michael Groce wasn’t found there at the time of the shooting, and Mrs. Groce was paralysed below the waist by the police bullet.

Brixton Riot 1985

Mrs Groce had migrated from Jamaica to the UK as a young woman. Instantly, most locals regarded this incident as further evidence of institutional racism by the Metropolitan Police. Rumours were spreading very fast through the community that Mrs Groce was shot dead. Large crowds gathered in front of the local police station and started chanting anti – police slogans and demanding immediate justice to all police officers involved. Very fast, aggression grew between the primarily white Metropolitan Police and the primarily black protesters which spiralled into street fights.  In the next 2 days, the police lost control over the ongoing growing numbers of protesters and the situation escalated into pure violence and crime, many shops were looted, cars set on fire and destruction caused where ever possible. The photo-journalist David Hodge died of head injuries a few days later; he was photographing a gang of thieves ransacking shops, many arrests were made.

Brixton Riot 1985

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                             Annette Heart