# Brixton Riots 1981 Research Project



## historyjack (Feb 17, 2013)

I represent a group of students from the University of Portsmouth who are looking into the events within Brixton in 1981. We are looking to interview participants in the disturbance as well as anyone within Brixton during the time who understood the event. If anyone would like to get involved and be interviewed it would be greatly appreciated and would be of a great help.


----------



## Gramsci (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> I represent a group of students from the University of Portsmouth who are looking into the events within Brixton in 1981. We are looking to interview participants in the disturbance as well as anyone within Brixton during the time who understood the event. If anyone would like to get involved and be interviewed it would be greatly appreciated and would be of a great help.


 
What are interviews for? What is research for?

I was there in 81


----------



## historyjack (Feb 20, 2013)

The interviews are so we can gain a perspective of those who were there during the period. Often in history it is the masses who are overlooked it is our aim to gain a personal perspective of the event and represent the opinions of those who have been overlooked. The aim of the project is to discover the cause of the disturbance and also see how people view the event now 32 years on from the event


----------



## Onket (Feb 20, 2013)

Good luck with the project.


----------



## TopCat (Feb 20, 2013)

The time line and antecedents have all been nailed down years ago. The only real untold stories are from the police themselves.


----------



## historyjack (Feb 20, 2013)

This is true that the story of the police action has been overlooked but its nearly impossible to get a policemen who was involved to talk about the event. Also in terms of history the presentation of the participants views has been overlooked. Which is why we selected this subject. Much has been written about the scarman report and the governments action but very little has tackled this issue of the view of the participants.


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Feb 20, 2013)

TopCat said:


> The time line and antecedents have all been nailed down years ago. The only real untold stories are from the police themselves.


 


historyjack said:


> This is true that the story of the police action has been overlooked but its nearly impossible to get a policemen who was involved to talk about the event.


 
Possibly stating the bleeding obvious, but there is a police oral history project, and from a quick look at the catalogue, there are some references to the Brixton events of 1981


----------



## historyjack (Feb 20, 2013)

It's true there is small archives on police but it is often accepted that the oral testimonies of police are often missing. Also this is not our aim to evaluate the police and isn't something we are particularly interested in. Also we accept that there is a potential that from the oral history which we receive we will not unearth anything that hasn't already been looked at. One of our main aims is just to expand the oral history on the event.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Feb 20, 2013)

Brian Paddick has talked about his experience. Interview with the BBC. Radio 4 iirc


----------



## TopCat (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> This is true that the story of the police action has been overlooked but its nearly impossible to get a policemen who was involved to talk about the event. Also in terms of history the presentation of the participants views has been overlooked. Which is why we selected this subject. Much has been written about the scarman report and the governments action but very little has tackled this issue of the view of the participants.


 
There are been quite in depth accounts by the key people involved, many of them on TV.


----------



## Pickman's model (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> This is true that the story of the police action has been overlooked but its nearly impossible to get a policemen who was involved to talk about the event. Also in terms of history the presentation of the participants views has been overlooked. Which is why we selected this subject. Much has been written about the scarman report and the governments action but very little has tackled this issue of the view of the participants.


by 'participants' you seem to mean 'rioters' as though the police were not themselves participants, just anonymous ciphers or cardboard cut-outs, only there to have stuff thrown at them.


----------



## Pickman's model (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> It's true there is small archives on police but it is often accepted that the oral testimonies of police are often missing. Also this is not our aim to evaluate the police and isn't something we are particularly interested in. Also we accept that there is a potential that from the oral history which we receive we will not unearth anything that hasn't already been looked at. One of our main aims is just to expand the oral history on the event.


there are vast police archives, perhaps you're just not looking in the right place.


----------



## historyjack (Feb 20, 2013)

I understand the police participation is crucial. But our aim is to interview 10 people from the Brixton area to allow us to complete our project on the catalyst for the Brixton riot of 1981 and to also analyse their views on the impact of the event 30 years on.


----------



## historyjack (Feb 20, 2013)

I was just hoping through using this blog I would be able to find people from the Brixton area who were around in 1981 who would be interested in helping me with my under-graduate project


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 20, 2013)

is there pay involved? A kebab?


----------



## historyjack (Feb 20, 2013)

Unfortunately we can offer very little in the terms of payment as we are all struggling financially ourselves. But we would be willing to meet in a destination of your choosing and would of course offer to purchase hot drinks etc.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> Unfortunately we can offer very little in the terms of payment as we are all struggling financially ourselves. But we would be willing to meet in a destination of your choosing and would of course offer to purchase hot drinks etc.


So you'd come to Brixton from Portsmouth? You know it's not the Brixton in Devon? I would also point out that with the current gentrification round here a kebab is considerably cheaper than a cup of coffee.


----------



## TopCat (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> I understand the police participation is crucial. But our aim is to interview 10 people from the Brixton area to allow us to complete our project on the catalyst for the Brixton riot of 1981 and to also analyse their views on the impact of the event 30 years on.


Cherry Groce (RIP) was shot and paralysed by a poorly supervised and badly trained copper. People from all over flocked to Brixton and had a massive riot including stealing loads of big tellys. There was a report by Lord Scarman who said the best way to stop re-occurrence was to remove the pedestrian barrier from the middle of the High Street. This latter action was only recently carried out, bringing peace to the area, finally.


----------



## Onket (Feb 20, 2013)

Mrs Magpie said:


> So you'd come to Brixton from Portsmouth? You know it's not the Brixton in Devon? I would also point out that with the current gentrification round here a kebab is considerably cheaper than a cup of coffee.


 
Jesus wept.  You REALLY need to learn to stop this.


----------



## Onket (Feb 20, 2013)

historyjack said:


> I was just hoping through using this blog I would be able to find people from the Brixton area who were around in 1981 who would be interested in helping me with my under-graduate project


 
Seems entirely fair enough to me. Hopefully you manage to make contact with some people who are less idiotic than some of those who have answered so far.


----------



## TopCat (Feb 20, 2013)

Onket said:


> . Hopefully you manage to make contact with some people who are less idiotic than some of those who have answered so far.


 
Your better than this.


----------



## Onket (Feb 20, 2013)

TopCat said:


> Your better than this.


 
I know. I just wish others were too.


----------



## historyjack (Feb 21, 2013)

Onket said:


> Seems entirely fair enough to me. Hopefully you manage to make contact with some people who are less idiotic than some of those who have answered so far.


Thank you. Hopefully I can find a couple of people willing to spend an hour with me telling me their opinions on the event


----------



## newbie (Feb 21, 2013)

TopCat said:


> Cherry Groce (RIP) was shot and paralysed by a poorly supervised and badly trained copper. People from all over flocked to Brixton and had a massive riot including stealing loads of big tellys. There was a report by Lord Scarman who said the best way to stop re-occurrence was to remove the pedestrian barrier from the middle of the High Street. This latter action was only recently carried out, bringing peace to the area, finally.


no, no your history is a little confused, and you forgot the other scarman outcome which was the giant flowerpots outside the POW


----------



## wiskey (Feb 21, 2013)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Brian Paddick has talked about his experience. Interview with the BBC. Radio 4 iirc


 
There is also at least one episode of R4's The Reunion about it.


----------



## Miss-Shelf (Feb 21, 2013)

historyjack said:


> Unfortunately we can offer very little in the terms of payment as we are all struggling financially ourselves. But we would be willing to meet in a destination of your choosing and would of course offer to purchase hot drinks etc.


a practical point - what about skype? Maybe worth addressing Pickman's point above as it's a valid one and might give some incentive to potential respondents if they know more about your perspective


----------



## Gramsci (Feb 21, 2013)

TopCat said:


> Cherry Groce (RIP) was shot and paralysed by a poorly supervised and badly trained copper. People from all over flocked to Brixton and had a massive riot including stealing loads of big tellys. There was a report by Lord Scarman who said the best way to stop re-occurrence was to remove the pedestrian barrier from the middle of the High Street. This latter action was only recently carried out, bringing peace to the area, finally.


 
I assume you are joking.

The riots that started after Cherry Groce was shot were 1985 not 81.

There was a large demo outside the cop shop. The cops pushed everyone away from the cop shop and people ended up in Gresham road and in central Brixton.

First I knew about the riot was when I saw a couple of people trying to run down CHL with a fridge. Currys was on the Electric avenue then. First place to get done.

The 85 riots are not that well remembered. Unlike the 81 riot which now are referred to as an "uprising". Why the 85 riot is not referred to in same way I do not know.

I think possibly because the Broadwater Farm riot was a week later. Both riots were pretty grim. Unlike 81 it did not look like victory the day after. After 81 I remember a government minister came to look around Brixton and was jeered at by locals. It was seen more as the Black community standing up for itself. By 85 after Thatcher crushing the miners it was more expression of rage than anything else and not the same atmosphere afterwards.

I do not agree with the word "uprising". Nothing wrong with the word riot.

It would be interesting if academics did more research on the 1985 riot.

81 was about police harassment- "Swamp 81". 85 was about police getting away with shooting people. As they still do. Also the 85 riot has, for that reason, more in common with the recent riots.

historyjack


----------



## Gramsci (Mar 9, 2013)

historyjack said:


> Thank you. Hopefully I can find a couple of people willing to spend an hour with me telling me their opinions on the event


 
I did meet historyjack.

Most interesting. Ended up showing him around Brixton. Made me think that the history of that era is important.

Also showed him the Nuclear Dawn mural. He was very interested in that. It was finished same year as the 81 riots. Forget what a large mural it is and how its related to that period in the early 80s.

historyjack


----------

