Brixton riot (1985)

Brixton riot (1985)

The Brixton riot (sometimes known as 'uprising') of 1985 started on 28 September in Brixton in South London.

It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy 'Cherry' Groce by police while they were seeking her son Michael Groce in relation to a suspected firearms offence and believed he was hiding in his mother's home. He was not there at the time of the shooting, and Groce was paralysed below the waist by the bullet.

Groce had migrated to Britain from Jamaica in her youth and the incident was immediately perceived by many local residents of a similar background as further evidence of what was widely regarded as institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police.

As word of the shooting spread through the community, a large group of protesters gathered at the local police station chanting anti-racist slogans and demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved. However, hostility between the largely black crowd and the largely white police force quickly escalated into a series of street battles.

The police lost control of the area for approximately 48 hours during which several shops were looted and fires started, leaving at least one building and dozens of cars destroyed. One photo-journalist died as a result of head injuries and dozens of arrests were made.

Aftermath

The police officer who shot Groce, Inspector Douglas Lovelock, was prosecuted and eventually acquitted of malicious wounding. However, Mrs. Groce did receive compensation from the Metropolitan Police for her injuries.

One week later, another serious conflict, sparked by similar circumstances, broke out between the Metropolitan Police and mainly black residents of North London's Tottenham district in what became known as the Broadwater Farm riot.

Cultural references

* Stephen Frears' 1987 film "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid" opens with an incident very similar to the Groce shooting.

ee also

* Brixton riot (1981)
* Brixton riot (1995)
* Broadwater Farm riot
* Eleanor Bumpurs
* Urban riots

External links

* BBC News Online - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3706789.stm 'My mum got caught in the crossfire']
* BBC News Online - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/28/newsid_2540000/2540397.stm 1985: Riots in Brixton after police shooting]
* BBC News Online - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/15/newsid_2530000/2530537.stm 1987: Officer cleared in Groce shooting case]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 1985 Brixton riot — The Brixton riot of 1985 started on 28 September in Lambeth in South London.[citation needed] It was the second major riot that the area had witnessed in the space of four years. It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy Cherry Groce by police,… …   Wikipedia

  • Brixton riot (1981) — The Brixton riot of April 11, 1981 was one of the most serious riots in London, UK, of the 20th century. The riot resulted in almost 279 police injuries and 45 members of the public were injured; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqDLg6GEfGg… …   Wikipedia

  • Brixton riot (1995) — The Brixton riots of 1995 began on December 13 after the death of black 26 year old, Wayne Douglas, in police custody. Trouble broke out after what had been a peaceful protest outside the Brixton Police Station where the death occurred. With… …   Wikipedia

  • 1981 Brixton riot — See also: 1981 England riots and Brixton Riots 1981 Brixton Riots Bloody Saturday Police block the access to the main area of rioting. Image: Kim Aldis …   Wikipedia

  • Brixton Riots — There have been three riots in Brixton, London: *Brixton riot (1981) April 11, 1981 *Brixton riot (1985) September 28, 1985 *Brixton riot (1995) December 13, 1995 …   Wikipedia

  • Brixton — infobox UK place country = England region= London population= official name= Brixton static static image caption= latitude= 51.463 longitude= 0.106 london borough= Lambeth constituency westminster= Streatham constituency westminster1= Vauxhall… …   Wikipedia

  • Broadwater Farm riot — The Broadwater Farm riot occurred around the Broadwater Farm area of Tottenham, North London, on 6 October 1985. The events of the day were dominated by two deaths. The first was that of Cynthia Jarrett, an African Caribbean woman who died the… …   Wikipedia

  • 1981 Moss Side riot — The Moss Side riot happened in July 1981 in and around Moss Side in Manchester, England. On 8 July 1981 more than 1,000 young people besieged the police station at Moss Side, Manchester. During this a policeman was shot with a crossbow bolt… …   Wikipedia

  • 1981 Chapeltown race riot — See also: Riots in Chapeltown, List of riots in Leeds, and 1981 England riots The Chapeltown Riots of 1981 took place in the Leeds district of Chapeltown in West Yorkshire, England, during a time when many other areas of the UK were… …   Wikipedia

  • 1987 Chapeltown race riot — See also: Riots in Chapeltown and List of riots in Leeds The Chapeltown riots of 1987, were riots in Chapeltown, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was not the first time such rioting had occurred. In 1981 the area was subject to widespread… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”