Afternoon:
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When the initial reports came through that a young black man had been shot dead by the police in Tottenham I was taken aback at the assumption in the broadcast media, fed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, that the young black man had fired the first shot.
First, there was no way the media could substantiate this allegation. Second, the IPCC hadn't even started its investigation into the incident and third, we cannot be sure that the family of the victim, Mark Duggan, was notified before these claims began filtering through the news wires.
With the dismay at the way the media reported the incident, it was no surprise that a peaceful march and protest was arranged by the family and friends of Duggan. For many hours they were effectively ignored at the police station by senior officers. No one came forth with a reasonable explanation of the events that led up to the death of Duggan. Frustration began to mount. By the time I switched on my TV on Sunday morning I was revisited by scenes I witnessed in Brixton 30 years ago.
Then it had been word of mouth that spread the news of the growing insurrection. Today, it seems all it takes is a few taps on a mobile phone to summon a crowd. From what I understand, the uprising in Tottenham ran the same course as those in the inner cities in the 1980s: an initial confrontation with the police followed by opportunistic looting and vandalism. I can understand the anger directed at the police but I condemn the wanton acts of vandalism and arson. Those acts will not help us find the answers with what led to the death of Mark Duggan.
There is a deep aggravation in the black community that despite the many deaths of young black men in police custody there has yet to be a conviction of any policeman or policewoman. Tensions heightened with the recent death of reggae artist Smiley Culture, who allegedly took his own life with a kitchen knife at his own home. Again, no one in the black community believes this account. In a similar response to the Smiley Culture controversy, the IPCC announced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Duggan.
Many in the black community who I speak to have no faith in the IPCC and believe it is an investigative body that is not fit for purpose. Over the years we have seen investigation after investigation but no conviction.
"Justice" was the chant in Brixton 30 years ago, "justice" was the chant in Brixton Town Hall at a public meeting following Smiley Culture's death and I heard the same cry on Sunday morning on the streets of Tottenham.
Trust between the police and the black community has been painstakingly rebuilt since the Eighties. For example, I am now consulted by the City of London police on stop and search policy for ethnic minorities. That simply didn't happen in the Eighties. In Brixton the community now enjoys the Summer Splash street festival that was initiated by local community leaders hand-in-hand with the police.
All this good intention and goodwill will be undone if young black people perceive the police as an institution that never has to account for its own criminality.
Alex Wheatle is the author of the novels Brixton Rock, East of Acre Lane and Brenton Brown.
