Handsworth riots
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The two Handsworth riots occurred in the Handsworth suburb of Birmingham England during the summers of 1981 and 1985. The riots were allegedy caused by heavy-handed policing and drug-related problems in this inner city suburb, fueled by a nationwide wave of uprisings in the wake of the April 1981 Brixton riot. Other sources claimed that the local West Indian community felt aggrieved at the increase in Asian owned businesses that were prospering in the area. Violent racism existed in the city from both cultures. It has been argued that the riots really arose from poor social conditions, racial discrimination, poverty, unemployment, and dilapidated housing. Since then much has been done to improve the local amenities and housing conditions.
Although the town was once a fine Victorian suburb with strong links to the the invention of gas lighting and the steam engine, it has since become one of the most prolific gun culture areas in Greater Birmingham with dozens of shooting fatalities including police officers. The Mothers for Justice organization has evolved out of the fear of gun crime in the area by the local residents.
The first riot in Handsworth took place on July 10, 1981; hundreds of people attacked police and property, looting and smashing, even setting off fire bombs.
The next took place in September 1985, again sparked by a wave of hot-weather riots, including those in Brixton and Toxteth. The second riot was witnessed by Bronx graffiti artists Brim and Goldie, who documented the devastation in the Channel 4 documentary Bombing.
References
- Handsworth Songs, directed by John Akomfrah (Black Audio Film Collective) - Award winning 1986 film examining the historical, social and political roots of social disorder in Britain. *[1] (http://www.bfi.org.uk/collections/catalogues/ethnic/details.php?filmid=49)
- Digital Handsworth (http://www.digitalhandsworth.org.uk) - Digital Handsworth, extensive image archive on the history of Handsworth, Birmingham includes documentary photographs and textual information of the Handsworth Riots by acclaimed black British TV filmaker/photographer Pogus Caesar.