The terrible, lawless London riots, which began Saturday, August 6, have continued nightly, growing, it feels, almost exponentially. Violence has broken out in Tottenham, Croydon, Clapham Junction, Hackney, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Bristol.Reports claim martial law may be put into effect, with hundreds of people arrested, dozens, at least, injured, and at least one fatality, after the original police shooting that sparked the unrest.
So it’s amazing and wonderful to see that the citizens in these areas, like in the above photo taken in Clapham, are taking back their streets — and cleaning them up.(Twitter: #LondonRiots  #RiotCleanup  #ukcleanup  @Riotcleanup. And Facebook.)
The Wall Street Journal today writes,
The man behind the twitter movement is Dan Thompson, from Worthing in Sussex. An artist, he runs a network helping high streets use empty shops.
“I wondered what I could do to make a difference. I thought if we could get people to sweep up the bit of street in front of their house, that would be something.
“I never expected this sort of response. To see people armed with brooms cheering the police is heartening.
“This is what the big society is about. It is about local people standing up and making a difference.â€
He dismissed suggestions that Twitter was to blame for the riots. “You might as well blame the air,†he said.
His campaign has attracted a number of celebrity twitterers, including the doyen Stephen Frywho wrote:
I do hope that if I was in London now I’d be as good & brave & kind as all those who are agreeing to meet & help clean up #RiotCleanup
This is how you take back your country. With personal responsibility, elbow grease, and honor.
Not by cheering at the news of an S&P downgrade, not by making racist comments, not by sending photos of the White House surrounded by watermelons or of the President as a monkey, and not by spitting on a black Congressman.
Our hearts and hopes are with our friends across the Pond today.
(Image by @A1 on Twitter.)