Is Brixton stereotyped by the media?

[Mr BC]

BC My attitudes have changed a bit in the last few months, possibly because the dealer/ travelcard tout situation has been pinned back.
I don't think Brixton is the drugs funfair it was eighteen months ago and the breathing space has given me time to take Brixton for what it really is.

I still want the Tate Gardens situation sorted, so it can be a proper public space for the whole comunity. I still think the lack of public toilet provision is scandalous, and I'm still puzzled as to why the council think its acceptable to have a section of the community pissing on the street.

I'm glad the first thing that people get when they visit here is not someone asking for their travelcard, or demanding their money. I'm pleased that the police strength in our area has been addressed.

I'm glad that legitimate businesses are starting up and moving in to the area rather than out.

But what we can't do is label people as "scum." It's a dangerous road that, and its noticeable that the people who work with these problems don't resort to that language.

I agreed with you about use of the word 'scum'. It trivialises what is often a complex problem.

Pissing on the street is certainly anti-social and unpleasant. I'm surprised the Brixton local councillors haven't campaigned for more public toilets. My own local councillors succeeded in getting new toilets in both West Norwood and Crystal Palace after residents complained about lack of provision.

 

[Anna Key]

I still want the Tate Gardens situation sorted, so it can be a proper public space for the whole comunity. I still think the lack of public toilet provision is scandalous, and I'm still puzzled as to why the council think its acceptable to have a section of the community pissing on the street.

One reason there's problem in Tate Gardens is due to the history.

I used to see quite a few of the Tate Gardens drinkers in the old central Brixton pubs prior to yuppieisation:

Atlantic - now Dogstar
Coach & Horses - now Living Bar
Railway (Brady's) - permanently shut
Queen - yuppieised

So they were turfed out of their pubs - two of them black-run - to permit yuppie colonies. They retreated to Tate Gardens.

So the Council put up "No Street Drinking" signs in an effort to chase them from Tate Gardens also.

Darcus Howe turned up with a crate of beer, stood under a "No Street Drinking" sign and handed out the booze. The Council backed off but seems now to be having another go.

Once chased from Tate Gardens perhaps they'll retreat to a Council flat on Tulse Hill. Not as fun as a pub or a public space but at least its home.

How long before the yupps want their flats also? There's lots of valuable land up Tulse Hill, ripe for a "public-private partnership."

But perhaps by then they'll be dead. Problem solved. Their flats can be safely converted into "private luxury apartments."

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Ha! Inspired, Tony1798!!

Brixton is definitely stereotyped by the media - I've seen/heard items recorded in brixton at least 3 or 4 times in the past week or two - all basically saying "Look, oh my god, you can buy drugs here" - it's just an easy wasy to get a "story". I've also noticed how places like Kennington, Clapham and Camberwell become "Brixton" or "the Brixton area" whenever there is some sort of violent crime story to be reported upon. Some taxi drivers won't take you to Brixton because of the false reputation they've bought into - I often have to lie in order to get home. And I've been with people in their car and witnessed them fearfully locking the doors when driving slowly through Brixton - which I thought was well over the top.

brixton, in most people's minds, is synonymous 'black people'. so by constantly portraying it as a terrifying, violent, crime ridden ghetto filled with rampaging crack heads and muggers, the press thus make all these delightful traits also become synonymous (in some people's minds anyway!) with 'black people'.

I agree with this. You don't see the media out in force in Shoreditch/Hoxton at the weekend, chasing all the white kids buying/selling pills and cocaine do you? And the regular alcohol-related violence seen in most city centres at the weekend is basically ignored.

Interesting how the BBC is in such hot water over the Hutton "Report" and Gilligan's story (which was actually about 70% accurate) but the papers can basically print any load of bollocks and get away with it.

 

[carwasher]

I agree with BC on this one. When I first moved to West Norwood a few years back, I was aware of the campaign by the local councillors to get better public toilets in the area. Now the toilets are there, its made a huge difference. A lot of the problems in Brixton, like the lack of public toilets could be fixed by action by the local representatives.

As for the use of the word "scum", I'm afraid that I have a relaxed view on this. My history teacher at school always described me and my classmates as scum - something I'd never (until then) been called before nor something I liked. But then when my mother explained to me that I shouldn't be too worried since scum always rises to the top, it made me feel a whole lot happier.

 

[Numbers]

My wifes mum came over from Guyana in the early 60's and has lived in her fair share of places in London, Wandsworth -> Tooting -> Norbury -> Purley (someone mentioned Purley). Although she never lived there, the place she feels safest in is Brixton, she feels she's amongst her people when she's there. She's aware of all the bad press etc.. but feels safe.

 

[hatboy]

You're all council estate scum.... but I'm housing association scum.

 

[Anna Key]

My wifes mum came over from Guyana in the early 60's and has lived in her fair share of places in London, Wandsworth -> Tooting -> Norbury -> Purley (someone mentioned Purley). Although she never lived there, the place she feels safest in is Brixton, she feels she's amongst her people when she's there. She's aware of all the bad press etc.. but feels safe.

I worked for a while in Croydon with a group of Lambeth Council workers transferred to a private firm.

Tough African and Afro-Caribbean women used to arrive back at work at 2pm in tears after doing the family shopping in Croydon shops and someone being rude to them, e.g. serving a white person first.

To a woman they hated Croydon and couldn't wait to get back to Brixton. They all took voluntary redundancy.

At that time (1995) the Croydon firm we worked for had about 350 employees and not a single non-white manager. There was a local ethnic minority population in the area of about 18%.

I'm not saying for a moment that all Croydon shopkeepers and employers are racists. Clearly they're not. I'm just recounting the experience of a group of Brixton women which I witnessed and how I fully understood them wanting to return to civilized values in Brixton.

 

[Brainaddict]

Here's an interesting thing: in my argument with my Claphamite friend about the safety or otherwise of Brixton streets, he cited the abundance of policemen as evidence on his side.

According to all these daily mail polls etc, having more police on our streets is meant to make us feel safer. For my friend, the number of police in Brixton is 'proof' that the streets are unsafe, because they would only be there if they were 'necessary'.

Putting aside the flaws in his logic, I wonder if other people feel this way - that the presence of police proves an area is bad and therefore unsafe?

If so, should we actually clear all those scum off our streets?

If you don't have a sense of humour please ignore that last sentence.

 

[IntoStella]

According to all these daily mail polls etc, having more police on our streets is meant to make us feel safer. For my friend, the number of police in Brixton is 'proof' that the streets are unsafe, because they would only be there if they were 'necessary'.

It's an interesting point. A similar situation concerns the proposed council designation of the section of Coldharbour Lane between Atlantic rd and Brixton rd as what they call a ''stress area''. This would, in fact, be a good thing for property owners, for example, because it would automatically preserve the area from being overrun with noisy nightclubs and the like. But I talked to one property owner (and not a stupid one) who said ''No no! I don't like the sound of that! Being in a designated stress area is bound to devalue my property."

 

[hatboy]

My opinion on that last point is this:

Nightclubs, late bars and venues should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and not "zoned" into the centre as previously proposed. Clubs/late bars that are out of the central Brixton “zone” but are good neighbours should not be forced to shut. Nor should all loud/late night bars and clubs be placed in the town centre, which is also residential.

Does the new UDP say this or they still sticking with zones?

 

[fanta]

I think it's almost a horror film type thing. The white London middle classes, on their way home to nice warm flats in Beckenham or Croydon or Purley or Hammersmith, love to be titilated by stories of drugs and danger and violence.

It makes them just so pleased to get safely home. Just so pleased not to live in Brixton.

I don't think this is entirely true, though I understand why you post it.

Most of the white people I meet who are glad they do not live in Brixton are decidely working class NOT middle class. They are the children of the white flight from non-white immigration in the 1950s and 1960s.

In contrast to that, most middle class white people I know are if anything more tolerant, and in fact show an interest, in the culturally diverse Brixton.

Quite a few of them would probably like to live here for that very reason.

It is (some, not all obviously) working class white people in places like Eltham who are more glad they do not live in Brixton rather than middle class people in nice, comfy leafy areas.

 

[hatboy]

That's not fair Fanta, you are both right and wrong IMHO. There are leafy suburbs rife with racism. It might be more polite than the working class version but it's still there. Racism and non-racism occur in all classes.

 

[fanta]

Racism and non-racism occur in all classes.

Exactly my point!