Brixton riot (1985)

The Brixton riot of 1985 started on 28 September in Brixton in South London.

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

Mrs Groce had immigrated 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 they regarded as 'institutional racism' in the Metropolitan Police.

As word of the shooting spread among the local community, a large group of protestors 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 running street battles.

The police lost control of the area for approximately 48 hours during which time several shops were looted and fires started which left 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 Mrs 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 strikingly 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.

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1985 | History of London | Metropolitan Police | Riots in England

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Aftermath

See also

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