Handsworth race riots
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.
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.
Twenty years later, the 2005 Birmingham Riot took place in Lozells.
References
- Handsworth Songs, Black Audio Film Collective's 1986 film examining the roots of social disorder in Britain.
External links
- Handsworth Riots - Twenty Summers On / OOM Gallery.
- Digital Handsworth photographs of the 1985 uprisings in Handsworth, Birmingham.
- [1] BBC Birmingham - Your Community - Handsworth Riots