2 NEWS brixtonblog.com 2018 JULY/AUGUST
BRIXTON BUGLE brixtonblog.com Proudly edited in Brixton Both website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation run by a committed team of people from Brixton @brixtonblog brixtonblog.com
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Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation 12,000 copies Readership: circa 15,000 EDITOR Linda Quinn linda@brixtonblog.com MANAGING EDITOR Simon Still simon@brixtonblog.com NEWS EDITOR Anna McKie newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ARTS & FEATURES arts@brixtonblog.com MUSIC Dave Randall music@brixtonblog.com FOOD Nick Buglione food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey sport@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 65 Contributors Pam Douglas Rosa Herxheimer Emma Lange David Moftakhar Leslie Manasseh Carina Murphy Jamila Omar Gemma Pasha Dave Randall Sue Sheehan Ify Uchegbu Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Production: Alan Slingsby Distribution: Philip King A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success If you would like to be a Bugle stockist please email distribution@brixtonblog.com
COMMENT
TOWN HALL WORKSPACE OPEN SOON
London’s bleeding
Much-needed workspace for Brixton will soon be open in the refurbished Lambeth town hall. In a striking atrium setting designed and implemented by local firms Eley Kishimoto and Dolman Bowles who created Brixton’s “flash crossings”, there are several self-contained offices – most already let as the Bugle went to press – and hot desking space that will be available for about £125 a month. The space, to be known as Tripod, is leased from the council and operated by the community interest company Meanwhile Space, which has eight or nine similar projects at the moment. There will be a preference for local and creative and digital workers. AA For more information, see tripodbrixton.co.uk
16-year-old Saara Yearwood Hadadj says government should not be banning music, but opening youth clubs Over recent years knife crime in London, has become a major issue of public concern. Despite its significance to society, not much is known about the factors that drive it. In 2015 knife crime had been declining to 25,000 offences a year, but through 2016-2017 the rate of knife crime offences had increased to 37,000 in England and Wales. Reports indicate that there were more than 50 homicides in London in the first 100 days of 2018. Last year 39 teens in the UK were killed by knives – more than half in the capital. The rise in crimes involving knives are seen in hospital records. In the five years to March 2017, stab wounds increased by 13% in England and 17% in London. Everyone is searching for the answer to what is really driving knife crime? But it seems like it’s in plain sight, there are not enough extra-curricular activities in our society. In April this year, I carried out a survey “Social Awareness”, questioning the youth on how they feel about knife crime. I asked them how significant they felt in their community. Some 79.31% did not feel like a significant member of their society, which shows why they turn to crime in order for them to feel included in something (gangs). I then asked what changes they would like to see within their community and I came to the realisation that they all thought that their communities need “more youth clubs” – which would help them in reality as it would take them off the road. Some also responded to this question saying that they want somewhere to be able “to vocalise our thoughts in order to create opportunities for us”. Following this question, I asked them how they feel about the influx in knife crime in London and their responses consisted of: “Vulgar”; “Scary”; “Shocking”; “Horrible”; and “It disappoints me”. This goes to show that the youth want change and they do not like the influx of crime and that extra-curricular activities set in place could help them focus on something. There are loads of unsettling reasons that may drive knife crime ideas of children coming from broken homes, or the belief that the music industry is influencing the youth to commit crime. But some see music as a gateway for them to do something with their time and life, as they are able to express their feelings through their own words. For example, Santan Dave is seen to show how he feels about the society we live in today, speaking RAW facts, which would influence the youth to think like him. But there are also repercussions as some musicians rap about violence, but it usually isn’t acted upon. The government’s idea of taking drill/grime/rap music down is creating a larger gateway for the youth to commit crime as they are no longer focussing on something and then have time on their hands.
RITZY SACKINGS UNFAIR ☛☛ from page 1 pushing cyber-pickets”. This is a potentially unlawful activity. Six Ritzy representatives were investigated by Picturehouse in a process which led to three sackings in June 2017. A fourth representative was dismissed later and a further tribunal hearing in this case is pending. The decision in the case of the two unfairly dismissed workers says that notes of the disciplinary meetings “show a lack of neutrality at the investigation and disciplinary stages”. There was an assumption of guilt and during the disciplinary a Picturehouse regional manager stated that the onus was on the accused workers to prove, in effect, their innocence. The decision also says: “There was a failure … at all stages of the process for the respondent [Picturehouse] to properly engage with the nature of the claimants’ defence. Further, we conclude that the penalties applied to both claimants were outside the band of reasonable responses.” The tribunal panel concluded: “Accordingly, in a number of respects the dismissals were unfair.”
A Ritzy workers’ representative said: “If anyone should be fired for dishonesty it is Picturehouse and Cineworld bosses. “It’s now proven by the tribunal that they were biased from the beginning. Since the sackings last year many striking sites have been chronically understaffed which puts huge strain on remaining staff members.” Support for workers at the Ritzy Cinema and at Picturehouses in East Dulwich, Crouch End, Central London and Hackney continues to grow. The workers are calling for a boycott of Picturehouse cinemas, which the Bugle observes. AA Lambeth council has worked with Picturehouse to build a new cinema at the Nettlefold Hall former library site in West Norwood, contributing at least £3.4 million towards an estimated total cost of about £6 million. In December 2014 it said it had “negotiated with Picturehouse that, in line with council policy, staff employed by the Picturehouse for the West Norwood cinema would be paid the equivalent of London Living Wage.”