Forming the biggest picket of the strike so far, at least 5,000 miners gathered outside Orgreave coking plant … [1][2][8] As darkness fell on Coldharbour Lane, groups of men gathered and were stopping cars, opening doors and seizing the keys, expelling their occupants and then setting the cars on fire. A week after the 1985 riot in Brixton, the Broadwater estate in Tottenham erupted into violence between youths and the police when a woman suffered heart … Handsworth had been predominantly populated by the black and Asian communities for around 30 years by 1985. The fire rapidly spread to the residential flats on the higher levels of the 4-storey building, and it was only by singular good fortune and heroic action of residents in rescuing one elderly gentleman that all escaped without loss of life or serious injury. [4] The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe subsequently "apologised unreservedly for our failings" to the family for the years of suffering, stating that the Metropolitan Police operation had been inadequate, failed to carry out its responsibilities properly, and that it was "inexcusable" that it had taken so long for the police to acknowledge these failings. [1][7], The police officer who shot Mrs Groce, Detective Inspector Douglas Lovelock, was prosecuted but eventually acquitted of malicious wounding. [1], In March 2014, almost 29 years after the events and almost three years after her death, the Metropolitan Police publicly apologised to Cherry Groce's family for her wrongful shooting. [3] In July of the same year, an inquest jury concluded that eight separate police failures had contributed to Mrs Groce's death, for which the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe subsequently "apologised unreservedly for our failings" to the family. The Broadwater Farm riot followed the death of estate resident Cynthia Jarrett, who died of heart failure after four policemen burst into her home during a raid on 5 October 1985. [7] She was hospitalised for over a year, and in hospital-based rehabilitation for a further year; friends within the local community looked after her children. [7] She was treated at King's College Hospital, but she died on Easter Sunday, and was buried in May 2011. [14], With both the Metropolitan Police and former Inspector Douglas Lovelock both to be represented at the inquest by Queen's Counsel, the Legal Aid Agency refused the Groce family funds on the grounds that "there are no new issues. Another policeman was shot and injured after a night of horrific violence between the police and hundreds of black and white youths. [13] Mrs Groce later received over £500,000 in compensation from the Metropolitan Police, but with no admission of liability. It was triggered by the fatal shooting by police of a man they mistakenly believed had been brandishing a gun. I also hadn't realised that the Brixton Recreation Centre - not a building it is easy to love - was built in the aftermath of the 1981 riots in an attempt to improve facilities in the area. "[2], On 30 September in Peckham, south London, black youths began throwing petrol bombs and setting shops alight. [1] Mrs Groce was in bed, whilst three of her six children were in residence when the police entered the house with force. [4], The community of Lambeth, after the 1981 Brixton riot, did not trust the Metropolitan Police, with many of the mixed race but mainly Afro-Caribbean population upset about the institutional racism of the police department. [5], On the morning of Saturday 28 September 1985, a group of police officers raided Cherry Groce's house on Normandy Road, Brixton, including an armed CID officer, searching for suspected armed robber Michael Groce. [2] Through force which involved a number of reported unprovoked attacks on local passers-by and accredited members of the media,[2] the police cordoned off the area around the police station on Brixton Road, and then cleared the surrounding shopping district. Amongst a number of fires, one building had been destroyed, 55 cars had been burnt out, and 58 burglaries had been committed including acts of looting. Live Aid in July 1985 was a memorable bright spot with millions tuning in to watch charity concerts at Wembley and Philadelphia. From the archive, 30 September 1985: Brixton, the scene 24 hours earlier of violent rioting, had last night returned to an uneasy calm [4], After three days of hiding, Michael learnt via the television news about the shooting of his mother and the riots. Despite numerous investigations no-one has ever been convicted of … [5] Shortly afterwards, he heard a knock on the door and went down to answer it, finding a police officer enquiring if he was Michael Groce. [1], As word of the shooting spread throughout the community, rumours persisted that Mrs. Groce had in fact been killed in the raid. [10] Police later stated that they made 149 arrests that evening, mostly for violence, 20 for burglary and theft and two for petrol bombing. A march organised by the ANL, the SWP and Militant resulted in riots against the Metropolitan police. The second Handsworth riots took place in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, West Midlands, from 9 to 11 September 1985.The riots were reportedly sparked by the arrest of a man near the Acapulco Cafe, Lozells and a police raid on the Villa Cross public house in the same area. [2] Two other people were unaccounted for, 35 others injured, more than 1500 police officers drafted into the area, about 45 shops looted and burnt, and a trail of damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. [2], In the aftermath, photo-journalist David Hodge died a few days later as a result of an aneurysm, after being attacked by gang of looters he was trying to photograph. Today a reformed character, Michael is a published poet who runs poetry, personal development and motivational workshops in schools under the project title "Cherry Blossoms", and gives talks to dissuade others from making mistakes similar to those that he made. The group that had gathered outside her house grew to over 60,[7] and then moved to the local district police station, where they began chanting "murderers" and anti-police slogans,[8] demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved. Police have used riot gear for the first time since the miners' strike began three months ago. It was the second major riot that the area had witnessed in the space of four years, the last in 1981. Today marks 30 years since the second round of serious riots in the Birmingham district of Handsworth during the 9th to 11th of September 1985. Thirty years ago PC Keith Blakelock was stabbed in the Broadwater Farm riots in Tottenham, north London. [11] In total over 50 people were injured, 200 arrests were made, one building and dozens of cars were destroyed, and several shops had been looted. [5] Subsequently, given a gun for protection by a friend,[5] a few days before the riots Michael was in an argument with his girlfriend at his mother's house, and in a fit of anger fired the gun into a wardrobe. The riots were reportedly sparked by the arrest of a man near the Acapulco Cafe, Lozells and a police raid on the Villa Cross public house in the same area. London, England, 7th October 1985, Riots in Tottenham, Police in full protective clothing and helmets and armed with control pistols on standby during the riots Get premium, high resolution news photos at … [1] This included parts of Special Branch, but excluded others including CID officers. 1985: Broadwater Farm riot, residents of Tottenham riot against the Metropolitan Police following a death during a police search; 1990: Poll Tax riots followed the introduction of a poll tax; 1993: Welling riots, October 1993. I was living nearby and witnessed this horrific incident, receiving more detail from local people near the burnt out site the following day. The good news was sparse with the Manchester Air Disaster, Bradford City FC Fire, and Heysel Tragedy all taking place. [5] Michael attempted to help the community recover; he ran a youth football team, trying to provide a fun alternative to crime. With Mrs Groce permanently paralysed and only able to get around in a wheelchair, and after further rehabilitation, she and her family were allocated a new bungalow in which to live. Three decades after the Broadwater Farm riots in London, the BBC looks back at the disturbances that led to PC Keith Blakelock's murder. Handsworth had been the scene of a less serious riot four years earlier, when a wave of rioting hit over 30 other British towns and cities during the spring and summer of 1981. His mother, Dorothy "Cherry" Groce, had been mistakenly shot by police officers in an incident which left her paralysed and sparked the Brixton Riots of 1985. In a second night of disturbances in Peckham, south London, gangs of youths have … "1985: Riots in Brixton after police shooting", "From the archive: Riots in Brixton after police shooting", "Met publicly apologise over 1985 shooting of mother", "Police blamed over 1985 Cherry Groce Brixton shooting", "Woman whose shooting sparked Brixton riots", "1985: Riots erupt in Toxteth and Peckham", "On this day:1987: Officer cleared in Groce shooting case", "Met publicly apologises for shooting mother of six", "Ministers allow legal aid funding for family of Cherry Groce at her inquest", "Brixton police gun victim Cherry Groce's family in legal aid win", 1985: Riots in Brixton after police shooting, 1987: Officer cleared in Groce shooting case, Guardian Archives: Riots in Brixton After Police Shooting, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1985_Brixton_riot&oldid=1008205469, September 1985 events in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 February 2021, at 02:55. He attempted to close the door, but after the police officer would not let him, Michael put the gun into the officer's mouth. The terms of reference for the enquiry were "to inquire urgently into the serious disorder in Brixton on 10–12 April 1981 and to report, with the power to make recommendations". 1985: Riots erupt in Toxteth and Peckham Police in riot gear have closed off areas of Liverpool and London tonight in efforts to contain continued outbreaks of violence and vandalism. [9] One furniture shop, spanning the junction of Gresham Road, Barrington Road and Coldharbour Lane, was set on fire. [1][2] After further skirmishes, the rioters built a defensive wall out of upturned cars across the Brixton Road, which were set alight at various times. Mrs Groce was taken to St Thomas' Hospital in central London. [5] After the officer left, Michael cleaned the gun and placed it in the house, then fled to his sister's home. The Brixton riot of 1985 started on 28 September in Lambeth in South London. It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy "Cherry" Groce by the Metropolitan Police, while they sought her 21-year-old son Michael Groce in relation to a robbery and suspected firearms offence; they believed Michael Groce was hiding in his mother's home. They were also at a record high for the Broadwater Farm riot in 1985. In the subsequent riot, severe injuries were sustained by both sides, with police injured as they were attacked by young black and white youths equipped with bricks and wooden stakes. 1985: Policeman killed in Tottenham riots A police officer has been stabbed to death during riots at the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, North London. LONDON (AP) — A slaying that shocked Britain three decades ago remains unsolved, after a jury on Wednesday cleared a man of killing a London police officer during a 1985 riot.