- I was visiting my brother, who was living in Malawi at the time
- Africa was plagued with tension, corruption, and disorganization
- One of my best friends was exploring London with her mother
- England was also plagued with tension, disorganization, and what can probably now be called corruption
Other articles that depict the same occurrence are:
- "UK Police Cleared Over Death of Unarmed Man: Family Outraged Over Jury Ruling That Police Lawfully Shot Mark Duggan, Whose Death Lead to Widespread Riots in 2011" by Al Jazeera
- "Police Shooting that Sparked British Riots Was Lawful, Says Jury" by TIME
I remember hearing about this while I was in Tanzania with my mom and brother and wondering what the world was coming too. Africa can be a terrifying place to be if you aren't prepared and even then its so different from anything I had experienced. But the conflict in England put me off guard. I was worried for the safety of my friend and her mother who were there at the time. It was a weird feeling, being in Africa and being more nervous for a friend in England than yourself. I know that might sound sad, but I think it's true. As someone who grew up in the United States, you are subconsciously taught the United States is the best country in the world, the rest of the "West" follows, and Africa and other under-developed countries are at the bottom.
This situation, though, may have been the first time that I really saw this "hierarchy" as being corrupt and misleading. If a formerly called "first world country" could currently be having riots and other problems along with the formerly called "third world countries," then there really isn't a difference between them at all. Violence and corruption, from that point on in my mind, could and did happen everywhere. To different extents, yes, but it happened. Possibly the difference between corruption and violence in a developed country versus the corruption and violence in a under-developed country primarily rests in the governments ability to hide situations that they know will cause anger among citizens. It was not until I returned back to the United States about a week or so later, that I was able to find out exactly what the cause of the rioting in England was.
Mark Duggan was shot and killed by police. The police believed he was armed, but the Duggan's gun was found ten to twenty feet away from where he was killed. People reacted by rioting and the riots turned extremely violent. At this point, I remember being horrified. Maybe Mark Duggan was not an innocent man, I have no idea, but there was something not quite right about what the police did either. In my mind, there is absolutely no need whatsoever for the death penalty or anything of the sort. I was angry about what I thought was misconduct by the police. I commend people for speaking out and voicing their opinions about this injustice. I, however, also condemn those people who acted violently and irrationally. That is no way what so ever to respond. This violence easily gave Mark Duggan's cases a worse rap in the eyes of the government and courts.
When it was recently announced that the police officer who killed Mark Duggan was let off and the killing was ruled as lawful, I was extremely upset with the verdict, but I was not surprised. I am completely aware that I am not even close to being qualified to make a judgement on the topic, but from the released information I cannot see how it was lawful! I am not sure, but are you innocent until proven guilty in England? And was there not enough information to prove the Duggan was not armed? Are the police more powerful and more trusted by the government in England than the United States because there is not written constitution? The strong backlash by youth, the possibly higher trust in police, and slight variations in the British political system from the United States political system could have easily played a major role in what I see as an incorrect verdict on this case.
Let me know what you think of this case and its outcome. What was your original reaction was to the violent riots in England? Do you have any extra insight on this topic? Leave comments below. Please be respectful of people. Not everyone has the same insight and experience as some that may result in knowing more facts or having different opinions. I am reminding you again (back to my first post) that this is a forum to discuss these topics and voice opinions in a civil way to help learn about the world around us in both news and by broadening our minds so that we can see and comprehend another's point-of-view with respect.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully I didn't rant too much, but I would like to be able to put stories like this up as they come up in the news in between my regular little essays on a specific country. I also want to again encourage you to comment with articles of your own that you find interesting and want to share with others!
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