Brixton Police Station

Brixton Police Station 2017

Brixton Police Station 1950

Brixton Police during 1981 riot

Brixton Police Station

The Brixton Police Station was originally built in 1858 with the designs done by Charles Reeves, who was a Metropolitan Police Surveyor. The initial building costs were 2,974-pounds and was then extended in 1909 to become more efficient. Mostly made of brick, it had rustic windows throughout its three stories, but the building was rebuilt in 1959. Now the building consists of a wall of windows which overlook Brixton Road, and has had the inside facilities completely refurbished. Anderson Green company were the builders on the new building, which was worked on from 1959 to the 1980’s. The new building has many new features such as “40 cell custody center, interview rooms, locker rooms, control rooms, offices, forensic facilities” and other areas for police staff. Most police stations were seen as a place of protection, but Brixton’s was seen as a point for turmoil and disorder that allowed for tensions to arise throughout the city. The site is important as it is a key symbol of the struggle the Brixton community faced with institutions. It is one of the many institutions that became an instigator to the multiple Brixton riots and outwardly showed institutional racism towards its communities.

Selected bibliography

Bennetto, Jason, Peter Victor, Nigel Willmott. "Riot flares on streets of Brixton." The Independent. December 13, 1995. Accessed November 10, 2017. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/riot-flares-on-streets-of-brixton-1525603.html.

"Brixton: The Angell estate," in Survey of London: Volume 26, Lambeth: Southern Area, ed. F H W Sheppard (London: London County Council, 1956), 125-131. British History Online, accessed November 9, 2017, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol26/pp125-131.

"Brixton Police Station, London." Anderson Green. Accessed November 10, 2017. http://andersongreen.co.uk/projects/brixton-police-station-london/#.WgSFwLaZPBI.

Rose, David, and Gareth Parry. "From the archive: Riots in Brixton after police shooting." The Guardian. September 29, 2009. Accessed November 10, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/sep/30/brixton-riots-1985-archive.

Taylor, Diane. "Cherry Groce children to sue Met police for damage shooting caused them." The Guardian. August 06, 2015. Accessed November 10, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/06/cherry-groce-children-sue-metropolitan-police.

Tweedie, Neil. "Terrifying ordeal that shocked the nation." The Telegraph. November 26, 2005. Accessed November 10, 2017. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1503979/Terrifying-ordeal-that-shocked-the-nation.html

Importance

The Brixton police department was a significant figure in all of the Brixton riots, in 1981, riots began due to increased police patrol and stricter laws against crime, in 1985 the riot began due to the police shooting a mother in suspicion of her son. The 1995 riots were sparked by the death of a man in police custody and the communities discontent over the gentrification of Brixton. The police are supposed to be figures within the community that protect and serve its civilians and during the 1985 riot, they did the opposite. As stated by an officer "Following our tragic shooting of Mrs. Groce [the mother who was killed] yesterday, feelings began to run understandably high in Brixton, with marked hostility towards the police"[1]. It is obvious from spectators that the police were unnecessarily brutal to rioters and those just walking amongst the streets. As seen by a spectator, a boy was hit by a truncheon and the police chased off anyone who tried to help him[2]. From a reporter who was there on the scene reported "protesters moved from Normandy Road along Brixton Road to Brixton police station, the focus of a great deal of pent-up frustration by young black men angry at the way they were treated by the police"[3]. In 1995, when a black man died in police custody, there was obvious tension that still remained between minorities and the police, as riots began in protest of police behaviour towards the black community. There was obvious police brutality aimed towards minorities in Brixton, but the town was also ridden with petty crime and violence. It was a sign of the times, families in Brixton were facing unemployment, gentrification, and racism from their community and so they turned to violence. This did not only occur in Brixton but many other towns throughout England and throughout the world. Brixton stands as a focal point for these struggles as they were a town constantly ridden with turmoil, between the police and black individuals.

[i] "Brixton Police Station, London." Anderson Green. Accessed November 10, 2017. http://andersongreen.co.uk/projects/brixton-police-station-london/#.WgSFwLaZPBI.

[ii] Rose, David, and Gareth Parry. "From the archive: Riots in Brixton after police shooting." The Guardian. September 29, 2009. Accessed November 10, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/sep/30/brixton-riots-1985-archive.

[iii] IBID

[iv] Elliott, Chris. "Recollections of the riots." The Guardian. August 18, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/18/chris-elliott-recollections-of-riots.

The Battle for Brixton part 1 of 5 documentary

Concluding remarks

This tour of locations involved in the Brixton Riots shows minority communities faced constant struggles and turmoil on a daily basis. The faces of society and populations throughout the world were changing as immigration became more prevalent after the second world war. Starting with the Windrush generation, minorities mainly form the African Caribbean community, experienced overt racism and oppression from local police. The purpose of this tour is to show the history of institutional racism within Brixton, that continues to be a problem today that the community of Brixton and the government are trying to reconcile. Another motive of these governing bodies is to acknowledge the past and look toward improving the community for the future. As a community within London, Brixton was one of the first areas within England to 'welcome' postcolonial immigrants after the war. They hoped to establish a multicultural society, but what came of it was violence due to prejudices. From this tour, we can compare the experiences of Brixton minorities to many communities around the world that faced, and still do face, prejudices. The Brixton riots are among a few examples that demonstrated how situations regarding racial prejudice within the community, economy, and politics led to tensions within Brixton. The main lesson to be learned is that the institutional racism that was experienced by the black community within Brixton, continues to be a problem for that community today. Although we can learn from the past, it seems today that the Brixton riots reflect what is doing on currently with minorities throughout the world. The Brixton riots shows that with little attempt to reconcile with its people, violence is believed to be the best way to try and get some acknowledgment and recognition for what was happening.