I’ve photographed protests and seen the damage they cause. Eggs, paint and random objects thrown at the police. Nothing compared to the rioting of last night in Toxteth. I followed the news as rioting spread around London via Twitter, Sky News and the BBC News. Watching the large furniture store burn down in real time was awful. I heard today that there wasn’t enough police to protect fire crews. A damn shame. As town after town in London fell to rioting it became clear that there wasn’t enough police to be everywhere, to stop any of it. Then it spread to Birmingham and I was worried about Liverpool. Why did it suddenly jump from London to Birmingham? I doubt anyone can really say. It seemed simply like people saw that it was possible to go looting and did so.
After a few hours rumours spread of rioting in Liverpool. I refused to believe them. I simply didn’t want to. But then Ben Schofield on Twitter tweeted a photograph of his own car on fire outside his house. Rioting had arrived in Liverpool. It’s been 30 years since the riots in Toxteth and of all the areas in Liverpool to be affected it was once again Toxteth. It’s a damn shame as its a lovely area with a very strong community spirit. I took this photo of the affected area when it snowed. You can see just how lovely an area Toxteth is. It doesn’t deserve stupid idiotic opportunists doing this.
I went out today to document the effect this has had. This is what I saw.
Groups of people arrive at the Bombed Out Church in Liverpool to clean up the streets after a night of rioting.
Eleanor Jones had her car attacked near the Tesco at Myrtle Parade. Luckily the rioters couldn't get her car fully into the road so they didn't set it on fire.
Tesco on Myrtle Parade in Toxteth. The front entrance had been completed ripped open and people had been looting inside. It's lucky the fire didn't spread to the apartments above.
A car with a smashed window sits just by Falkner Square in Toxteth.
Another car with smashed windows. Front, back and side windows were destroyed.
Handymen repair broken windows in Toxteth.
Drum gear is burnt out due to rioting.
Two of many cars completely destroyed by rioting in Toxteth.
Charles Jupiter organised a cleanup operation on Smithdown Road and around Toxteth. While some people say social networks help rioters it's good to see people using it to organise cleanups.
A completely burnt out Mercedes.
I refused to believe there was any rioting in Liverpool last night, right up until Ben Schofield tweeted a photograph of his car burning outside his house. This is that car.
A brick thrown into a car. Hard to say whether this was thrown to break the window or not.
The steering wheel should be there somewhere.
While I was photographing these windows had been repaired. It's good to see such swift repair work.
I met the owner of the smashed up golf later in the day. He's only lived in Toxteth for about 3 weeks and said he'll probably park somewhere else tonight.
It's great to see people's cars being repaired so quickly. This is the Golf I photographed earlier after being cleaned and new windows put in.
Broken windows are boarded up. At least half the windows in this building are broken. I was told rioters tried to fire bomb the building.
Local council leader Joe Anderson comforts the owner of a burnt out car. Their son had borrowed the car to travel to Liverpool. They had to come from North Wales to inspect the damage.
Great documentation of an awful scenery.
I regularly admire your shots a lot.
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And still, I don’t get it. Why is this happening?