WEEKLY One day the police had a good plan. If they sent thousands of officers, backed up by a helicopter, into the Notting Hill Carnival they would be able to show how massive police intervention is the way to bring about racial harmony.
This they did, complete with posed photographs fea tured prominently in the Sun and Mirror showing black women being enthusiastically hugged by nice looking young policemen.
On Sunday night, they inconspicuously stood outside pubs in groups of up to twenty, enjoying the atmosphere, particularly their feeling of power. decided that they would show off their peacekeeping role Dy snatcning a lew youm. ine only wroudie was inat Ine few youth were in the company of over 100,000 black people. End of carnival. End of police power. Beginning of mass action.
control of the streets.
But on Monday they The battle raged for hours. The police completely lost Police cars and vans which accelerated at over 40 mph into the crowds had windows broken. Some were burnt. Whites in the crowd were not molested. The police were, picking up dustbin lids to protect themselves from fusillades of bottles and bricks, giving a whole new meaning to white trash.
The story will not end this week or the next. The police plan lies in ruins. They will be after black youth - after revenge. Many were arrested. But mass action of the sort which happened that night in Notting Hill merely shows up the continuous harassment which black youth fac from the police. The only thing that was different about Notting Hill was that, for once, the boot was on the other foot. Spontaneous mass action took back control of the streets from the police to those who live in them