Ask Not What Your Government Can Do For ‘Your Community’….

…ask what ‘your community’ can do for yourselves…

In front of the burnt-out remains of a shop front on Tottenham High Road that was torched during last year's riots, the local authorities have put up signs listing all the ways they are trying to change the area.

The pledges are written inside a heart alongside the slogan "I love Tottenham" and include bringing in £4m for local jobs, more activities for the nearby youth centre and a dedicated team to "tackle grime".

And has that satisfied the residents?

For Jennifer Jane, out for a walk with her daughter, there is one thing she wants to see happen more than anything else in her neighbourhood.

"They have to get rid of the gangs," she says. "I moved here a year ago, just after the riots, and I don't feel safe. It's rough, especially in the evenings. You have loads of kids and young men and you have loads of cops. Every night it's the same."

Hmmm, you moved into an area known for gangs and rioting, and you’re not feeling very safe. What could cause that, I wonder?

… her neighbourhood is a crossroad for competing gangs who go by names such as Young Dem Africans, the Get Money Gang and NPK.

Lovely!

Despite a £10m fund, a number of charities that work in gang prevention said the problem had either stayed the same or worsened since the riots.

Well, there’s a surprise! If they say things have got better, they might only get offered £8m next year, after all…

Many felt gangs had in fact got more violent as "elders" with a stricter honour code were arrested and replaced with more unpredictable and anarchic "youngsters" who are keen to earn their stripes on the streets.

Hmmm, well, what’s the alternative? Leaving them in place, tolerating a certain level of gang activity? I can’t see how that’s much of an improvement.

For many Tottenham residents there is still a palpable feeling that the area has a long way to go before it can really say that it has turned a corner.

Niche Mufwankolo, landlord of the Pride of Tottenham pub, was on his way to the cash and carry yesterday to prepare for a party that night. His pub was trashed during the riots and it took months for Mr Mufwankolo to get back on his feet. His bar has a new paint job and looks vibrant.

But, he says, he's having doubts. "The politicians came here after the riots and said everything would change," he said. "But it hasn't. I've lived around here for 20 years and, you know what, I'm really thinking about selling up getting out."

And so, when all the decent people leave, the place will somehow get better? Can’t see it myself…