Protests over the killing of a London man who was shot by police turned violent tonight. From The Guardian:
Two police cars, a bus and several shops were attacked and set ablaze in north London on Saturday night as violence erupted following aprotest demanding “justice” over a fatal police shooting. Officers on horseback and others in riot gear clashed with hundreds of rioters armed with makeshift missiles in the centre of Tottenham after Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, was killed on Thursday.
And here’s what you need to know, from the Associated Press via CBC:
Miles from the tourist hotspots of central London, Tottenham is one of the most deprived areas in all of England, with nearly half of all children living in poverty, according to campaigners. The area is very diverse and home to one of the capital’s biggest black populations. The area also has a history of racial tension and anti-police feeling.
Deprivation and racism create misery and violence. Those aren’t easy problems to fix. But I’ll say this: whether it’s Britain, America, Canada or Coruscant, the solution is never tax cuts and smaller government.