Stephanie Doctrow: London’s Burning

London is burning, and no one knows why.

It’s been a week since anarchy took over the city of London and some of its suburbs. The cause: the wrongful shooting of a man in a poor neighborhood. But it seems as if the protests aren’t even about that anymore. Gangs are looting every store in sight and carrying out TVs and computers. Historic buildings that have been around since World War II are now piles of ash and rubble. One particularly harrowing YouTube clip shows a group of people helping a crying, injured child­­– while simultaneously stealing everything out of his backpack. The violence is still going, with no sign of stopping.

I won’t pretend to have the answers to a massive political conflict; this is Politics-Free Week at The Recovering Politician, after all. What matters is that this destruction is tearing apart one of the most amazing places in the world. Here’s my love letter to London, the historic, diverse city that many of us know and love.

Last summer, I was lucky enough to spend two months living in London and interning at a British business magazine. I didn’t just travel through like a tourist, snapping photos of Buckingham Palace and British flags obnoxiously (though I’ll admit, I’m sure I did that too). I rode the tube to work and back every day, suffering through the rush hour commute like everyone else. I joined friends and coworkers for pints at the local pubs after work. I explored a different neighborhood every weekend, from the Indian restaurants on Brick Lane to the colorful houses of Notting Hill. I followed the assembly of the new coalition government and the selection of the new prime minister carefully on BBC, and I stood in line outside the Treasury awaiting the release of the emergency budget media pack so I could bring it back to my coworkers. And I spent late nights sitting on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral or walking along the Thames, feeling so thankful to be there.

I also met people from different countries everywhere I turned. On the tube, I heard people speaking every language imaginable with a variety of accents. I tried foods from around the world, and met people from all over Europe, Africa and Asia. As I explored London, I saw restaurant and shop signs in many different languages. It was amazing and inspiring how so many cultures and types of people could coexist in one city. And because I was in London during the World Cup, it was neat to see so many people rallying behind the British team (or at least teasing British football fans in good spirits) and celebrating as their city prepared for the next Olympics.

I know that two months isn’t nearly enough time to begin understanding the complex ethnic and political tensions in London. I’m still trying to process exactly what’s happening in London, and why people are channeling their anger into violence and destruction. All I know is that I’m worried for the city that I fell in love with last summer. I’m worried for my former editor, who lives in Brixton, and for the people who live in the Tottenham neighborhood, which was only a few tube stops away from where I lived. And I’m worried for the city that welcomes so many different cultures and ethnicities, and hoping that the tensions there now don’t get even worse. Here’s hoping that the British government gets a handle on the violence soon.