Filed under: Europe, United Kingdom
The night before last, I walked into my local convenience store here in Oxford and the pothead manager told me, "Be glad you don't have to stay here all night.""Expecting trouble?" I asked.
"You haven't heard the news? It's all over Twitter. They're going to gather in five different locations and then attack the city center."
I considered for a moment. The store, and my house, are on the south end of Iffley Road. It's a nice neighborhood, but just south of it is Rose Hill, full of yobs and hoodies, just the kind of snaggle-toothed lowlifes who've been rioting in London and other English cities. I pictured a mob of them swarming down from Rose Hill, burning the nineteenth-century thatched roof houses in Iffley village (including my son's school), spray painting the Norman church, and charging up Iffley Road in a lager-fueled fury.
They'd hit the store first, beating up the night manager and stealing his weed along with the liquor behind the counter. Refreshed, they'd head up Iffley Road towards city center. Right by my house.
I finished shopping and hurried home. There had already been incidents in nearby towns. A McDonalds set on fire. Shop windows smashed. When I got home my kid said that when he was coming back from day camp he'd seen a lot of police. Even a five-year-old knew something was up.
His bedroom faces the street. I pictured a brick flying through shattered glass. That happened to a friend of mine in London, and it wasn't even during the riots. I moved him into the back room with his mother. I took the front room.
They soon went to bed. I texted some friends who live in Rose Hill, hardworking immigrants who work overtime to provide a good education for their kids. They didn't reply. I constantly checked the Thames Valley Police Twitter feed, which said all was quiet but that there were increased patrols. I saw none from my window.
I needed to take my mind off my worries and nothing does that better than a B-movie. Lately I've been feeling nostalgic for New York City. Not today's Disney New York of tourists and yuppies, but the gritty and vibrant 1980s New York of my teens. Besides Driller Killer, no B-movie captures the essence of the old New York better than Basket Case.
Continue reading England riots: watching Basket Case 2 and waiting for Oxford to burn
England riots: watching Basket Case 2 and waiting for Oxford to burn originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/gadling/~3/MgcCrW_qmRs/
camping world rv campgrounds camping gear list campground reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment