London Riots

[Q.]

Transcript of an interview with a Tottenham youth worker makes for interesting reading:
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3290609.htm

Without reading it, I'm guessing it's sympathetic towards the rioters/looters and blaming conservative politics.

I read it and came to the same conclusion.
He didn't consider the deeper issue that people need early social training about both rights and obligations to make a society function.

Without training in the concept of obligation, as well as rights, and without exposure to external discipline when young, people don't learn the self-control, or any sense of how to function in a society that doesn't just indulge and excuse them. It doesn't come naturally.

Which is why deep funding cuts to education and social infrastructure has been detrimental.

[RustyCage]

And youth unemployment at such high levels there really doesn't help

[White Line Fever]

Dear England

Now who's full of convicts?

From Australia

[Pseudo]

Is this lass an example of the poor disenfranchised London youth?

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/the- ... 6114088150

Why invent reasons of disenfranchisement, alienation, marginalisation? There needs be no reason. Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" was far closer to the mark than any of the halfwit social science graduates posing as youth workers.

[Q.]

No one is suggesting that all those who participated in the riots are from the low socioeconomic demographic.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Sums it up

[Psyber]

Which is why deep funding cuts to education and social infrastructure has been detrimental.

I was thinking more about early pre-school education by parents who had been similarly educated themselves.
That may supply ground on which social education in primary school could build.
Once they get past 5 years it becomes increasingly difficult, and past about 15 it's is going to need really intensive work - something like Boot Camp I suspect.

[JAS]

No one is suggesting that all those who participated in the riots are from the low socioeconomic demographic.

Not all down to bad parenting either.

BBC North of England correspondent, Manchester Magistrates Court

The parents of a 14-year-old boy who stole from a supermarket during rioting have been commended for handing him in.

The boy travelled with friends to Manchester to see the trouble but were scared by the mobs and decided to leave.

As he passed a supermarket with a broken window, the boy reached in a took a packet of chewing gum. It was enough to get his image - caught on CCTV - in a national newspaper.

His parents saw it and were described in court as being disgusted. They marched him to the police station and he admitted burglary with intent to steal.

The district judge asked his parents to stand up in court and congratulated them on their response, saying more parents should take their responsibilities so seriously.

Giving the boy a nine-month referral order, the judge told him his actions had not been stupid but simply dishonest.

Certainly one way to teach your kid a lesson he's not likely to forget in a hurry.

Regards
JAS

[GWW]

Similar to the 18 year old girl, was on the Olympic committee and a sportsperson too I think. She came from a very wealthy family, her parents dobbed her in as well, when seeing her on tv footage.

[CedeNullis]

[JAS]

Check before you loot...you never know when it's going to turn out to be an IT security pro who used to work for NASA and the FBI

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14536870

A teenager who allegedly stole a laptop from a west London flat during the riots was traced on Facebook by the computer's owner.

Greg Martin, an information security professional, had a Macbook Pro laptop and other belongings taken from his flat in West Kensington last week.

He had installed a tracking device on the laptop and got the suspect's ID from the social networking site.

Soheil Khalilfar, 18, has been charged with handling stolen goods.

Once he flagged the laptop as missing, Mr Martin waited for the first report to come in.

The former Nasa and FBI employee said: "Almost two weary days had gone by and I'm at dinner on a business trip in Luxembourg and I received an email which nearly knocked me out of my chair with excitement."

Mr Martin described on his blog how he then monitored the suspected burglar surfing the internet and was able to get his identity from Facebook.

He wrote: "After two hours of watching him surf religious revelation videos, shopping for Mercedes A class on Autotrader he finally popped onto Facebook!"

He said the information included the man's name, school, address in west London and information about his wireless internet.

After he handed the details over to police, they raided the man's flat and recovered the laptop.

Mr Martin was staying at his girlfriend's house, because of trouble near his own home, when the Macbook was stolen.

Mr Khalilfar was bailed to appear before West London Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Regards
JAS

*edit* The guy's just been on the radio talking about how the tracking software traced the thief. This is the freeware he says he used if anyone is interested http://preyproject.com/

[JAS]

wow 4 years each for inciting via Facebook

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14557772

Jordan Blackshaw, from Marston, was jailed for four years at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, along with Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, from Warrington.

Haha...not so funny now is it you muppet...

Chris Johnson, of Moss Haselhurst solicitors in Winsford, said: "It was something which was started as a joke by Jordan.

...and a 17yo has just been banned from all social neetwork site for 12 months as well.

Regards
JAS

[Q.]

4 years. A ridiculous sentence that sets a scary precedent for punishing all forms of online mobilisation of dissent.

[GWW]

I guess thats the risk they take when they engage in this type of thing.

[Dirko]

4 years. A ridiculous sentence that sets a scary precedent for punishing all forms of online mobilisation of dissent.

What would be an appropriate sentence in your view then?

[Q.]

4 years. A ridiculous sentence that sets a scary precedent for punishing all forms of online mobilisation of dissent.

What would be an appropriate sentence in your view then?

Suspended sentence.

[Dirko]

4 years. A ridiculous sentence that sets a scary precedent for punishing all forms of online mobilisation of dissent.

What would be an appropriate sentence in your view then?

Suspended sentence.

And the message that sends would be what ?

4 years sounds a tad harsh. Myself I'd make them do 12 months of Community service plus repay the damages caused.

[Q.]

Community service would be suitable. He wouldn't have to pay anything because nothing was damaged.

Sending a kid to prison for writing something that resulted in nothing is way over the top. As the article states, sentences should be focusing on restorative justice. His lawyers will appeal anyway and he'll avoid jail.

[RustyCage]

4 years. A ridiculous sentence that sets a scary precedent for punishing all forms of online mobilisation of dissent.

What would be an appropriate sentence in your view then?

Suspended sentence.

So effectively no punishment you mean? Let off with a warning?

A suspended sentence could have been a part of the overall punishment, but they courts really need to send a message with these people. In the same way that just going to jail will do little for this guy, a suspended sentence will do less. Punishment needs to be a deterrent to others, and to him to do anything so stupid again in future.

[JAS]

Community service would be suitable. He wouldn't have to pay anything because nothing was damaged.

Sending a kid to prison for writing something that resulted in nothing is way over the top. As the article states, sentences should be focusing on restorative justice. His lawyers will appeal anyway and he'll avoid jail.

It did seem quite surprisingly steep hence posting it. I'd probably expect them to get a reduced sentance on appeal but I think they're determined to make an example to deter others as much as possible. Just because you hide behind a keyboard doesn't mean you're any less responsible for helping to make people homeless or destroying their businesses.

They have said on the news in the last few days that some looters/rioters who were given non-custodial sentances could be used in the clean-up. some councils have threatened evictions and one (Wandsworth) has actually issued an eviction notice. Government also looking into possibly stopping benefits (that'd be like your Centrelink I think)...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14527402

The arrest figures so far...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14559294

So far, more than 2,770 people have been arrested in connection with last week's riots.

By Tuesday afternoon, 1,277 suspects had appeared in court and 64% had been remanded in custody. In 2010 the remand rate at magistrates for serious offences was 10%.

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police announced that it has charged 1,005 people after 1,733 arrests over the rioting that swept through the capital. The force has a target of 3,000 convictions.

The force's Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin said the investigation was "far from over".

...and if it was all organized by the Evil Empire to distract us...failed...they're now back in the headlines

Regards
JAS