The bad and the good of Brockley Cross [Updated]
Brockley Cross closed after shooting incident
Not driving, but parking
"The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it for the first time with a sense of hope, because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life ... maybe we can too."
- Sarah Connor, Terminator 2
- Sarah Connor, Terminator 2
[Update] At the exact moment we were writing this, there were reports of a shooting at Brockley Cross roundabout. Brockley Kate's found a link to a News Shopper newsflash here and provided the first photo. That can be placed in the "bad" category.
Here are a few pictures which represent the challenge and opportunity for Brockley Cross. Two classic bits of antisocial parking and one bit of community gardening, at last producing green shoots of recovery at Brockley Common, thanks to the hard work of more conscientious citizens, determined to improve this part of the neighbourhood.
Worth noting that when we posted a photo of the van outside the Holistic Centre the other day, we were told off by a reader for being too hard on the poor old driver, who was clearly just there while loading and unloading. The photo above is taken early in the morning, on a completely different day. Van in the same place, unattended.
We'll check in with the Council to see how their promised tougher policy on parking abuses in the area is going...
87 comments:
There always parking on the pavement on the Lewisham Way end of Upper Brockley road,Have to walk in the road to get past.
Shooting outside Tickle Me this lunchtime, apparently. Whole area sealed off...
If so, that rather trumps the bad parking issue...
Yeah my girlfriend has just told me that there are police everywhere and brockley cross has been shut off...
I was walking past Dukes as it happened. Two shots fired. According to guy in Broca the same happened last year. Maybe we were getting ideas above our station, what with the recent 'Hampstead of the South' comment in the press.
That van is there every day.
I've cramming the box set of The Wire. It's like Baltimore out there, sheeeeeit!
christ, has anyone been hurt?
You get shootings in Hampstead:
http://tinyurl.com/Hampers-shooting
Did you enjoy Season 5 MB?
Hard to tell. Ambulances there but I didn't want to stick around gawping.
What's Tickle Me? The bagel place?
Very brief newsflash on the News Shopper website:
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/8091423.BROCKLEY__Police_investigate_afternoon_shooting/
Aaargh! The comments software has gone crazy! Sorry everyone ...
Actually delete my comment, someone will have been at the wrong end of it no doubt
.... And yes, series 5 was good. Thought the fake serial killer thing was a bit daft though. You think mayor bullock is dukeing the crime stats?
Police man outside said it will be cordoned off for two hours
Pales into insignificance compared to a shooting, but one of the guys who works in the barbers under the bridge at Brockley cross always parks his shiny, waxed up beemer right up on the pavement next to the shop. Surely a ticket is in order!
Talking of things kicking off. I was in the Post Office down by Toad's Mouth, with the intention of collecting a parcel, when a guy - having decided that everybody already in the waiting area was there just for the craic - rang the bell, and expected to be served first. Rightly, the woman who was first in line, told him this, and then much hilarity (not) involving mutual pushing, name calling to do with choice of sexual partners, and shouting ensued. I was seemingly the only one there to be prepared to step in to defend the woman who was very close to being hit hard, with the others in the room saying and doing nothing. Hopefully it all blew over after I left, and didn't spark off any further probs down by Brockley X, though it reminded me of that Spike Lee film 'Do the Right Thing'.
MB, yes it was an odd story line. All in all a brilliant series though. I have never been a fan of cop dramas but the predecessor to the Wire - Homicide Life on the Street is waiting next to the DVD player.
So many people out there are walking around with such an aggressive bad attitude. God only knows what the place will be like once their offspring are older - hope nobody was injured in the shooting but if so its unlikely to be an innocent pedestrian, more likely to be a targeted drug dealer or gang member or something like that. No smoke without fire and all that. It really does bring you back down to earth with a bang when this happens on your doorstep.
Upper Brockley road now seems to blocked as well. Door to door enquiries in Geoffrey Road. I was watching Murder She wrote so obviously saw nothing.
The whole of Brockley Cross is blocked off, so Brockley Rd is chaos - loads of cars zooming really fast up to the bridge, screeching to a halt, turning round then diving up Cranfield Rd (which is chocka as a result). Lots of people hanging around rubbernecking. Got a pic, will post in a minute.
Pat, it is weird how quickly things seem to get aggro in the least likely environments these days. I was at play London Assurance at the National Theatree other night and in middle of a scene a middle-aged man and elderly lady started SHOVING eachother in their seats in an argument about someone being in wrong chair. Thought Simon Russell Beale was going to have to come off stage and knock some heads together at one point.
Youth shot in the arm according to News Shopper.
Jeez - there goes the neighbourhood...again
by the looks of police coming and going it looks like they were shot in Tickle Me takeaway.
It's easy for us to class this as a gang or drug thing - it makes us feel safer in our nice homes - I mean what the chance of us being caught in the crossfire? (!)
However, shootings are becoming more an dmore commonplace - and they are usually by the young who don't care about the consequences. There is NOT enough being done to stop this - and to track down how the guns are being sourced.
Am I the only one thinking that the police aren't doing enough - and that there is an acceptance that we are becoing a gun society? What will it take to reverse this -NY tackled its serious crime rate successfully with a zero tolerance policy - can't we start before we get to those levels?
Sounds a bit Daily Mail to me.
Innocent people have already been caught in the cross-fire - there was that scandinavian young woman (a social worker?) a couple of years ago in New Cross.
The van parked outside the old holistic centre belongs to the contractor who is working in the flat above.
That piece of land belongs to the building and he is perfectly entitled to park there.
No Anon - it's not Daily Mail at all (a paper I wouldn't pick up) - it's a realisation that this appears to be getting worse, not better. And Tamsin is right - not so long ago a young (I think she was polish) girl was killed in the crossfire.
Wanting something to be done about it, and some focus on the issue isn't right wing tabloid fodder, but a genuine concern for the community I live in
There is something rather peculiar about the barbershops, the beemer and Duke's late night supplies store no?
A big thumbs down to this blog for posting pictures of parking problems and messy shops next to a SHOOTING INCIDENT. Do you not think those things seem rather small in comparison?! Idiots.
I was walking home with my neighbour and our two kids tonight and we saw some kids fighting at the end of the road. She was telling me that she'd seen some others training their rottweilers to climb trees in Hilly Fields and I'd spotted a gang outside some flats down Wickham Road. We concluded that the sun had made everyone go a bit doolally and that it was probably the same all over London. No doubt we misinterpreted everything we saw and jumped to the wrong conclusions but it made us feel a bit more at ease with the world. Sad to hear about the shooting. Hope the shooters get done and the person getting shot is alive.
Two arrested http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8612255.stm
Couldn't agree less with TJ's comments above. I wonder if they only moved to the area recently? I've lived here since 1996 & I feel that there is a lot less crime & general aggro in Brockley these days. In my first 5 years of living here there was a shooting in what is now Duke's cabs, an armed hold up at Homeview video & several newsagents, I saw a stabbing on Foxberry Rd, several of my friends were robbed at knifepoint... I could go on! And it used to be even worse. When I arrived they'd just shut down what is now the Brockley Barge. It had been a haven for crack dealers, who use to mug passing commuters on their way up Harefield Rd! The bloke who ran my halls of residence said that crime had dropped by 90% in the area when it shut down. In the last 5 or 6 years my experience, & my general impression, is that crime has plummeted & I feel much safer walking Brockley's streets. So cheer up everyone! What happened today is a shame, but in my opinion things are still much better now.
Can we get back on topic please people? This shooting stuff is getting
rather tiresome...
Yes. Someone possibly losing their life today is much less important then... parking. Try and have some humanity!
That piece of land belongs to the building and he is perfectly entitled to park there.
Never mind shootings, how does he get on and off it?
I'm sure the photo of parking next to a line about the shooting is not intentionally belitting the latter. It is just an indication of how responsive to real-time events this blog is. Nick had just put up the parking piece and then news broke.
And it is really useful in this way - from an entirely selfish point of view I knew not to go to Greenwich to drop some papers off before the accountants closed at 5pm via Brockley Cross. And when previously Adelaide Avenue was closed for another incident a few months back postings on this blog helped me change my way home. It has also been extremely useful to know when there have been problems with the water - I have been able to inform Oakhill Nursery and tell my family, before leaving for work, to conserve what is in our tanks.
To be less selfish - we are all concerned about where we live and something needs to be done about gun and knife crime. But the BNP or similar hi-jacking the memories of knife-crime victims as "martyrs" is simply sick.
He got shot in the arm....tis just a wee scratch.
Probably some teen gangs having a little chuckle.
Dont worry, David Camera-on's National Service will fix it!!
@Anonymous 18.38 - I understand your point, it was not my intention to equate illegal parking with shooting. Clearly the latter is far more serious, as my first comment said.
The timing of the incident coincided with the article's publication, which meant that the headline immediately took on a new meaning - the article's about the bad of Brockley Cross. Clearly this qualifies. The facts were and still are somewhat unclear. When they are all established, we will probably report the inciedent fully.
Having said that, there is a fairly obvious link between the two things. Brockley Cross is allowed to exist as a fairly lawless environment. Serious crime occurs in such places.
@ Danja
He probably waits until it is safe to do so, then drives across the pavement. The same as anyone else gaining lawful access to private property (e.g. a front drive).
I wish there was a bit more integration in our area. It is a bit racially/class segregated.
It's when these things happen that you really notice it.
I just don't know but I think as middle class people we should be doing more. Noblesse oblige and all that.
even if it's Brockley Holistic land it will have public right of way on it, so it will be illegal to block it with a van. There was a case on the news recently about a doctor in London who had his moped ticketed outside his office for exactly this reason.
ps- I agree it's in rather bad taste to lump shooting with parking...
@anon 18.48, sorry to shatter your frankly far preferable Illusion that people have just gone a bit crazy in the sun, but people are not training their dogs to climb trees - I like the idea and it sounds like a harmless thing to train your dog to do - and quite amusing, too. In reality, they are strengthening their dogs' jaws by making them hang from tree branches by their teeth. As I understand it, this is a known and increasing problem in hilly fields (after dark usually).
It's nightmare while dogging. One feels very vunerable with ones meat and two veg swinging in the spring breeze.
Maybe it's time to address all the lawless issues of brockley cross-CCTV might be a start
Can't belive my post at 5pm post was removed? If it was gang / drug related and they are shooting each other I don't see what the problem is? The police are more interested in tracking you down on CCTV for turning right in in the wrong lane, or making sure you get a parking ticket within 5 minutes of bring on a yellow.. But "if" and again if this was gang related, why stop it? I don't see my comments being racist, it's an opinion... That why we have blogs and the Internet .... If your going to police people's views and free speech I can only think why bother reading people comments on this blog when it's just policed and not a true representation of the people who live in Brockley... Do we need a non-nanny Brockley blog?
Lov
R
I found out about this shooting tonight at a comedy club. A right-wing Australian guy called Robert told me about it (he looks a bit like the captain out of Tintin), but we had a vote and all decided that if it's drug-dealers shooting other drug-dealers then that's okay.
Glad I've moved out of the area to the lovelyness of Muswell Hill!
anon 00:51...I never saw your earlier post but the thing is, this isn't a a blog owned by the public. What this means is, the blogs are the opinion of the blogger and that gives the blogger the right to decide what is an acceptable response to the original blog. The free speech you speak of gives you the right to write your own blog and determine what is an acceptable response to your point of view.
Even after a several bottles of wine, and ignoring the ridiculousness of the word blog, this seems pretty straight forward stuff.
Scott, I reckon the gangsters in Muswell Hill have a better aim than the ones in Brockley.
Scott : Glad you found the site, it was quite an experience this evening.. Ps don't give up your day job..... ( if u have one ;-). )
to :http://www.blogger.com/profile/15163789415343680863
yes your right.
Over and out
Capt. Birdseye
@R - your comment was an incitement to violence and was deleted. Please consult the acceptable comment policy or as DD says, start your own blog.
who's middle class on here ??
"if it's drug-dealers shooting other drug-dealers then that's okay" possibly one of the more stupid comments I've ever read. I didn't know Jeremy Clarkson posted on here?
Half the Conservation Area's on coke at the weekends anyway, so that would never work. Has to come from somewhere.
Perhaps the moral of this story is that you'll be shot if you park illegally?
That'd be the ultimate incentive to avoid yellow lines.
However, I personally think shooting inconsiderate motorists is a bit much.
40 lashes and public humiliation would be better.
Re the Holistic car, isn't a drop kerb required for which planning permission is required?
My mate who lived in Downham,saw an East European grinding the kerb stone to an angle.
And that's just the kind of can-do spirit we're lacking on this country
Is Downham not in this country, then?
The can-do spirit referred to was attributed to an East European (sic).
It is worrying to hear of a shooting in Brockley, but I guess the risk of getting caught in crossfire is very small - no greater than being run over by someone having a heart attack at the wheel, say. Depressing to think of young people getting caught up in a culture involving guns, though.
The regae regae drivers are all out in force today - blasting their music so we'll all look at them. Why nothing is done to kerb this antisocial behaviour is beyond me, whilst I continue to be interrupted by them as I relax in my garden.
@Anon 14:22
Your off topic and you cannot spell Reggae.
Where do you live? I will bring my system over and bass you out! Lol.
BCY
@brockley nick, did you really post at 03.34 this morning? Do you ever sleep? Are you real?
@Blue Sky - Yes, no and yes. An unblinking eye.
"Your off topic and you cannot spell Reggae"
Doesn't really make you look particularly bright when you can't spell 'you're' though, does it?
@Anon 23:44
The perils of using a handheld device to post on BC. I guess your the original post I replied to.
YOU'RE, cretin!
The perils of having no grasp of grammar or punctuation, more like.
I love BC but this thread has to contain some of the most moronic and ignorant comments ever seen on this site. Wouldn't mind so much if it was amusing...
Another shooting today – this time outside Brockley station, according to my sources (not the shooter)
Yup, another shooting! Coulgate Street closed and community officer sending everyone over to the dark side although it seems we have that all wrong. F*ck!
That van is one owned by a hire company based on brockley cross, they have about 6 or 7 of them and just park them where they like, I have had them outside my flat and then customers hiring them at 8am on Sunday mornings making all sorts of noise as they are checking over them before hiring. They use the area like a van yard and don't care where they are left. I pay my council tax and it would be nice to park my car near my home but it's hard when a van hire company has it's trucks and vans all over the place.
I believe the Van Hire Company pay Council Tax too.
how to stop the bloodshed?
my son goes to school less than a 100metres from 3 recent shootings- theres been loads in the cross and further down the road in ladywell....
pretty scary really
Dunno, I have no idea why people choose to bring up kids in london *shrug*
The same reason as millions of others. Because it's an interesting, vibrant, tolerant place. Get a grip
Good grief. This is quite possibly the most depressing thread on BC, based on the images alone.
Post a Comment