Three UBR businesses forced to close
Police have confirmed reports that notices of closure have been served on three businesses on Upper Brockley Road, including Supercuts (which recently lost its alcohol licence), The Honeypot and the neighbouring plumbing supplies shop.
This stretch of Upper Brockley Road has recently been targeted in police raids.
We will bring you further details in due course.
109 comments:
Wow, disappointing in a time of recession that businesses forced to close like this.
Should bussinesses that attract disorder and blight peoples homes be overlooked then? Our green councilors have been supportive, hardley the most likely to support heavy handed police action.
Excellent news! These businesses and clients had no respect for residents and neighbourhood.Its about time they pay for the price for so many anti-social actions - including illegal street parties.
Yahooo!
This will no doubt dissolve into the usual racism/no not racism debate.
Absolutely fantastic news! I moved to Brockley a couple of years ago from Stokey, and I was regretting it a bit because that stretch at the bottom of my road was criminal and dangerous. Hopefully a nice cafe can open up there or something that we can actually go to or maybe just turn them all into flats to stop them falling into the wrong hands again.
Yay ethic cleansing!
Good work Giles, more subtle than the trolling we're used to.
I think the drug rehabilitation centre has found a new home.
Does this really have anything to do with someone being black or white? It sounds like these businesses were anti-social and would have been shut down irrespective of who was running them.
I am sure customers will find another place to buy their merchandise. Brockley Cross, maybe?
Well you say that but I'm a desperately PC white liberal and I think I know more about racism than you do.
Hey Giles, why don't you **** off back to North London.
Ah Honeypot memories. I remember going to pick up a Sunday paper the day after moving into our place in Rokeby Rd and there being a police notice board on the corner by the Honeypot asking for any witnesses to the recent incident to call. How I will miss your surly service and luke warm food. Also, what are the police going to do with that huge CCTV camera/pole they set up to look to spy on these stores?
I too also remember 'Furious's' comments on that thread, which just shows the barely concealed racism of some of the residents. Whoops of glee when a bunch of local businesses are closed, you should be ashamed. Racism 1 Community 0.
Cannabis is evil, cannabis must be eliminated at all costs. It's called the war on drugs for a reason.
woohoo : residents 1 antisocial non residents 0.
the shops will reopen hopefully without the criminals that loiter around and inside them
Shame! Boo the pigs! I only live in Brockley because the shadier elements annoy mummy and daddy. If they move on all the drug dealers I'll have to get my winkle pierced!
Aside from all the trolling and gloating by the usual pr1cks. The Honeypot was one of my favourite local takeaways, I never found the service surely of the food luke-warm ever. It was authentic and delicious and cheap. There will soon be nowhere to get Caribbean food locally at this rate. A genuinely sad day for Brockley.
http://brockleycentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/bird-of-paradise-brockley-road.html The bird of paradise is worth checking out
Nowhere to get Caribbean food locally? What about Nu Spice, Bird of Paradise or Tickle Me? To name but a few local options.
Before anybody claims only nimbys object to local drug dealing, let's have a look at today's headline in the South London Press. Thankfully, it's not about Brockley, but it does make clear why people object to drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods:
Teenagers jailed after drug deal led to killing
http://www.crystalpalace-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=24893&headline=Teenagers%20jailed%20after%20drug%20deal%20led%20to%20killing
I have been deleted 4 times, a record on BC. I will be having my say on this. Cos what has happened today is BS.
By all means have your say - you'll note that you are the first poster on this thread. But stop trolling.
Nick- anondyne comments from me stay, if I venture to speak out about how I feel, then that's trolling.
Imagine the business owners who have been there for YEARS reading, people typing 'yahoo" etc at the loss of their livelihood. Think about that with regards to trolling.
I wondered why there was a surge of activity around a recently closed shop in brockley cross. they must be gagging to reopen now the competition has been eliminated!
@Kolp - if you're worried about your anodyne comments, I suggest you stop being anodyne.
There's a drug rehabilitation centre opening, I'm supportive of that. Do you think it's a good idea to have drug dealing near that? Hardly helping there recovery. I really doubt the police are closing them because a few loud parties, if they are then sue, you'd win easily if thats the sole reason. Kolp, your knee jerkery is as laughable as those bigots you so readily deride.
I saw some of kolps comments on this and I can't believe they have been deleted, I don't often agree with him/her, but in this case i do, and they were not trolling. The fact that Nick is ignoring some of the rubbish on here but deleting perfectly acceptable opinion is in itself ridiculous, and calls into question the whole nature of this blog. This issue is extremely divisive and people need to be able to comment about it freely, not just post baiting gloating stuff.
Rag on drug dealers all you want, but how else are you meant to get drugs?
I for one don't want to go through this life just doing what the government says I can!
Kolp, why busting drug dens 'BS'? The activity in and around those shops was known to all. What did the owners think would happen?
@anon 18.48 No, neither do the violent thugs and gangsters who help you support your habit. (I'm not referring to local dealers, but those in the middle of the supply chain).
Drug users only care about themselves, as your post illustrates.
>I for one don't want to go through this life just doing what the government says I can!
A lot of people feel that way. They are called criminals.
Can we have a bit if perspective here. To the best if my knowledge it was weed that was being sold. Which until a few years ago was quasi legalised anyway. Half the population have tried or smoke a bit of pot. So let's not act like it was Pablo Escobar that had set up shop here.
'I for one don't want to go through this life doing what the government says I can.'
A lot of people feel this way. They are called criminals.
No they are called revolutionaries.
@anon 19.46 the "quasi-legalisation" never extended to the dealers, just users.
Weed dealers and suppliers are not wholly separated from the networks that supply other drugs. It's all inter-connected, except for any grown privately - which makes up only a minuscule percentage.
@anon 19.51 Wow, is that what they were doing at Supercuts? Planning a revolution?
Who'd have thought?
Can't believe a few local nimbys made such a fuss over a few people getting on with their lives and enjoying some recreationals. Disgusting.
Anonymous said...'They are called revolutionaries.'
They could be, instead they are too high to remember what they are fighting for, and besides, only dealers are the winners.
Some revolution, lol.
Anon 2005 do you seriously think the police would have done all this: raiding, arresting and eventually shutting three businesses down because 'a few NIMBYs complained about some people smoking weed'?
Get real.
Next week: MI5 infiltrate BrocSoc to investigate rogue satellite dish installations.
There are NIMBYs in high places locally.
So... this is a conspiracy?! So the local residents who were powerless to get any action taken as they suffered for more than a decade are now so powerful that they can order the police to shut down three businesses?
Do you think that's plausible? Honestly?
But no one actually suffered. It was all made up guff like you're seeing on the Alby's Place thread now -another place that the NIMBY elite took exception to out of their irrational fear of the unknown.
@20:43 not deleted, but removed...
Sorry, you have no idea what you are talking about. Did you read the report on the recent raid in the South London Press? Did you see what the charges were? Did you read how local people have suffered?
Do you think "made up guff" is enough to trigger multiple raids and get three businesses shut down.
Be serious.
Mmm.. These blogs are so angry, too many people taking a view thoughtlessly and reactively, very depressing
Oops, wrong thread...
The funny thing is that many of the complainers will be the same locals who believe in natural remedies, homeopathy and holistic medicine. Are they only OK when they don't work?
I eagerly await more facts on this matter.
But I do feel something 'odd' to put it mildly has happened here. Given the knowing threats that were made certain commenters on the street party thread.
I sometimes wonder if there are actually only two people arguing under different usernames.
Well done to the police. About time some action was taken here.
These shop owners knew what was coming to them: they have been warned before but continued to harbour these threatening yobbos.
And before someone accuses me of being a racist, when I walked past there this evening (Nb I was spat at, for no reason) - some of them were white!)
Okay so the drug dealers have gone, now how do we get rid of the racists?
I imagine some sort of corruption has gone on for this to happen.
never mind about the drugs and the dealers, I'm going to have to walk all the way to sids bathrooms for my plumbing supplies now
This thread is typical of the nonsense we get on this site. If you don't like multiple chicken shops opening up ( I'm not a snob but would prefer a couple more kebab shops rather than multiple fried chicken - which I enjoy as well but feel over catered for) you get called a racist. If object to drug dealing shops you get called a racist. Grow up, the whole concept of racism has almost been negated on this site because people use it on a whim.
I don't see why people are shocked. Everyone knows what went on in and around these shops and local residents have been complaining for years - sounds like the police finally decided to take action. Presumably the large party over the jubilee was the final straw.
The rights and wrongs of drugtaking and it's legality are irrelevant.
The ethnicity of the shop owners is irrelevant.
They broke the law and were closed down.
I don't care about cannabis dealing, but crack is a whole nother kettle of fish.
These businesses helped make that stretch of road dangerous, increased the levels of anti-social behaviour and blighted the residents lives.
I for one am glad they were closed down.
So where can we go now for smokable fare? Many in the conservation area should know, they don't mind it when it's being used by white folks!
So you're saying you bought weed from these shops are you Anonymous? So they were dealing and therefore breaking the law then.
Oh, and you are a grass!
Good riddance.
Do these people who are bleating about racism understand the concept of crying wolf?
In the days of old Brockley used to be meeting place for the illegal drug using community. People would come from all over London to buy and to sell.
Of course there was a bit of rivalry and sometimes it would spill over into violence. But like all good gangsters, they only hurt their own.
The drug buyers, on the other hand, were often out of control and the area was rife with muggings as they tried to get the money together for the next fix. Something a bit more serious than wacky baccy, I think.
Brockley was an edgy, dangerous place to live. Brockley station was robbed several times, at one point the station had security guards.
Today, it is much more peaceful place despite the odd drive-by shooting.
I guess there are some who would like a return to those bad old days. Those who profited from it rather than were victims of it, I would guess.
The corderoy brigade may be an annoying, even more so than their mop headed Tarquins but at least the area looks and feels nicer than even 10 years ago. There is no defence for open blatent drug dens.
here's the closure order at supercuts. Pretty non-specific really.
http://twitpic.com/a8y3tg
These 'business' owners seem to be nothing more than a bunch of dodgy whingers who classify drug use and the freedom to break the law as their culture whilst anyone who challenges them is racist. They really are not victims but culprits and I am glad their deviant approach to life has been halted...for now.
I think it wasn't really the drugs that was the downfall of these businesses but the anti-social behaviour that appeared to be associated with them. (the p'ing in street, loud music, aggression)
Because we associate drugs with high profile tragedies; Amy, Whitney, Eva it's easy to condemn and damn any businesses associated fairly or otherwise with the catch all term 'drugs'.
But as evidence* shows the 'drugs' that we most worry about about crack, cocaine, heroin, have a less damaging impact on our society than that the drugs we don't, namely alcohol.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/01/alcohol-more-harmful-than-heroin-crack
I don't associate drugs with high profile tragedies. I associate drugs with crime and anti social behaviour which is exactly what happened here and why the shops were shut down.
And yes, of course alcohol can be as 'bad'. That is irrelevant here.
A comment from the other thread, which I agree with and why I think what happened here is BS
"It basically boils down to, these shops attract the wrong type of people, so the easiest thing to do is close then all down."
We have seen it with regard to gypsies, travellers, squatters, etc,
No, it's nothing like that Kolp - unless you mean 'they attract drug dealers and criminals' in which case yes. Good.
So arrest the drug dealers and sentence the criminals. Three businesses have just SHUT. That's IT!
Drug den claims have been made, but are the prosecutions? Where is the evidence to make up the prosecutions?
Think about the point I'm making this was shut down was based on an ASBO anti-social, not criminal basis.
Three businesses that allowed or participated in drug dealing/taking on their premises. Read the comments above - people openly saying that's where they bought drugs.
What did the owners expect would happen?
As for the ASBO side - it's much easier to shut down the source of the drugs than try to prosecute individual dealers and drugtakers.
Your attempts to turn something into something else is desperate stuff. Should drugs be decriminalised and addiction and drug use be treated like a public health issue? I've got sympathy with that point of view. Not especially relevant there though is it? Only Anti Social Behaviour you say? It's great that you can happily ignore the blighted lives of those who live on the road, people are hounded to suicide by anti social behavious or do you think that you should be allowed to do what you like even if that tramples all over others rights to a safe and secure home? Actually quiet a right wing, individualistic philosophy.
It wasn't a one off, it's the result of years of trouble by bussinesses allowing themselves to be used that way.
What your trying to make a case for is that the police (boo, hiss) selected three adjacent bussinesses and with the local authorities used a few complaints to shut them down. The residents would have to be part of the conspiracy of course. The alternative is that you have a narrative set in your mind, prejudged and your making the results fit that. You and the bigots, who exist, live in the same little world of your own.
There is such a thing as rights AND responsibilities, looks like the bussinesses had disregarded the latter.
Why was my comment deleted?! I just quoted a racist post from another thread about UBR, to show that there is an element of racism in some locals as much as people are claiming there isn't!
@Pax - because it's an offensive comment that was dealt with on the other thread, but I don't want it repeated here, thank you. It also proves nothing by the way - could just be someone trolling.
Attack my arguments not me. What I 'm arguing for is a nuanced approach to what undoubtly was a problem for some. I have argued that consistly and coherently. Deal with that OK.
I did attack your argument, I believe that you have a view regardless of the reasons for closure. Nuanced? What do you mean? They were closed after years of continuing disruption to those living there. If you open a bussiness you have a responsibility to ensure you don't trample on your neighbours. You don't seem to recognise that, you seem to thing they played no part. Your right, the old bill need to demonstrate that. Are you suggesting they can't? Or have you assumed?
Pax,
Some people are racist - Accepted. Some people have made rascist comments regarding the UBR situation - Also accepted
but thats not why the shops were shut down - it was either (a) drug dealing permitted on the premises, (b) repeated anti-social behaviour c) a combination of (a) and (b).
So by all means point out peoples rascism but some people on the thread are muddling the two arguments and claiming that the shops were shut down because of racism.
IMHO The sooner we have a portugese style system where all drugs are decriminalised the better... Over there dealers are prosecuted, minor personal possession of weed is ignored but hard drug addicts are treated but not jailed. there has been a considerable drop in drug use, HIV and other STDs.
What are ASBOs for if they aren't to deal with repeated anti-social behaviour?
If thats what was happening then why not use the ASBOs to shut the offenders down?
Anyway i thought ASBOs had been scrapped?
Some posts will be fanning the drama of this. But I believe that the character Furious is a real person, articulating their real feelings and perceptions, I also strongly suspect that Furious is also the second person that posted in this thread as it currently stands...
I think you're thinking WAY too much about this...
So what if Furious is real? One anonymous angry racist person doesn't make a conspiracy.
This is the internet - there are f*cking loads of nutters around!
I think inappropriately bringing up racism on a discussion which has nothing to do with anyone's skin colour or cultural background, damages genuine cases of racism by making us sceptical about the topic.
There must be scores of ethnic- minority run stores in SE4/SE13/SE8 and it was always just these couple of shops which endlessly came up as being hubs for antisocial behaviour. Saying they were closed because of the background/ethnicity of who ran them is clearly wrong and a grasp at straws by their supporters who generally disagree with law enforcement.
Shame to see Honeypot go. I'm gonna miss the Oxtail stew :-(
People who object to the closure notices clearly do not live in the vincity of these businesses. Two street parties in the last two years that has resulted in gun shots. People urinating on residents properties in broad daylight, numerous drug deals and fights occurring at all hours of the night. Lots of litter from those businesses. Abuse and intimidation when you walk past any of the people loitering outside these businesses. Why should anyone have to put up with that? If this was happening on your road you wouldn't have it. Well done to the authorities for finally pulling their finger out. Trust me, this is not a race issue, it's about respect and common decency.
Thanks god and the police the cleansing of illegal activities is proceeding. Brockley old timers, please get use to it! Brockley is fast forwarding to the year 2012.
No I don't live in that vicinity. I go past it fairly often though. I have eaten from the Honeypot. The service was gruff and ready.
If this it was in New York it would be an Italian place with pictures of famous patrons on the walls. Boxers and stuff.
I am sad that things didn't work out. I am sad that a bit of colour has wiped out. There was no way for residents and lively businesses to peacefully co-exist.
(Some of) the discussions on this forum seem to follow a variant of Goodwin's law. They inevitably seem to descend in allegations and counter allegations of racism.
However there is a solution. Once Goodwin's law is demonstrated then the sysop, sorry moderator, is entitled to terminate the tread.
Actually The Honeypot did have pictures of it's local characters and visiting celebrities on the wall. There was a pic of Lennox Lewis with the owner and defs a pic of a footballer or two, can't remember which ones though.
Yes it did that was what I was saying, it did have boxers. I don't know the name, (not a boxing fan).
Brockley is becoming too "nice". We live in zone 2 of London yet locals want to turn it into a nice area for families. What about those of us who aren't living our lives vicariously through mop headed offspring?
Yeah, the Honeypot wall of fame had individuals such as Lennox Lewis, Rio Ferdinand, Ian Wright, and Buju Banton, to name but a few
What about you? It's not our fault you're a lonely jaffa.
If it's too nice for you here how about heading to Queens Road with a big sign saying "F**k the Peckham Boys".
Should give you some excitement.
Well there was cultural antipathy going on of which, class, race was a part.
To call people racist in this situation is just crass but there was a racial/cultural dimension, regarding the street party. As was overtly stated.
You only have to look at prison statistics, exclusions from schools they paint of picture of dispropotionately heavy sanctions used when certain members of the commnunity transgress.
I don't think that racism from the authorities shut these shops I do however think that the pressure group that was formed by the local residents pushed for these shops to be shut down above all else, and some people in this group did not want these shops operating because of what they were.
Ages ago I was asked if I wanted to join this group by a neighbour, I refused as I didn't like the way he was referring to and talking about the shops and the customers.
Why was closing the shops down seen as the only solution? As people have mentioned what about ASBO's, what about proper community policing. The police were hands off here for years and then suddenly this.
In the back rooms it was like a social club, cards, drinking and yes, you could get pot from them. A pretty harmless set up to be honest. Several exist to cater for the white middle classes doing coke.
I also think the anti-social behaviour has been exaggerated beyond belief compared to my experiences, but perhaps that's another matter.
I think it's naive to think that it wasn't a degree of prejudice involved in this. As we saw from the street party thread some people were convinced that it was the worst think that had happened to them in years instead of what it actually was quite a fun time if you got involved. But then some people do love to feel victimised. I think it's a sad indictment of race relations in 21st century London.
Exactly. There were all sorts of references to "non-locals" "coming in from away" etc. too as I recall.
Missing the point. No doubt some wanted it closed and had there reasons stoked up by bigotry. Does that mean that any genuine antisocial behaviour should be given a free pass? Kolp, you are constantly looking for a racial element or at least accentuating it. Your playing the game, you are the yang to the biggots ying. And what exactly dies the fact that c list celebs may or may not have used it got to do with anything? If racism is so endemic why were these three shops explicitly targeted? We're they extra black? Everyone will have a view on how disruptive they were, those living there should have their voice heard the loudest. This is all obvious.
THIS WAS NOT A RACE MATTER.
Racists have commented on this website but they didn't shut down the shops. Pissed off residents of all colours complaining to the council shut these shops. And ultimatley the shops permitting/encouraging the anti-social behaviour that pissed of the residents shut these shops.
It's shame that local businesses have shut but there is no smoke without fire and it seems there was alot of smoke coming out of these establishments...
Anon 18 July 16:15; You know why that was, don't you?;
It's because there were non locals coming in from away.
Aren't we meant to be tempting people into Brockley? Is it only a bad thing when they're black then?
You guys do know they were smoking natural growing plants, right?
The event was referred to as a street party which in the context of the Royal Celebration meant a party for people from the street and surrounding streets.
I think the raucous street parties were the least of it. If that was the only issue a slapped wrist would have been the only sanction. Need to look at this as regular disturbances with the convince of the local bussinesses. Still, they can go over this and have their say at the hearing. That's how it works.
Possibly so, I'm just inviting the Anon to look at words in their usual everyday meaning before leaping to something more fanciful.
There was excessive noise.
Many of the people attending were from out of the area.
has Shawns on Lewisham Way closed down? i havent seen it open all weekend or this morning. i hope not...
"In the back rooms it was like a social club, cards, drinking and yes, you could get pot from them. A pretty harmless set up to be honest."
If they'd kept such activities to the back rooms they'd likely have been left alone. But some individuals struggle with the idea of discretion.
Pubs and nightclubs with predominantly white clientele lose their licenses all the time for causing a public nuisance. What happened in Upper Brockley Road is no different.
Plumbing 4 All offers super speedy and dependable 24 hour plumber services
Very nice to see an enterprising Canadian company advertising its services this far afield.
More likely that they are in business than these waccy baccy merchants squatting in former plumbing emporium.
I really liked the Jerk chicken.
Post a Comment