Monday 8th of August 2011 will be the day all local residents remember wanton violence coming to our much loved streets. Worst hit was the Clapham Junction area around Lavender Hill caught in its early throes in the below video.
Of course, the most familiar image to us all is now the gutted Party Superstore – which Love Clapham has frequented for many a fancy dress party – ablaze.
Other shops were smashed, looted and destroyed in a disgusting abuse of our local area. Clapham High Street was largely unaffected, although Blockbuster near Clapham North has had its windows smashed, and property destroyed and stolen. Love Clapham witnessed a gang of 20 or so hooded youths lurking behind KFC at around 11pm – they may have been entirely innocent, but last night was not the night to be hanging around in gangs.
Riot police eventually turn up en masse captured in this resident’s video:
No one involved had any intentions of delivering a political of social message, they just wanted to enjoy themselves by destroying people’s livelihoods. It was disturbing to watch on television, and terrifying for some of our residents stuck in the thick of the violence. Personally, the worst image for me was that of the young girls in the attack laughing at their friends tearing a TV off the wall in Ladbrokes. Such a depressingly pathetic display of ignorance and stupidity.
But the local community has come together in a tear jerking response as residents supported those affected today with broom in hand to clean up. Something to be proud of. Take care Clappers.
Read more on the following websites:
Big Squid is a PADI 5 star dive centre located in Clapham North Arts Centre just off Voltaire Road by Clapham High Street train station. It offers dive equipment (it’s a shop too) and dive courses run at their dive centre and at Clapham Manor baths just a 2 minute walk away.
Address: Big Squid, UNIT 2F Clapham North Arts Centre, 26-32 Voltaire Road, Clapham SW4 6DH
Phone: 020 7627 0700
Mobile: 07950 252 548
Email: info@bigsquid.co.uk Continue reading

The London Paper is reporting that two men were shot on Wandsworth Road in Clapham. The website says a 25 year old man “was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital. Some time later, another man arrived at a south London hospital with gunshot wounds. Both men are in a stable condition and their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.” If you have any info, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. UPDATE: @ursulafuchs corrected us to say the shooting happened on Monday night.