On Wednesday 31st August, over 130 leaders from across London gathered to share stories and discuss plans to reclaim our streets from violence.

After 3 weeks during which thousands of people in member institutions of London Citizens listened to each other and shared stories linked to the London riots, a gathering of leaders was held at St John-at-Hackney Church to discuss plans to reclaim our streets from violence.

During the meeting – the most authentic and diverse meeting held in London in response to the riots, with people from all faiths and none, students, parents, teachers, clergy, etc. – it became clear that the current work carried out by London Citizens in terms of its CitySafe Campaign had become even more relevant.

The CitySafe campaign is a community-led campaign, with 1000s of young people across London being trained to build relationships across postcodes. One of its main aims it to get young people to work with shopekeepers, the police, local authorities, and other public officials, developing links and common plans to create a stronger sense of neighbourliness in London.

In Hackney, the CitySafe Campaign is at the heart of our current agenda, and, as well as helping build trust between young people and shopkeepers, addresses issues related to transport and youth unemployment. Therefore, the leaders who attended the meeting agreed that we would:

1. Carry on developing CitySafe zones and work with Safer Neighbourhood Teams to make this happen. We are targeting 4 zones in Hackney: Homerton, Clapton, Hackney Central, Manor House.
2. Carry on working with the Police and negotiate with them to organise training sessions between young people and police officers (to get them to learn to relate, avoiding stereotypes).
3. Carry on working with Arriva (Bus Company operating buses in Hackney) and Jennette Arnold (our Assembly Member) and develop a training programme to get bus drivers and young people to interact in better ways.
4. Carry on working with Arriva and Jennette Arnold to address the issue of overcrowded buses at certain times in Hackney.
5. Develop a Community Leadership Programme aimed at young people in Hackney Schools working with London Citizens to teach students the importance of community action.
6. Carry on trying to persuade Hackney Council to support our CitySafe campaign, following the steps of Lewisham, Lambeth, and Tower Hamlets Councils.
7. Develop a campaign to address issues of Youth Unemployment, working with some of our key Living Wage businesses across London.

The argument behind our work in Hackney is that the riots happened as politics failed. In the words of Andres Nino, from Cardinal Pole School, and Priscilla Boonin, from Our Lady’s Convent High School:

We want to be heard and exercise our power as young citizens. Democracy is about politicians and other public officials working with us. We want to build a sense of accountability between our elected officials and our communities.  We saw what happens when people feel like they aren’t being listened to. The alternative to riots is politics.

For more details about our current work in Hackney, get in touch with Sebastien Chapleau, our Organiser: sebastien.chapleau@londoncitizens.org.uk.