My mate got stabbed in the face by a broken bottle in the very area you claim as safe, very nearly lost his eye, and will have a circular scar on his face for the rest of his life, cos some teens didn't apparently like the way he brushed them off when they asked him to lend him a dollar ! followed by a kissing teeth sound.
I'm genuinely sorry to hear about your friend - however that honestly could have happened anywhere, singling out Brixton is a little unfair. There are incidents of violent crime all over London unfortunately. Though if you believe what you read The numbers are coming down.
These were just teens 15-16 perhaps. No doubt from one of the deprived council estates on that area with no real aspirations in life.
Who knows? You may well be right or it could be something altogether different.
As a kid growing up, i spent a lot of time in Brixton, cos my mum worked just off the high street. So when i hung out there, i got a good feel for the area. The kids there were generally very rough. From the hard knocks in life. Some are now most undoubtedly in prison for violent crimes.
It certainly was a poorer part of London for sure, but it's come a long way and is a melting hot pot of cultures and arts and media now, I dare say it has changed somewhat.
Black or white, the kids there are / were rough. Much as they are in the inner cities rough areas of New York or LA. These places don't have a rep for nothing.
Could the above happen in other area's of the country / city? Of course. But as a probability, when the place is listed as socially and economically deprived, crime rates soar and danger is always only ever around the corner.
London is not comparable to the dump that is LA. Furthermore, since 9/11 NY has become a lot safer too. London though is a reasonably decent place as long as you have your head screwed on well. Like any city it has rough spots and has bad periods in time, however whilst you're not wrong about perhaps Briton having a shady past it has changed, but like any other happening place there is always a bit of a dark shadow looming behind it.
That being said, the rough places in USA do make the Brixton hardnuts seem like a bunch of softies, such as Camden NJ. You go there and you'd think you're in a war zone, with the amount of burnt out cars and derelict buildings.. One after the other. A real eye opener.
That we agree on 100%. Having had an unpleasant experience in south central LA I know that some of those places are rough rough rough.
I think whilst Brixton has suffered bad press deservedly in the past it certainly isn't the deprived place it used to be. Anyway like any city you need to be street wise.
