Moving Memorial| Monday 24 October, 2005 |
Ninety three days after the Stockwell shooting and the De Menezes memorial is on the move. Not too far, about 20 yards to the other side of the tube station entrance. But it's shifted all the same. Something to do with planned building work next to the fruit and veg stall where the shrine first sprung up back in those crazy days of July.
 When do we stop caring? |
The handling of the semi-permanent memorial to something more long term is a sensitive issue. Brazilian flags still fly out from various estates in Stockwell. When does a community stop caring about what happened on July 22nd? Never of course, but I can't but help think that TfL's patience is being stretched with the continuous appearance of flowers and placards for Mr De Menezes on their property.
We need something permanent of course. The nearby Stockwell Memorial Gardens would be perfect. Already the mural has the face of Jean Charles painted on, but the local Brazilian community probably needs a place where they can leave their own messages, rather than simply stare up at a face painted high up on a disused power supply.
Looking back over those balmy days back in July with three months retrospective and Stockwell really was a strange place to live. It's a strange place to live ANYTIME but the negative messages being sent out by the knobber media whores killed off overnight the community building that has taken place here in recent years.
In answer to the 'where do you live?' question, pre-July 22nd and I was well prepared with some stock follow up answers such as 'you know - between Brixton and Vauxhall, David Bowie, um, Costcutters.'
Now I don't need to bother.
'Stockwell? Oh...' as they move onto the next person to play postcode snobbery with. Even the PYT teacher was guilty of this just the other week, although to be honest I was simply flattered (and deluded) that she was enquiring about my home status.
Never mind. I'm staying put, proud that the Stockwell shooting hasn't divided my community, and pleased that in our own ramshackle way, we can still remember what happened here over the summer months.
Crap Picture Gallery (click on thumbs to see large image)
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