One week on in the City

The echoes of last week’s protests still linger in the City, from the police van parading anti-capitalist graffiti to the headlines in the news of the ever increasing storm surrounding the death of Ian Tomlinson. As more witnesses come forward some of the narratives become more contradictory (drunk v not drunk, only encounter with police or previous encounter) and it will take time to untangle the threads and come closer to finding out what really happened.

In these kind of situations it’s hard to get an idea of context, particularly if you’re not familiar with the City. The image below comes from the Evening Standard’s “This is London” website and shows Ian on the ground after being pushed by one of the police.

The image below is my own picture from across the road showing a wider view. 

If you go forward fifty yards or so you’ll come to the RBS that was damaged by protestors and if you go left just over fifty yards you’ll come to the front of the Royal Exchange, the epicentre of last many of last week’s events, so by any reckoning it occured very close to the centre of the protests. If you head thirty yards or so to the right down Cornhill you’ll find floral tributes attached to a streetsign as a memorial to Ian, which I assume mark the spot where he was treated and subsequently died.

For the sake of the family I hope the truth will out. 

Google Streetview
Location of the picture of the incident
http://bit.ly/15YfM
Location of the damaged RBS
http://bit.ly/6eu
Location of the floral tribute
http://bit.ly/fxYb

The Evening Standard coverage:
“I’ll see you tomorrow if I am still living and breathing”
G20 victim seen on film clashing with police an hour before fatal fall

The City Blog Flickr Page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moorgatemercurius