When it did hit, many people were still unprepared. People I spoke to who’d been driving between Birmingham and the Wolves area had witnessed multiple accidents on the roads. @KeithWilkoITV reported earlier that all 23 of the city’s gritters have been out and the council are braced for more snow tomorrow.

The Mail reported on Thursday that the council, in partnership with Amey, has been treating 1200km of routes – around half of the city’s roads – every night. BBC News reported that, as snow began to fall at around lunchtime today, the West Midlands remains on an amber snow alert as 5cm (2 inches) of snow is expected to fall over the next day. “The snow is expected to give way to sleet and rain and could cause some travel disruption. Temperatures are set to drop down to -1C overnight.”

More snaps and vids as I come across them.

The protest shall take place in Centenary Square.
The duration of the protest will be no longer than 2 hours commencing no earlier than 1pm and ending no later than 3pm on 29 October.

A static protest will be taking place by supporters of the English Defence League, while a separate community event will also be held in the city simultaneously.

They continue,

The event, and any counter demonstration, will take place in Chamberlain Square.
The event will be no longer than three and a half hours commencing no earlier than 12.30pm and ending no later than 4pm, on 29 October.

As on previous occasions, police have no power to ban a static protest – in fact the right to protest peacefully is a sign of a healthy democracy and we have a positive duty to facilitate that right. Assistant chief constable Marcus Beale, who will lead the policing operation, said: “We have to balance the desires of those involved with the safety requirements for the event, and ultimately this has to take precedence.

“We want people to feel reassured and in response to community concerns, we will be staging a large-scale operation on the day to ensure that everyone who comes to the city centre, be it to take part in the protests, or to go about their day to day business, can do so in safety.

“West Midlands Police do not welcome this protest as we recognise that many people feel anxious about it being in the city so soon after the disturbances in August. Like them, we believe that our resources would be better placed in neighbourhoods tackling the crimes which matter most to local people.

“With that in mind, we urge people to go about their normal business and not allow the protest to affect them or undermine Birmingham’s reputation as a harmonious city with many different cultures living alongside each other in peace. The policing operation will strive to ensure it remains that way. Any criminal or public order offences will be robustly dealt with.”

If you are intending on visiting the city centre on Saturday, please bear these restrictions in mind and avoid the area entirely if at all possible. The last time the EDL were in town, acts of random violence and some vandalism occurred (although mostly undertaken by people purporting to be EDL supporters, other groups of people were also involved, possibly in retaliatory action.) No doubt police presence will be visible and high profile in order to curb any inflammatory actions.

A press release from this afternoon reports the following cordons are to be imposed upon the centre as a result of the protest:

[...] Access to Victoria Square will be restricted with police cordons in place around [Centenary] Square. Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who is leading the policing operation, said: “We understand that the policing operation may cause some inconvenience to members of the public who intend to visit attractions around Victoria Square on Saturday, however the cordons are unavoidable.

“We apologise for any inconvenience the cordons may cause, however we have to balance the desires of everyone involved, with the safety requirements for the event, and ultimately this has to take precedence.”

Under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, conditions have been placed on both events, and organisers have been informed.

ACC Beale added: “We want people to feel reassured and in response to community concerns, we will be staging a large-scale operation on the day to ensure that everyone who comes to the city centre, be it to take part in the protests, or to go about their day to day business, can do so in safety.

“[...] We urge people to go about their normal business and not allow the protest to affect them or undermine Birmingham’s reputation as a harmonious city with many different cultures living alongside each other in peace. The policing operation will strive to ensure it remains that way. Any criminal or public order offences will be robustly dealt with.”

Maps of the defined protest areas follow.

Images courtesy and © Copyright West Midlands Police, used with permission.

Wednesday, October 5 2011:
18:50: West Midlands Police has dubbed the investigation into the deaths as Operation Pointer. Since the August updates, more people were arrested, eventually bringing the total to fourteen arrested (the most recent being a 21 year old Quinton man arrested on suspicion of murder, subsequently bailed pending further enquiries).

As of October the 5th, nine men have appeared at Birmingham Crown Court charged with murder and remanded in custody pending their trial. Four men remain on police bail having been arrested on suspicion of murder. Another 28 year old man appeared at Birmingham Magistrates on the 22nd of August having been charged with perverting the course of justice.

The police are urging anyone with more information about the incident to contact the Operation Pointer incident room via their central contact number, 0345 113 5000. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Sunday, August 21 2011:
19:50: BBC News is reporting that a fifth man, Liam Young from Winson Green, has now been charged in connection with the killings.

Saturday, August 20 2011:
19:00: Two more people have been arrested: a 33 year old man, arrested at his home in Smethwick on Friday morning on suspicion of murder, has been released on bail; the ninth person is 28 year old Liam Young, arrested in Winson Green. Four people remain charged in connection with the murders; Ian Beckford, 30, from Quinton; Joshua Donald, 26, of Kelsall Croft, Ladywood; Adam King, 23, of no fixed address and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Thursday, August 18 2011:
17:25: BBC News has a report from the funerals.

17:15: the open air funeral has finished and mourners are largely dispersed; traffic is still fairly heavy in the locality. Prayers were held for the three individuals; Sheikh Muhammed al Yaqoubi addressed the assembled crowds and Saqib Majid, the cousin of Ali and Musavir, read out a poignant tribute.

16:15: an open air funeral is currently taking place in Summerfield Park, Birmingham to commemorate the deaths of Jahan, Ali and Musavir. Prayers have been said and some 20,000 people from all faiths and communities have attended to show their support for the deceased and their families. Tariq Jahan has continued to urge the communities to remain united and at peace.

Motorists have been asked to park responsibly and respect that local residents may need to enter and leave their homes on the day. The area around Summerfield Park is residential and highly built-up; there is only limited parking available at Summerfield Park. There are bus services every 5 minutes along the Dudley Road (www.nxbus.co.uk or TravelineMidlands.co.uk for live timetables and route planners). There may be delays to travel on the routes near to Summerfield Park. Traffic restrictions have been in place between midday and 16:00; the area will remain congested until this evening.

Also, West Midlands Police earlier released an update on the number of arrests and charges filed as a result of last week’s disorder:

Arrests: 509
Charges: 141

So far we have results for 80 cases. Of these:

57 have been Remanded in Custody (71%);
6 have been convicted, sentenced and released (8%) and
17 have been bailed, most with conditions (21%).

Wednesday, August 17 2011: A fourth man has tonight been charged in connection with the deaths.

Monday, August 15 2011: West Midlands Police today announced the arrest of a SEVENTH individual in connection with the Winson Green deaths last week. A 30 year old man from Birmingham was detained on suspicion of murder shortly after 10am today (August 15). To date, thre men aged 17, 23 (Adam King of Kings Norton) and 26 (Joshua Donald of Ladywood) have been charged with murder and have appeared before Birmingham Crown Court. Three other people (three males aged 16, 27 and 32) have already been bailed pending further enquiries.

A third vehicle, a black Audi 3, was recovered late on Saturday night and according to West Midlands Police “is undergoing forensic examination by officers”. Their press release goes on to say,

DCI Anthony Tagg from Force CID said: “We are now confident that we have recovered all three vehicles which we believe were involved in the murder in Dudley Road in the early hours of Wednesday 10 August.” He added, “enquires are ongoing and we are still actively seeking a number of people in relation to the murder enquiry. We would appeal for anyone with information about the incident to contact us.”

A team of 70 detectives and 15 police staff are continuing to work on the investigation into the deaths of Shazad Ali, Abdul Musavir and Haroon Jahan in Winson Green.

Anyone with information should contact police on 0345 113 5000 or call Crimestoppers confidentially on 0800 555 111.

Earlier on Sunday August 14 it was announced that three individuals had been charged in relation to the Winson Green killings of Shazad Ali, Abdul Musavir and Haroon Jahan. The most recent arrestee, Adam King, 23, from Kings Norton, Birmingham, appears in court on Monday the 15th of August.

BBC, 14/08/2011: Joshua Donald, from Kelsall Croft, Ladywood, and the teenager from Winson Green, who cannot be named, appeared before magistrates earlier. They will appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.

Mr King will appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

From BBC News on Saturday:

A 17-year-old male from Winson Green and Joshua Donald, 26, from Ladywood, have been charged with three counts of murder each. The pair are due to appear before Birmingham magistrates on Sunday. (On Sunday, they were remanded in custody and will be appearing in court on Monday.)

BBC News covered the Peace Rally, held in Summerfield Park, where up to 5,000 people attended. Their full articles are here and here.

Some of the 5,000 attendees of the Summerfield Park Peace Rally

Amjad Hussein owned the business in which Ali, Musavir and Jahan worked. Speaking to the BBC at the rally, he said, “Today everyone’s together and it will stay like this. It’ll bring the community together and it definitely has made a difference.” West Midlands Police Chief Constable Chris Sims, Mike Whitby and Lord Mayor Anita Ward also attended.

Tariq Jahan made an emotional and poignant speech (clip courtesy of the BBC) where he emphasised just how much the unity expressed in the community meant to him, that the deaths of the three were not in vain and his hope that the community would remember them.

The BBC’s Anthony Bartram spoke to people at the rally:

From the BBC article:

West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims also spoke at the event, along with Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby. “We are working together, politicians, faith leaders, community leaders – the desire for normality in this city is tangible,” said Mr Whitby.

Before the event, Mr Sims said: “Officers have been overwhelmed by the support shown by the public and it felt a million miles from the debates apparently raging in Westminster.” Sentencing of those in court had been “justifiably harsh”, he said. But he added people must not abandon compassion for some “damaged young people who have been caught up in these incidents”.

 

On Saturday, the first most people heard about the arrests was when West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) tweeted:

The 26-year-old male and 17-year-old male will both appear at Birmingham Magistrates at 9am tomorrow morning, Sunday 14 August.

West Midlands Police said about 5,000 people attended a peace rally on Sunday afternoon in Winson Green, the neighbourhood where the men were killed.

Tariq Jahan, the father of 21-year-old Haroon Jahan, said: “Seeing everyone here gives me strength in my heart. He didn’t die in vain and I hope this community will remember them.”

On Saturday, A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said a 16-year-old boy and a 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder had been bailed pending further inquiries. Two other men aged 23 and 27 who were arrested on Friday remain in police custody.

‘Shock and devastation’
Earlier, Tariq Jahan, father of Haroon Jahan, thanked people for their condolences. “I have received much mail internationally,” he said. Mr Ali and Mr Musavir’s uncle, Abdullah Khan, 58, said his nephews were “hard-working young men”. He said: “I remember talking to Shazad a few days before and he was looking forward to the birth of his first child in a few months, but that was not meant to be.

“We have lost two sons, which has left their family in complete shock and devastation.”

A peace gathering has been arranged at Summerfield Park in Dudley Road, Birmingham, on Sunday at which the three men will be remembered.

Police and locals have told me that they expect upwards of 10,000 people to attend the Peace March on Sunday; the funerals of Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir are going to also be held in Summerfield Park on Thursday – figures of up to 30,000 attendees have been talked about with people from Leicester, Manchester, Bradford, Liverpool and London coming to pay their respects.

West Midlands Police detectives have also been investigating the deaths and today appealed for help from the local community to identify a vehicle seen in the area at the time of the incident. The vehicle, a black Audi A3, was seen by witnesses near the scene and police are asking for anyone with information or anyone who knows who was driving it at that time to come forward.

From West Midlands Police’s earlier press release:

Officers have also revealed that they have arrested a further two people late last night on suspicion of murder. The two men aged 23 and 27 from Birmingham are currently helping officers with enquiries. Police are still questioning a further three people aged 16, 17 and 26 who were arrested on Thursday 11 August. Warrants have been granted for their further detention until 10pm tonight. A sixth man, aged 32, arrested a short time after the incident has been bailed while further enquiries take place.

Enquiries into the murder of Shazad Ali, aged 30, Abdul Musavir and 31 and Haroon Jahan aged 20 are continuing, with a team of over 70 detectives and 15 police staff working on the enquiry. As part of the investigation. officers have also recovered two vehicles. A black Mazda registration CN06 SHZ, which was found close to the scene burnt out and a black Ford Fiesta BT11 GTY, which has also been recovered by police.

Det Supt Richard Baker, who is leading the murder investigation, said: “Enquiries are ongoing into these vehicles, but officers are appealing for anyone who has knowledge of the owners or drivers of these vehicles in the days and weeks before the incident to come forward. Officers are working hard to bring those responsible for these deaths to justice. The response from the community has been overwhelming. We have seized over 400 exhibits and taken over 70 witness statements from people who have come forward and provided information. A significant amount of CCTV has been recovered and officers are looking through this and over 130 businesses and houses have been visited in relation to house to house enquiries.

“I would appeal to anyone with information to come forward and speak to police- the smallest amount of information could be critical in order to get justice for the families.We understand that people may be unsure or fearful about providing evidence to the police. I can reassure communities that West Midlands Police have a proven track record of successfully protecting the identity of significant witnesses and we will work closely with CPS to enable the full scope of legislation to be utilised to protect witnesses.”

Det. Supt. Baker also paid tribute to the families of the victims and the local community.

He said: “The communities of all faiths have responded very positively together in relation to providing information and we would not be in the position we are without their support.

“Three young men died in the most tragic and unnecessary circumstances on Wednesday morning. These men were sons, brothers, uncles and cousins and this has devastated the families and local community. In order to ensure that justice is brought against the main offenders as swiftly as possible it is critical that the community continue to provide information in relation to this incident.”

Enquiries into the collision are ongoing-Anyone who witnessed the collision or has information in connection with the incident is asked to contact West Midlands Police on 0345 113 5000.

Follow @AboutBrum for more frequent updates, RTs and quick/snappy newsbites.

If you have updates, photos, videos or other info please send them in via the Tips page – or simply message @AboutBrum.

Also, a reminder to check out the Birmingham Riots 2011 tumblr maintained by Casey Rain. I’ve been reblogging images and updates including the ones he’s been amassing, his site’s been very excellent since Monday.

Coverage: Sangat TV | Sky News | BBC News Live | BBC rolling riots coverage | BBC WM

Saturday

Carol Ann Duffy’s written a moving tribute to Tariq Johan. It’s entitled, simply, “Birmingham for Tariq Johan.”

After the evening prayers at the mosque,
came the looters in masks,
      and you three stood,
beloved in your neighbourhood,
brave, bright, brothers,
to be who you were –
a hafiz is one who has memorised
the entire Koran;
      a devout man –
then the man in the speeding car
who purposefully mounted the kerb …

I think we all should kneel
      on that English street,
where he widowed your pregnant wife, Shazad,
tossed your soul to the air, Abdul,
and brought your father, Haroon, to his knees,
his face masked in only your blood
on the rolling news
where nobody’s children riot and burn.

– via The Guardian

Paul Lewis has also had a remarkable week journeying around England; during his travels he encountered the Birmingham riots and has recounted what he experienced on the Guardian web site.

Image via The Guardian

Friday

17:27: Wow – an astounding 6,986% increase in visitors to About Brum since Monday! Thank you very much for choosing to use my humble web site to keep up to date on events in Birmingham. I make no money from this site; I only hope you’ve found what I’ve posted so far informative and useful. Stay tuned or subscribe to About Brum’s RSS feed and Twitter account for further updates as they come down the wires.

17:13: An inquest into the Winson Green hit-and-run deaths was opened and adjourned today. Given the ‘exceptional circumstances’ surrounding the case, the coroner has announced that he will be releasing the bodies to the parents’ relatives next week. The car suspected to be involved in the incident was found burnt out in a side street approximately 200 yards away from the crime scene. Police also recovered a second vehicle, also believed to be involved in the incident. It is likely that police will request extra time to detain the currently arrested individuals for further questioning; CCTV imagery obtained from the area may also prove useful.

Any individuals who have information or witnessed the accident are encouraged to come forward to West Midlands Police and have been guaranteed anonymity.

The Birmingham Magistrates Court also worked late again last night, with 13 individuals appearing in court ‘accused largely of violent disorder, burglary and going equipped to steal.’ (WMP press release). I also personally witnessed the arrests of several people last night on Colmore Row, with one individual charged with possession of a controlled substance and another individual on charges relating to this week’s looting! So all in all, a nice way to round off things. That was the only bit of trouble last night; the entire town was pretty calm and very peaceful.

I spent a while last night walking and talking with officers patrolling the city centre – at once a very enjoyable experience and a fairly eye-opening experience. One thing which was clear was each and every officer has given their absolute utmost this week, with all rest days cancelled and 12 hour shifts put in place – many were also working extra hours unpaid, coming in hours early and leaving hours later – to support each other. They were all fairly exhausted – particularly officers who had fought against looters and rioters on Monday and Tuesday across Birmingham, then continued with beat duties and undertaking raids on suspects involved in the lootings. However, they were all very happy that their combined efforts had brought the situation under control and maintained the peace for everyone else.

West Midlands Police is also encouraging organisers of various smaller ‘peace marches’ on Sunday to postpone or join forces with the cross-community Peace Rally, due to take place at 3pm on Sunday the 14th of August at Summerfield Park, Dudley Road, Winson Green.

Thursday

18:23: West Midlands Police has formally issued an update on the further arrests following the hit-and-run deaths in Winson Green. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder; a 16-year old, 17-year old and man aged 26, all from Birmingham. The 32-year old man initially arrested following the incident has been bailed pending further enquiries.

Enquiries into the collision are ongoing — anyone who witnessed the collision or has information in connection with the incident is asked to contact West Midlands Police on 0345 113 5000.

16:52: A day of reflections. Many questions to be answered, including how the circumstances surrounding the Winson Green hit-and-run came about. Was it avoidable? Many things to be learnt from WMP’s area-by-area response and whether analysis was undertaken correctly concerning any possible conflict between different communities. Still much to also be learnt about the person currently under arrest related to the case.

On the whole though, Birmingham is returning to peace with people surveying the scene. Wolverhampton’s carrying on as normal, bar a few shops with boarded up windows. Damage mostly limited to a couple of sections of town, the Nisa near the railway station was smashed but still open for business as usual. The new railway bridge escaped completely unscathed, not a scratch on it!

In music news, AIM (the representative body of independent UK record labels) has worked furiously to put things in place to assist the indie labels who’ve lost all stock following the Essex SonyDADC warehouse blaze. On Tuesday, they put out a call to action urging fans to support their favourite artists and labels to help them survive the crisis – read it in full on the A2IM site. Today, they announced a fund to help those labels:

Following the devastating fire on Monday night at SONYDADC’s Enfield facility, which destroyed the stock of hundreds of independent labels AIM and [PIAS] have been working together to coordinate the extraordinary number of offers of help which have been pouring in from across the world. This morning, we are announcing the creation of a fund to help independents affected by the catastrophe. They will be able to draw upon the fund to help cover the interruption to their business and the cost of getting back onto their feet.

The fund is being provided by some of AIM’s larger member labels, other well wishers and from AIM’s reserves, and will be made available to affected smaller labels pro-rata to labels’ [PIAS] turnover this year, as required.

[PIAS] are first and foremost focused on supporting their labels. AIM will be coordinating the fund, and also other offers of help in the form of promotions and benefit gigs.

Alison Wenham commented “the independents will survive this disaster, as they have survived other business challenges. We represent a community which has a mutual respect for the work of all indie labels, be they large or small, and the industry needs to nurture and protect these small companies in times like this. We wish to thank everyone in the community for their generous and unfettered support”.



Martin Mills, Chairman of the Beggars Group, said “Larger labels are much better resourced to weather this storm – but small and new labels are the future and need support from their peers to see them through this crisis “.

Daniel Miller, Founder, Mute said “Following the sad events surrounding the fire at the Sony DADC warehouse which houses [PIAS]‘s physical distribution, it is crucial that the independent community stands together to ensure the ongoing business of the labels so badly affected. Mute supports any initiatives that will enable this to happen.”


Details regarding how to contribute and who to contact:
Anyone wishing to contact [PIAS] and AIM in respect to this fund should email labelsupportfund@musicindie.com

12:15: West Midlands Fire Service has published some photos from the Nechells scrap metal recycling plant yesterday. Over 100 tonnes of shredded scrap metal was well ablaze – and when metal is on fire you know it’s hot!

WMFS also have an ISIS unit which they deployed for some remarkable ‘skycam’ aerial imagery:

More details and images on the West Midlands Fire Service web site.

12:14: Cameron currently leading an emergency recall of Parliament; beginning to get a little fractious. Watch live, either on BBC News online or ParliamentLive.tv.

02:37: Rumours of a Gurdwara in Derby on fire are completely false. Silver Commander Superintendent Kul Mahay has visited the site (a former pub on St. THomas Road) and confirmed that a small fire was set but no damage done. Minor fire and smoke damage.

From the Sangat Television Justin.tv chat earlier:

soldier89: just got back from the so called burnt down gurdwara
gss9: soldierrr89 khidddaaa u good?
soldier89: yeah man
gss9: soldier wuts the situation no fire?
chris131084: well I’m clearly not
soldier89: its an old pub that is currently being converted into a gurdwara. 6 kids broke in and started a small fire inside
gss9: ohh i seee
soldier89: police and fire service got there fast
fayce: prove it
soldier89: 1 witness, no arrests
gss9: ya thanks soldier89 for clearing it up

01:21: West Midlands Police have just tweeted out:

Malicious text message circulating about mosque being firebombed in Birmingham. This is untrue.

Sky news still have a correspondent with live breakaway coverage of the candelit vigil in on Dudley Road. They’re also showing a VT about the murders, worth a watch if you have Sky TV. (you can currently watch online for free via the Sky News web site).

Some stills from the VT:

Wednesday

21:45: Dudley Road, Winson Green

I live nearby, so I decided to visit the scene of the accident on Dudley Road where Haroon Jahan, Abdul Musavir and Shazad Ali were killed last night. When I arrived about 200 or so people were milling around, talking amongst themselves – I must’ve stuck out like a sore thumb as one of the only white people there but I was greeted warmly and fell into discussion before most people went to the local restaurant or nearby houses to break fast.

Quite a sad moment, people around were voicing their anger and a few people were frustrated that they felt treated like terrorists or criminals – but there was no intention of anyone going to stir up trouble. Police presence was moderate but low-key; one (who said he was drafted in from Worcestershire) said they were there mostly to reassure and help anybody who might need assistance. I felt very safe.

“I am sorry for the lack of humanity”

Skid marks from WMP’s assessment of braking distance at the accident site. Plainly visible at 9pm.

Earlier today, whilst Dudley Road was closed (via The Guardian)

Just two of the numerous camera crews all reporting from the scene

The immediate vicinity at dusk, as people drifted away to break their fast

Officers surveying the scene and looking for evidence earlier today (@PatFenelonITV via Twitter)

If you want to use any of these images please do so, please just link back to AboutBrum.co.uk so I can see where they get used. (Non-watermarked print quality available for press/media upon request.)

“Blacks, Asians, Whites, we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? What started these riots and what’s escalated them? Why are we doing this? I lost my son. Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home.”

– Tariq Jahan, whose son Haroon was one of the victims of the hit-and-run last night

19:19: The Bullring’s board(ed up)… geddit?

(@Carl_Poulton via Twitter)

18:11: An exact transcript of a message circulating on BlackBerry Messaging:

‘everyman keep off the road tonight, Birmingham is going to be madness, people from london, leicester, derby, manchester to f**k up birmingham of them 3 asian guys that got killed in winson green there coming to riot hard and i don’t want no one to lose their life because of it, stay in your yards and pass this on’

(via Casey)

The Bull stands guard.

17:45: After a relatively quiet afternoon (with just an unrelated fire at a Nechells metal recycling plant) most attention has been focused on what might happen tonight. On Sangat TV, people have been expressing their anguish and determination not to let things boil over into violence as many are fearing it might. Reports of EDL and BNP attempting to capitalise on the friction – perhaps by bringing in supporters into the city to incite violence – are thus far unconfirmed, as are the rumours of Birmingham City fans (“Zulus”) arriving in town to help defend it against rioters.

Pershore Road has apparently been blocked by police in both directions between Edgbaston Road and Belgrave Middleway due to a ‘police incident’. Riot vans are amassing at a police bases in preparation for anything which may happen tonight.

(ChrisHalpinITV via Twitter)

The city feels like it is bracing for another evening of violence… More updates throughout the evening. In the lull, give this a read: a report by 23 year old James Taylor, caught in the middle of the riots whilst filming on Tuesday.

The earlier fire at the Smurfitt Hawkswood Metal Recycling Plant

(lord_apricot on Twitter)

(BeckyJohnsonITV on Twitter)

So… It’s been a tumultuous night. Uneasy calm at the moment, @RobSmithUK says, “Bham New Street looks battered and bruised. Lots of boarded up windows. #BirminghamRiots”. Much discussion needs to be had re: police strategy, policing numbers, balance of allowing looting and criminal damage and whether water canon and baton rounds should have been sanctioned earlier by Cameron & co.

The killing of two brothers and a third friend in cold blood on Dudley Road last night is being treated as murder by West Midlands Police. Appears to be a clear-cut hit-and-run. An eyewitness explained in a BBC WM news report, “the car came flying, took out three of us, flying into midair. Then it drove off – it intentionally mounted the kerb, it was gone within five or six seconds.” A 32 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of all three murders and police investigations are ongoing.

12:30: Smoke blowing across M6 in vicinity of Aston Expressway Aston Church Road closed (due to the Nechells metalworks fire) between A47 Heartlands Parkway and Chartress Road.

A417 Dudley Road in vicinity of Cavendish Road expected to remain closed until at least 16:00 according to WMP.

04:40: Upinder Randhawa, presenter with Sangat Television, has confirmed with sadness via Twitter that the third Hussein brother has died as a result of his injuries, making a total of three deaths as a result of the earlier RTA on Dudley Road. Very sad news.

Watch Sangat Television on Sky 847, or online at http://www.justin.tv/ravztv or http://yycast.com/ali121.

03:33: reading that an official media blackout has been agreed upon and imposed by BBC & Sky. Makes a lot of sense if you consider the massive lack of updates on what is a very fast-paced situation in London in particular (and the deaths in Birmingham!) From DigitalSpy:

From tvforum.co.uk

There is an Official Media Blackout! I have had official confirmation from 2 sources, both at BBC and at Sky. It is an UTTER DISGRACE that the majority of us is not being told of the real picture. I have friends in various parts of London who are absolutely distraught at what’s going on…

Manchester is a mere ‘diversion’ as to what’s taking place country wide.

I am absolutely appalled at this ‘starvation’ of news…. These ‘mindless’ ‘child’ like thugs DO NOT watch the news networks for logistics or excitement as to where the riots are happening…. An D / DA Notice is not valid here!

Formerly News RoomPosted: 9th August 2011 11:14pm #483

03:10: The amount of independent reports and circumstantial evidence makes it fairly easy for me to now say this with certainy: two British Pakistani men have now died in City Hospital (the Hussein brothers). The two brothers, along with a third member of the same family, were run over in the Dudley Road area adjacent to the Jet petrol filling station (BBC WM) during earlier rioting. Full circumstances are still being clarified. The third individual is still in critical condition. West Midlands Police have confirmed three people were taken to hospital following an RTA:

Twitter is ahead of the curve as usual so search for #birminghamriots for uncensored news.

02:22: Off to bed now, going to keep monitoring the news feeds until I doze off – more tomorrow. Sky News currently has updated features and some new interviews with people who’ve suffered at the hands of the thugs and looting, worth a watch. Keep an eye on Casey’s Birmingham Riots 2011 blog too.

02:19: Birmingham Coach Station is no longer accessible. All National Express coach services will now arrive and depart at Five Ways, Edgbaston. Please see the schedule [on the National Express web site] for specific travel information.

02:16: Reports on Casey Rain’s tumblr that a police officer has been shot in Aston and two British Pakistanis have been murdered in the Dudley Road area. TAKE THIS WITH A BIG PINCH OF SALT, currently unverified.

02:15: one individual’s decided to try and sell his (completely broken) looted TV on eBay. For £80 + delivery.

02:10: Will Oliphant from the Birmingham Post & Mail has posted his video report on Day 2 of the Birmingham disorder. Earlier on the 9th, police conducted raids to arrest some of those responsible for Monday’s violence.

01:47:

TAKEDOWN OFF THE TOP ROPE! It seems that karma is not withot a sense of irony. (Yes, I’m aware this is from Canada a few years ago – if only British riot police were authorised to utilise such tactics

01:27: Barton Arms pub in Lozells has been bricked, windows gone, riot officers inside.

(via @CharlotteITV and @JayTDWP on Twitter)

00:40: Reports of “a shooting” in Aston. LOTS of hearsay. May just be gunfire, may be attempts to shoot police. Casey Rain’s blog has an email submission which reads,

“police have lost control in the aston/lozells area Asian youths have started to beat up the looters police outnumbered the looters don’t know where to run”

Take this with a BIG pinch of salt. In good news though, Harborne high street was completely deserted when I drove down it at midnight.

Tuesday

23:54: Foreign students snap video of riots through central Brum (taken from the private student accommodation building opposite the (former Matthew Boulton College) Birmingham Met College faculty (next to Millennium Point on Curzon Street):

23:47: another shot of the Hat Man store

23:10:

23:06: Via @Rolo_D on Twitter, the smashed entrance to Birmingham Crown Court (opposite the old Virgin Records shop unit on Corporation Street):

23:03: Sarah Falkland was live on BBC WM just as this happened:

Richer Sounds, Smallbrook Queensway, RIGHT before the police rocked up and scattered the scumbags.

22:51: 3,000 people affected in Yardley when someone broke into a substation; problem now fixed and power back.

Periodic scuffles and occasional looting around town, Bullring VERY secured with guards and dogs.

Richer Sounds on the Smallbrook Queensway was broken into and looted at ~10pm, just as BBC WM reporter was phoning in for a live segment – police arrived and they scattered with TV equipment. Cape Hill ASDA has groups of youths gathered round, HEAVY police presence.

Sangat Television (UK: Sky 847; Europe: 9/14/210, Astra 1A 5.1E, Frequency 12523 Sr 27500 Vertical (V) and http://justin.tv/sangattelevision) is continuing to show rolling coverage from earlier today combined with live broadcasts from certain parts of the city. They have confirmed to me via telephone that all Sikh Temples are currently ok, members of the community are guarding them like yesterday. They are aware of the lack of audio on their web stream – engineers are currently trying to fix it, but I can imagine that it’s not their top priority!

20:46: … has it come to this?

20:43: more excellent coverage on BBC WM. A caller in to the show called Katy described a scene she witnessed earlier (I paraphrase):

From the top of island by Corporation Street she reported witnessing about 200 youths, faces covered, dressed in black, ran to the Hat Man shop, smashed glass and ransacked it. Riot police just stood and watched. The youths then smashed the Tesco Express window, stealing all the alcohol – police still standing videotaping events. Youths then kicked shutter in for Post Office, stealing cigarettes, scratchcards etc.

After getting back into her car, she headed down a road towards the childrens’ hospital to be met by a wall of youths – whereupon she was threatened by one armed with a brick who pointed at her and instructed her to drive back the way she’d come or her car would be bricked.

This was about “an hour and a half ago” – approx. 19:15.

18:50: Leaving Wolverhampton now to head for home (Bearwood). Flamethrowers installed on car just in case. Search for ‘wolverhampton’ and ‘#birminghamriots on Twitter. BBC WM in West Brom reports that police believe only 40-50 hardcore troublemakers roving and causing actual trouble, other people are onlookers / curious locals.

18:48:
MEDIC! BARRIER DOWN! (scroll down to 18:20 for the ‘Before’ shot)

18:32: RUMOURS of things kicking off in: Kidderminster, Reading, Coventry, Derby… Can anybody substantiate these?

18:26: Darren Cooper, leader of Sandwell Council: “burnt out car and van deliberately strung across West Brom high street. Police have it well under control.” (BBC WM)

18:25: What the UK’s currently shopping for on Amazon UK…

Damaged stores in Wolverhampton centre. (Believe to be Darlington or Queen Street)

18:20: Makeshift barriers in Bullring entrances (via Casey’s BR2011 tumblr)

18:18: Seven more warrants executed against houses in Birmingham relating to thefts of high value clothing and goods. Brings arrest total to ~165 (by my estimate).

18:17: traffic report basically says it’s horrendous getting out of Brum. However, J6 M5 is ok and most of the arterial routes out are fine once you’ve cleared the centre of town.

A Coral shop in Wolverhampton.

17:59: Wolverhampton town centre is basically full of teenagers.

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150259071131776

http://yfrog.com/khxa9abj
sporadic looting (via @kenny_mach / @KICfm)

Casey with the same vid from Wolverhampton centre but in higher quality:

Crowd in Wolverhampton, the loud bang is a firework thrown into the crowd.

17:49: Uber Politics: “Trouble appears to be brewing in #Wolverhampton: twitpic.com/63i7l9, twitpic.com/63i7lb, twitpic.com/63i7lh”

17:48: Eastside Projects: “Getting word that gangs of hoodies are heading into the centre & police are planning to block off Birmingham again!”

17:47: Wolverhampton ASDA by the Molineux is apparently on fire. Sporadic flareups of violence in Birmingham centre around Victoria Square / fountains (where BBC Big Screen is) in Birmingham, riot police are protecting the ITV broadcast truck.

17:02: Basically, avoid EVERYWHERE at the moment. Just in case.

17:00: Apparently people getting injured from others letting off fireworks in Wolverhampton town centre. Idiots.

16:40: A little humour sir? The Photoshop Looter is here to supply.

The rush hour begins…

The Bull was at least in place earlier

16:02: Councillor Mike Whitby says the looting was “shameful.” (BBC WM) “You can just see greed, people breaking the windows and stealing…” Also calls for a curfew in Birmingham centre this evening. Don’t think that’ll be too hard to implement. Riots in London and Birmingham already labelled the ‘worst in living memory’.

CtrlAltxDefeatx has some videos on YouTube.

15:50: some photos from earlier…

Orange mobile phone store, this morning.

@RodYDO also has some good photos from the town centre earlier today:

H&M being preemptively boarded up.

15:42: things kicking apparently. Reports on BBC WM of people leaving West Bromwich as stores like Boots are being boarded up, most likely preemptively.

Casey Rain from the Brum Riots tumblr:

…[avoid] Wolverhampton city centre, Chelmsley Wood shopping centre, Northfield, Jewellery Quarter, Broad St, Dudley and West Bromwich. It appears as if these are mostly precautionary as there’s “a strong possibility” of trouble in these areas and police are monitoring the situation.

Casey has also apparently recorded a piece for BBC Midlands Today which will get aired “at 6PM or so, although if there’s serious trouble by that time it may not get shown.”

Fire damage at Handsworth police station.

Broad Street, Jewellery Quarter, Bullring closing early. Birmingham centre will be a ghost town tonight.

14:07
Chief Superintendent Chris Sims’ press conference is available on YouTube:

West Midland Police’s Operation View – identifying particular troublemakers from Monday – is now in full swing. If you recognise any of the individuals shown in photos on the West Midlands Police web site please contact them.

In connection with the serious disorder in Birmingham city centre last night, Monday 8 August, West Midlands Police have a number of CCTV images from locations across Birmingham city centre of people they wish to trace.

Anyone who recognises any of the individuals in the images is urged to ring freephone number 0800 096 0095 or local rate 0207 158 0125 – alternatively, e-mail tellus@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk

13:45: More good updates from Casey Rain (via his BR2011 tumblr). A forwarded email from someone working in a business above Corporation Street:

Dear All

We are gathering information now that:-

1) nobody should go out of the building for lunch unless they absolutely have to.
2) crowds of yobbos are gathering in different areas.
3) Some government offices are closing at 4.00 as information of rioting may take place then.
4) Some law firms are closing early.

- Email from the CEO where I work, just above the jessops that was looted in Birmingham.

13:40: Cybercandy being attacked & some interviews with people on the streets:

Maplin, from earlier

Yobs attacking storefronts

(via BR2011.tumblr)

11:38: AIM (the Association of Independent Music) has put out an emergency notice relating to the PIAS (Sony) Enfield distribution centre, destroyed in the nighttime blaze:

EMERGENCY NOTICE – PIAS ENFIELD DISTRIBUTION CENTRE

URGENT BULLETIN: To all member labels affected by the destruction of the SONY DADC Distribution Centre in Enfield which houses the PIAS roster of distributed labels: we are here to help.

Please email james@musicindie.com with your immediate concerns. We are gathering as much information as possible and will be able to help labels affected once we have a clearer picture of the immediate consequences, the insurance position and where we can represent you in the coming days and weeks.

This is terrible news, but we know that all our members will come through this.

We will be in touch later in the day.

11:07: David Cameron making speech on steps of Number 10. Parliament is being recalled for a day on the 10th of August. “Not only are you wrecking your own communities, you are potentially wrecking your own life too.”

Updates from overnight trickling in have indicate ~100 arrests in Birmingham, two-dozen reported injuries.

Other news coverage:

GU: London & UK riots: more footage

GU: Bristol riots: youths clash with police

Irish Times: Rioting spreads beyond London to other UK cities

GU: London & UK riots: verified areas (Google Map)

GU: Adam Greenslade: how the newspapers covered the riots

More updates throughout the day.

Monday

03:39: Mr Tun It Up on TwitVid has LOTS of raw footage, including the McDonald’s attack and various other looting:

http://www.twitvid.com/FWMWJ
http://www.twitvid.com/U598G
http://www.twitvid.com/AZNAM
http://www.twitvid.com/LSY5C
http://www.twitvid.com/RCD05
http://www.twitvid.com/QWIOT

and Steven Wilding:
http://www.twitvid.com/617UH

Redbrick (from the Uni of Birmingham) cranked out this interactive map showing all the trouble hotspots:

View The Birmingham Riots in a larger map

and also published their minute-by-minute update showing how the violence spread on the 8th.

03:23: some updates via RedBrickPaper.co.uk:
Adidas store, gutted.

West Midlands Police is reopening its Press Department at 06:30 with a press announcement shortly after.

@CaseyRain (aka the guy updating birminghamriots2011.tumblr.com) is going to be on BBC WM later (early morning Tuesday) talking about events. I’m going to grab a couple of hours’ shut eye but will keep half an ear open for new news. See you tomorrow.

03:12: leading article from BBC Midlands Today, yesterday evening:

02:48: video from earlier showing looting and rioting in central Birmingham:

ITN raw footage from Corporation Street:

TheGreatPaulJones on YouTube with raw video 1:

And Paul Jones’ raw video 2:

PipiLangStrump captured the start of the rioting as she walked through the middle of town:

01:52: West Mids Police have issued an update on the disorder in Birmingham:

West Midlands Police continue to tackle the disorder occurring in Birmingham this evening. Several premises have been attacked with some shop windows smashed and property stolen in various locations in the centre as well as some surrounding areas.

Around 100 people have been arrested so far for various offences including violent disorder and aggravated burglary, and are currently in custody. A significant number of these arrests are of young people. There have been no reports of any major injuries to members of the public or police officers as a result of the disorder.

The full press release can be found at http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/press-release.asp?ID=2388.

01:48: Summerville Road currently closed as building is on fire (BBC WM travel news).

01:46: “Lorraine”, a caller on Sky News, talking about casinos in central Brum being raided with employees being locked in basement; telling harrowing story of being mugged in the shop in the Pallasades where she and two other employees were working. Awful!

01:27: Stills from Sangat Television, broadcasting live from Soho Road: http://yfrog.com/hs4r4rp http://yfrog.com/kh8vwp http://yfrog.com/gzfcqqp (from @AboutBrum on Twitter)

01:19: from the BR11.tumblr:

Police station fire in Handsworth confirmed. Also reports of looting at Cash & Carry on Nineveh Road and elsewhere around Handsworth. Reports of trouble in Northfield and Selly Oak as well as the gay quarter in city centre where a man was apparently attacked by a gang of people and stomped on before being pulled to safety by a passing car, outside of the Missing Bar.

01:16: Peter Douglas Osborne, councillor for Weoley Castle, spoke to BBC WM on the phone. Whilst entering Birmingham city centre he had to alight from the train and walk through the centre. He reported,

“it’s far more calm now, we had reports on the train as to what it was like. In comparison with London which is horrific, this just seems to be youngsters that’ve thought they’ve got the opportunity to steal and with the background they’ve got I’d think they thought ‘if you can get something for free why not pinch it.’” ‘Police doing a good job, they are limited however in how they can deal with these youngsters. Kids out for what they think is an opportunist gaining of goods. Society is not yet ready to deal with them in a way which could stop this quickly. I’d rather we kept to a reasonable response, it must be fair but it mustn’t go over the top beacuse that would give a lot of older people an excuse to come out looting.’

(paraphrased – forgive any slight abbreviations, I was typing whilst he was talking.)

01:00:

Pandora Jewellers, smashed and looted. Good job they had good internal barriers.

00:54: from the BR11.tumblr:

DjBenM on Twitter reports that the Tesco Express on Hurst St in the city centre has just been robbed again quite heavily and that organised gang activity is still going on across the city centre. Stay alert people, and don’t leave your houses.

Unmanned Police station, Holyhead Road in Handsworth, set ablaze. Police have confirmed, BBC WM confirmed at 01:00 news bulletin.

Stay classy.

00:53: @CaseyRain posted an interesting piece voicing his thoughts on tonight’s events, recommended reading. (he’s updating the Birmingham Riots 2011 tumblr).

00:51: Raj, caller in to BBC WM reports shops looted, Lloyds Bank broken into; phone shops, jewellery shops all broken into – upturned car. Soho Road ‘is a nightmare, it’s a warzone. Reminds me of 1985, of 1981. … Glass everywhere, bins overturned.’ A41 has been roadblocked by Police in both directions. Police are currently assembled near new Sikh temple with community members guarding the gates along with the Grove Lane centre.

00:50: Council Leaders Appeal for Calm, latest update from Birmingham Newsroom:

Council Leaders at Birmingham City Council have appealed for calm, following unrest in the city this evening (8th August).

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

“We are appealing to people within the city to remain calm and allow the police and others to do their job in bringing these incidents under control.

“To help achieve this it is important that as many people as possible leave the streets. We urge all parents within the city to get in touch with any children or young people not currently at home asking them to return.
“The City Council will be making every effort possible from first light tomorrow to clear up any damage and bring normality back to the city as soon as possible. To this end we’d stress to retailers, workers and shoppers alike that the city remains very much open for business and would encourage them to come in as normal tomorrow.”

ENDS
For more information please contact Simon Houltby 0121 303 3287

00:37: caller on BBC WM reports that “one random Asian channel” (which is apparently Sangat Television, Sky 847 – http://sangattrust.org) is reporting live direct from Soho Road in Handsworth! Brave people! Caller interestingly points out that nobody else is there reporting… Sangat Television’s also streaming live on Justin.tv apparently but the police are moving them on.

Midnight update: Chief Superintendent Phil Kay, West Midlands Police (paraphrased as I typed whilst he was being interviewed):

‘We’ve had some terrible scenes this evening, incredibly sad. Position atm is city centre is calm, unfortunately we’ve got some disorder on the Handsworth streets but far better than earlier this evening.

‘There’s an awful lot of rumour and myth; the police and community partners need to work hard to quosh those. Approx 300 people roaming throughout streets of Birmingham city centre.

‘Incredibly dynamic; pockets of people moving very quickly throughout the city centre intent on causing damage and destruction.’

‘Uncorroborated info from about lunchtime proliferating on social media sites; we responded in terms of a polcie response. Our commitment throguhout this has been to protect people of Brum, protect Brum which is a very safe city this evening – put a police response in place, our officers have acted commendably and very bravely throughout the course of this evening to protect the city.

Situation is fluid and is changing by the minute; the last figure is approx. 87 people arrested for an array of offences from burglary to violent disorder. Investigation has already started, much of what is taking place has been captured on CCTV and we will be unerring in our quest to bring these people – who brought shame to the streets of Birmingham – to justice.

Will be working with community leaders to track down culprits. Parents need to take responsibility for their childrens’ whereabouts. Parents need to work with us to take control of their children and to know where they are to prevent any reoccurence.

Using the CCTV has been a tactic that’s worked really well in the past for football hooliganism etc so at present its usage was felt to be justified.’

Waseem Zaffar, councillor for Birmingham Handsworth and Lozells on BBC WM: Soho Road is “absolute chaos”, groups of youths roaming around that have “clearly targeted specific shops; mobile phone shops, electronics shops. There’s a car overturned on Soho Road, rubbish everywhere. Police are out there, professional riot officers who’ve made their way across from the city centre, liaising with police. No point going out there. Kids creating havoc in Handsworth – it’s the last thing Birmingham needed.” Follow Waseem on Twitter @WaseemZaffar.

Listen to BBC WM for to-the-minute updates; BBC News has rolling coverage of London’s riots.

Earlier, the Maplin on Temple Street was smashed to pieces. Soho Road in Handsworth is the source of sporadic reports of problems.

2254: Claire Marshall BBC News, Birmingham

We’ve seen the most extraordinary scenes. Walking through the streets, there was looting going on. I saw 100 or so young men with ski masks and hoods pulled down. They seemed to be very well-organised, communicating with each other on radio. The police were in force but they did not seem to know what to do. It’s a really tense atmosphere here.

Police vans outside the Mailbox.

Computer Exchange in Birmingham city centre.

(via BR2011.tumblr)

23:22: Problems in Halesowen and sporadic problems in Wolverhampton earlier according to eyewitness via telephone, quieter now. (BBC WM)

freudinflop asked: I think it’s worth mentioning that there’s no signs of rioting in Wolverhampton, Walsall or Bloxwich apparently. People on my Facebook have said Wolverhampton is fine, and I rang my dad who lives in Bloxwich and he said nothing is going on. I think people are just trolling, which I think is disgusting. Just thought I’d say this because I got really scared about it.

(via BR2011.tumblr)

ROADS: The Aston Expressway is now closed inbound – thats from the motorway into the city centre itself.
BUSES: National Express are telling us that West Midlands buses are stopping at the inner ring road of Birmingham City Centre.
TRAINS: Birmingham New Street – travellers are being advised to use the main entrance ONLY as all other entrances are closed.
Via BRMB’s Facebook Page.

23:15: Kevin Nichols, Harvey Nicks on BBC WM: ‘Very organised, one person with brick, one person with wirecutters – literally within a few minutes, Armani was looted and they made off as police arrived. Walking around with their loot… putting it into carrier bags, showing no fear.’

23:10: Wolverhampton resident and advisor to the Government Dr. David Campbell interviewed via phone on BBC WM reporting that things are kicking off in the Bentley Bridge area, Walsall and now – MANCHESTER?!

23:09: 35 arrests in Birmingham to date, high number of juveniles. (BBC WM, Nicki Tapper and Richard Wilford on air until at least 2am.)

23:08: all Arriva buses terminating at Erdington Sixways. Final bus is ~23:10 then no more buses. Snowhill is the final station in and out of town, Moor Street’s closed. Only one entrance and exit for New Street.

23:02: Chris Blakemore, BBC WM reporter braving the centre of town’s reported that the Emporio Armani store outside Mailbox has been completely looted, nothing left. Unconfirmed reports of ~200 people ‘attacking’ the shop with weapons. Listen to BBC WM live online.

21:46: “Due to disturbances in Birmingham City Centre buses will terminate short of the city centre – see http://ow.ly/5Yazy for more details.” (@nxbus on Twitter)

21:45, me: Video from earlier Birmingham rioting and looting now being shown on BBC News. Absolutely sickening.

21:40: @tom__stone: “Complete blue flashing lights to the right of my flat. Absolute madness in the jewellery quarter.”

21:22: @SuptPayneWMP recommends: “If you are seeking updates on Birmingham disorder, follow @wmpolice or @brumpolice”

More updates and images from earlier after the jump…

21:21: @SimonJenner on Twitter: “Big group going up Newhall St towards Bennett hill”

@STwells on Twitter: Just drove through a 30 strong gang on Graham Street, Jewellery Quarter. Stay inside.

@MyJQ on Twitter: Police riot vans chasing masked youths in Birmingham Jewellery Quarter”

BBC Birmingham now has first article about violence: Gangs of youths and windows smashed in Birmingham

Adidas store, Bullring

Continued thanks to @CaseyRain on Twitter (birminghamriots2011.tumblr.com) who’s continuing to gather pics, news and rumours from various contacts. Latest from there:

21:12: “Broadway Plaza just off Broad Street evacuated and all shops closing.”

21:05: “Jewellery Quarter closed off now.” Birmingham Hippodrome on lock down, high alert.

Cybercandy store, trashed (staff apparently still inside).

21:07, Croydon latest. Pub landlord talking a LOT of sense on BBC News.

A furniture store, in Croydon – Sunday saw the 1930s Carpetright building burnt to the ground. Bad time to run a housefittings store.

As it happens, and as I come across new details… Images and reports collated from various sources, mostly Twitter (all credited).

BirminghamRiots2011.tumblr.com has all the updates:

Foot Locker in the Bullring. Rumours that Apple store’s been trashed, Primark set on fire, Selfridges came under attack but no fire (at least on webcam!), Cybercandy store, AVFC shop also targeted. Rumours that riot police are also protecting the Children’s Hospital

Photos from earlier via @Graciouskisay, @simonjgray, @Jason_Ad_Grad, @SairaBagurai, @StileyBoy, @poppyseed_ respectively on Twitter:

http://twitpic.com/631w0o (Pallasades)

http://twitpic.com/631tix (Pallasades)
http://twitpic.com/632zcu (Corporation Street)

http://yfrog.com/h8362btj (Pallasades)

http://yfrog.com/kjc9wtdj (Pallasades)

http://lockerz.com/s/127805716 (Bullring)

http://yfrog.com/h3z06baj (by Primark, Corporation Street)

Via @cybrum on Twitter:
“I’m out of the city now, witnessed one instance of looting, lots of small groups of young people near House of Fraser, side streets blocked.”

Via BirminghamRiots2011.tumblr.com:

“Unconfirmed reports of shops in The Mailbox getting boarded up.”

Front of the Orange store in Birmingham. (20:28)

 

“Adidas shop getting looted in Birmingham right now. ” (20:15)

“Rioters gathering in Paradise Forum now.” (20:12)

“Apparently Birmingham New St train station has been closed and the Bus services are about to stop.” (20:10)

T-Mobile, Corporation Street. (20:08)

Police in riot gear in Birmingham.

Orange shop in Birmingham City centre attacked. (on Corporation Street.)

McDonalds attacked in Birmingham (I was in there yesterday; just down from Colmore Row.)

2:49pm: “Corporation St, New St, Bullring and Pallasades are the main areas where trouble is brewing. Stay away, folks.”

---

West Midlands Police statement, as reported on BBC News: http://bit.ly/nBlqwI

---

Via @Zaaay_ on Twitter:

Birmingham riot near Pallasades (Corporation Street, just up from New Street Station)

 

---

Via @StIvesCriminal on Twitter:

McDonalds, just down from Corporation Street.

The Public’s suffered from more than a little derision and criticism since it opened (“that big, hugely expensive building in the middle of West Brom which nobody bothers to go to” being heard when it first opened) but perhaps that’s being just a smidgen too cruel. It’s a good venue and exhibition space, receiving support and interest from people across the spectrum, and… Well, it’s nearby, isn’t it?

To their credit, the venue’s operators Sandwell City Council (plus exhibitors and event promoters) have continued to back the venue and their hard work (and cold hard cash) is paying dividends. Not only do we currently have the excellent Home of Metal exhibition – their Weekender, from the 1st to the 4th of September looks like a cracking little visit, particularly given we’re nestled in the very black heart of British Heavy Metal (home to the Heavy Metal Records record label no less!), there’s all kinds of fringe arts, culture and entertainment events on regular rotation.

Most recently, The Public’s announced a comedy showcase – culminating in ten comics being given ten minutes to perform in front of a heckling, drinking audience AND the winner taking home £100 in genu-wine Bank of England tenners. Pays the bar tab, if nothing else. The competition’s been called “Starter for Ten” – and also heralds the return (hurray!) of regular comedy nights at The Public into and through the autumn months. The winner of the competition gets to be the visiting comedians’ support gig – lesser men would be intimidated, but I KNOW there are some really funny comics in the Midlands. Perhaps I should get my arse over there to check this out.

Begin shameless quote from press release;

“The Public’s comedy showcase is a great way to celebrate the outstanding talent the region has to offer and will provide amateur comics a fantastic opportunity to perform alongside touring comedians.”

Linda Saunders, Managing Director of The Public

Comics wishing to enter the competition should email a promo video or links to online content to comedy@thepublic.com, together with an application form available from www.thepublic.com [the direct link is http://www.thepublic.com/events/calling-all-budding-comedians -- Chris].  Deadline for entries is Friday 26 August 2011.  For terms and conditions visit thepublic.com; for more info about events at The Public you can call 0121 533 7161.

Also, Soweto Kinch is back in town! 2011′s Flyover Show – the fourth instalment of what’s arguably one of the coolest urban gatherings in the Midlands – is going to be BIG. He’s only gone and booked some Wolverhampton unknown who goes by the name of “Goldie” to headline this year! Soweto explains:

How cool is that lineup! I’ll shamelessly quote from 69 Degrees, in case you haven’t already read:

Between Soho Road and Great Hampton Street, Birmingham, there’s the Hockley Flyover. Nothing too exciting about that, I bet you’re thinking. But on 20th August, below this generic grey stretch of road, will be transformed into an arena of creativity and will play host to some of the most iconic contributors to Black British and Urban Culture.

Drum & Bass legend Goldie and MOBO award winning UK rapper Akala, among others, are set to continue to defy stereotypes, featuring alongside graffiti artists, comedy acts, and theatre and dance work next month.

The fourth year of the free event promises to be thought provoking, challenging and entertaining, whilst proving that communities associated with negative headlines can stage the highest of artistic expression.

The Flyover Show 2011 will be held from 12:30 – 9pm on Saturday 20th August.

For more information and updates join them on Facebook or follow on Twitter. [Chris -- also follow @SowetoKinch!]
www.facebook.com/flyovershow

FLYER TIME! Click on it for the full-size version…

Given the weather we’ve already had this year it should be bloody brilliant. See you there then?

So stay tuned, interested parties, I have many, many interesting things up my sleeve. In the meantime, I’ll be updating periodically with the latest media and cultural goings on of this fair Second City whilst I build up a stockpile of excellent material to publish.

Attention all interesting people!

If you live in the West Midlands and you have a project, job, business, museum or other notable topic which you feel deserves some coverage, get in touch. I’m always keen to hear from people who are involved in something unusual and exciting!

With the temporary return of the Birmingham Big Wheel (hopefully without the Parisian commentary which made it all the more quirky the first time around), are we going to perhaps see a return of the Birmingham Big Screen?

For what seems like almost two years now, the Big Screen has remained resolutely dark, with nothing but a test pixel lit to show that it’s still got mains power. This is a real shame, as the screen’s a definite asset to the city centre; when I moved to the city in 2005 I enjoyed walking past it every day. I watched the news on it in the evening, I caught some short films and sometimes it even threw a few curveballs my way. As well as that, it screened the football and other major sporting events (drawing major crowds, not always without their own minor crowd control problems, but all in all well managed).

But then, one day, it went dark…

Image credit: Birmingham Mail

After the owners of Waterloo House obtained a High Court injunction against the City Council (claiming that it disturbed the workers inside), the Big Screen was switched off. As its temporary moorings in front of the then-unfinished Town Hall were removed, the screen had to move as well, and BCC (perhaps unwisely) built a more permanent plinth for the screen in Victoria Square. Costs for this lift-and-move have been reported as ca. £1million.

Attempts to gain planning permission for this new (re?)installation have garnered some opposition, and while I agree it will raise noise levels just perceptibly, I highly doubt that the sound would be that audible from the various office locations given the angle and the amount of surrounding street furniture which would help to disperse and diffract soundwaves (the screen’s PA was never that loud anyway). In short, the Birmingham Big Screen should definitely be turned back on, and About Brum fully supports its reactivation. It provides a tangible benefit to the locale, offers a focal point for people to meet and enjoy their lunchtimes and gives the city centre another venue for people to publicly enjoy sporting events and quickly catch up with breaking news. I never heard people complaining as they sat on the steps each lunchtime watching!

But what do you think? Do you work nearby or do you just love/hate the thing? Always interested to know.

How many did you get from that list? I’m somewhat reluctant to admit I didn’t even score three.

Every so often, there’s a bit of inter-city mingling, as one does when one is twinned with another city overseas, and this year Chicago’s come over to promote itself a little to the Brummagem population. They’re going stealth mode with this – and if you’re lucky, you might get a nice little treat to round off your weekend’s shopping There’s ten taxis (marked with special stickers and logos) that are pootling around the city centre for the next two weeks. The promotion’s been going on since the 15th of October, and it ends on the 15th of November – this last day is important, as on the 15th one of the ten taxis will be giving out free journeys to every passenger! The 15th is a Sunday, so if you’re lucky you might find yourself travelling home from a day of shopping at the Bullring for gratis – much nicer than the Number 11, no?

If you chance upon one of the ten marked taxis, there’s some paraphernalia inside on how to win two round trip airline tickets to Chicago. If you’re feeling lucky, you can enter a competition to stay at a four star hotel and also win a shopping trip which I would imagine works out at quite a decent value given the current £/$ conversion rate. Feeling lucky yet?

The cabs look like this, so keep your eye open for one…

And best of luck with the competition!

Of course, if it is all a bit much for you and you do you fancy a nap tomorrow, I suggest that at midday you hang around Victoria Square in the vicinity of the fountains (by the floozy in the jacuzzi). Why? …Well, why not?

The Express & Star reports that “More than 60 firefighters from stations across the Black Country and Birmingham battled through the night” after security guards first spotted the blaze catching hold inside the building at around 22:30 on the evening of the 8th. From there, it was more containment than prevention for the WMFS as the flames quickly spread to the entirety of the structure, causing massive damage and also causing its three characteristic towers to collapse into the structure.

Fortunately, the hobby of Urbexing (aka Urban Exploration; exploring buildings and the urban landscape, taking photos as you go for documentary purposes) is alive and well in the Midlands, and some good photosets have already been taken – in one case, less than a week before it was destroyed in the blaze. The photoset from adders0121 on flickr shows you what the Brewery was like inside prior to the blaze.

All this provides further evidence as to why Urbexing should become an officially-endorsed practice, supported by the local Government and associations like English Heritage! As a form of documenting the region’s past and its plethora of historical landmarks and buildings, it is almost unique in that just about everyone who Urbexes shares a similar attitude – do no damage, always be careful and be very thorough. Some people’s dedication verges on the obsessive, and I’ve seen people travel for hours just to visit a derelict building!

The saddest thing is that, aside from people who actively go exploring, the region’s industrial past is all around us yet much of it is simply being left to ruin, destruction or redeveloped into boring luxury apartments or offices… and most of us never even realise until it’s all gone. You may be surprised as to just how much you can see by simply opening your eyes and studying your surroundings a little more, so give it a try next time you’re out and about around the Midlands.