1985 Handsworth riots 1500 police officers drafted into the area, about 45 shops looted and burnt, and a trail of damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. As well as racial tension, unemployment was seen as a major factor in the riots; by the time of the riots, fewer than 5% of the black population to have left school that summer had found employment. The riots were the first of a series of similar riots across the country during the autumn of 1985, notably the Broadwater Farm riot in London which also resulted in a fatality (the murder of policeman Keith Blakelock).
Pembury Estate Pembury Estate The Pembury Estate is a housing estate in the London Borough of Hackney in East London next to the Hackney Downs. The Pembury Estate consists of two sections of the housing estate: Old Pembury and New Pembury. Old Pembury consists 24 walk-up blocks. New Pembury consists of multiple 1960s styled bungalows. The Pembury Estate has approximately 1,500 to 2,000 residents. The Pembury Estate has had a reputation for gang crime and violence. The area saw violent protests during the 2011 England Riots. In 2016 there were reports that a regeneration scheme was planned for the Pembury Estate. However,