So it's 7pm and about to close the shop then all I hear is the shout
"there are rioter's in the shop, Phone the Police"
Quickly rush out of the stockroom to see through the gap of the door around 50 people at the front of the store taking cameras. The adrenaline rushing through, watching this happen the disbelief that this thing can actually happen in front of us. Around 6-8 of us just regular staff members watching people just rush in and take all these expensive items.
This felt so quick in terms that they came in and just took stuff it felt like 30 seconds but it could have been longer. The amount of time it took them to take the stuff and the amount of stuff they took in that time was unbelievable. So after the incident we go out to inspect what the shop floor looked like. Just a mess everywhere broken docks for the cameras and the constant ringing of the alarms blurting in our ears.
As we gather to realise what just happens the crowds outside the store sizing up potential shops around. We finally come to terms what has just happened in the store and how close we have to the the events that plague the city centre. Around an hour later we wait out at the back due to the police telling us to wait in the store until further instruction. When another wave of rioters hit the store but this time they are rushing toward the back towards where we are. It is then that we make the move to get to the fire exit. We make it out but it seems as though there is nowhere that we can get out of we feel trapped, as we leave the fire exit and we then end up with the rioters. So we barricade the door to stop the gangs getting to us and we look to find new options for us to get out.
Then one option that we find is the fire entrance to LA Fitness so me and a couple go in there to warn the people who are completely oblivious to what is going on outside. Again Adrenaline pumping I'm telling people to get there shit together as the rioters have just got into Jessops. It was like it was a scene out of a disaster movie but this was real, it was us guys trying to get out of this madness.
So we warn the people there they decide to leave too. We finally gather round as a group of people decides on what we should do. We decide we go back grab our stuff from the store but as we go there are riot police in full gear. We tell them the situation and they tell us it's not safe to be there and get away from the centre. Easier said than done. So we walk together as a group we find out that Broad Street is clear, we walk that way. There is this strange aura in the air, don't know where to go where to look it's just pure panic.
We carry on walking to broad street but you see groups of looter's, civilians we don't know who to trust. We ask a police man where to go they say get away from the centre and that the groups are not in one particular area it is fluid.
An act of madness can affect so much. We get to broad street we go to a bar just to figure out what to do then we hear gangs are heading our way so we leave again figuring what to do walking out of Birmingham centre. Finally get to a point where we can get picked up whilst waiting noticing that the police have stopped anyone coming into the city centre.
The night the riots broke out in Birmingham 8/8/2011. Just want to say to the guys I was with no one panicked and remained cool. So to the people Andy B, Ryan, Andy D, Lammy, Rhea, Jitu, Brad, Lynton. Its an experience only us guys will have and hope no one else has to go through it.
here is the footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3-KeJYDOA8&feature=share
So check out the video and why are people doing it?
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