Carla Rees, flautist, who has lost everything after flat was burned down Options

[jod]

Thank you for the Link Andante-in -C
I have shared it on my facebook page.
There have been some who have criticised me for being too harsh on those being sentenced and judged by those in authority. However the story of Carla reminds me why what happened and why even the related offences are being cracked down on so hard.

[smd]

Thanks for this information Andante-in-c

It's awful news. And from my experience of the insurance industry she will be lucky to get all her music replaced - Can you name every piece you have? and what about stuff that is now out of print?

The loss of her pets, home, instrument, music and probably her faith in humanity is awful, not to mention the prospect of living in fear for a long time to come and there are many others in similar situations, and yet I'm afraid the winners in the end will be the rioters.

I don't know what the answer is but my biggest fear is that in a few years time many of those riotiors will be parents and how will their children turn out if their parents have no moral values?

My thoughts are with Carla and all the other victims.

[jod]

What has been making my blood boil (sorry if this is off topic) is the number of people bleating about the toughness of the sentences passed on those caught up with this or the Family in Wandsworth who may be evicted. Carla has been made homeless and she did not even have a child on the streets.

I know two wrongs do not make a right, however one has to start somewhere sorting out the justice side of this mess. I don't envy those who are. However the real people are the people like Carla.

(had to get that off my chest! sorry if anyone finds that offensive- been hopping mad!)

[Neumer]

What has been making my blood boil (sorry if this is off topic) is the number of people bleating about the toughness of the sentences passed on those caught up with this or the Family in Wandsworth who may be evicted. Carla has been made homeless and she did not even have a child on the streets.

I know two wrongs do not make a right, however one has to start somewhere sorting out the justice side of this mess. I don't envy those who are. However the real people are the people like Carla.

(had to get that off my chest! sorry if anyone finds that offensive- been hopping mad!)

No problem, I quite agree with you, and I'm sure plenty do, but won't say. General theories aside, to think the situation through properly, one must consider those on all branches of eventual happenings. Consequences are there for all, for those who chose to involve themselves and for those who did not; who it's thrust upon.

Seeing the general response of the public, let alone the friends and family of those affected is enough to restore most of my confidence in society.

We are all together jod in our thoughts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

N

[jod]

What has been making my blood boil (sorry if this is off topic) is the number of people bleating about the toughness of the sentences passed on those caught up with this or the Family in Wandsworth who may be evicted. Carla has been made homeless and she did not even have a child on the streets.

I know two wrongs do not make a right, however one has to start somewhere sorting out the justice side of this mess. I don't envy those who are. However the real people are the people like Carla.

(had to get that off my chest! sorry if anyone finds that offensive- been hopping mad!)

No problem, I quite agree with you, and I'm sure plenty do, but won't say. General theories aside, to think the situation through properly, one must consider those on all branches of eventual happenings. Consequences are there for all, for those who chose to involve themselves and for those who did not; who it's thrust upon.

Seeing the general response of the public, let alone the friends and family of those affected is enough to restore most of my confidence in society.

We are all together jod in our thoughts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

N

Thank you Neumer. I watched a very interesting Panorama programme yesterday. What a pity discipline has grown to only mean chastisement. Discipline also includes praise for getting things right. It is about order and recognising right from wrong. This includes acknowledging the right as well as drawing attention to what is wrong and trying to correct it.

The thing that moved me the most was a family with a small boy who like Carla who had been made homeless. The mother was in tears as she stood before the rubble that was her families home. They were completely innocent of anything to do with the riots, and yet they had lost everything.

[denmark77]

That Panorama programme summed up what many experienced, and not just in London either. Carla Rees deserves our every support, as she is one of many devastated by the recent events - her story would be tragic enough, if it had been an isolated event. Sadly, it is a scene repeated many times over, with homes and businesses destroyed, stock looted, and premises gutted in many areas. These innocent victims are still feeling the after-effects and will continue to suffer so for a long time to come, so the sentences handed down are in no way overly harsh, in my view.

[Aquarelle]

I have held back for a while on commenting because I was so angry that I was afraid I would say something I might later regret. However, after several days, after watching French TV reports, listening to what French friends have to say and reading as much as I could about the riots I am still just as angry and I no longer think I will regret expressing my anger ? and as someone living abroad - my shame at what the world has seen of Britain.

There is no excuse what so ever for wanton violence, for destroying people?s homes and personal possessions, ruining their livelihoods and burning their pets alive. Sorry but I think all those who had a hand in this outrageous behaviour should be very severely punished.

I am aware that there are social injustices. I am aware that many people have very hard and difficult lives. But I do not believe that those who rioted are the victims of extreme poverty. They may be victims of a society which has given people much higher material expectations than any of us can achieve, has denigrated hard work and has glorified the instant acquisition of all we covet. A friend of mine said she thought they were out to have fun because they were bored. I think it was little more than blackberry organised hooliganism.

In Britain, as far as I know, education is still free. Unemployment and other benefits exist. The rioters did not seem to be unshod or starving. It is, of course, the duty of us all ? politicians, social workers, teachers, parents and everyone else, to work towards a fairer society where everyone is decently housed and has work. But there are people who like to destroy and will find any excuse to do so. It is, after all, fun to torch someone?s house ? isn?t it? It is fun to ruin someone?s business ? isn?t it? It is fun to terrify people ? isn?t it?

And it is even more fun to be filmed coming out from a tribunal, covering one?s face in a cowardly manner and raising one?s fist in triumph. That is an attitude which shows utter contempt for society and its institutions and I for one do not believe that British society, for all its faults, deserves that.

Well, I daresay there will be many people who will want to ?understand? the rioters but I am no longer one of them.

Edit. sorry about the plethora of question marks - the system doesn't seem to want to accept punctuation marks correctly. Maybe because I have a French keyboard.

[Arundodonuts]

I have held back for a while on commenting because I was so angry that I was afraid I would say something I might later regret. However, after several days, after watching French TV reports, listening to what French friends have to say and reading as much as I could about the riots I am still just as angry and I no longer think I will regret expressing my anger ? and as someone living abroad - my shame at what the world has seen of Britain.

They are probably incredulous. As indeed are we when we read of French riots such as

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_2009_French_riots

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/eu...nt-2110305.html

Still at least they have offered us help in the form of their own "riot experts"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/cri...to-justice.html

Not that I am in any way seeking to condone what went on here. They weren't actually riots (that usually implies a cause), just robbery and violent disorder. The perpetrators should be dealt with accordingly.

[maggiemay]

I was at home (ie a mile or so away) when these events took place. And yet, it it was a whole week later and I was several hundred miles away when I read of Carla's terrible loss. I was initially so angry and upset that I did not trust myself to post a response. But I would like to thank Andante in C for starting the thread.

I do not have words to say any more at the moment. Perhaps Aquarelle comes close to expressing what I feel.

[HelenVJ]

Carla is the lead feature in the current Time Out issue article. Her quote is inspiring: ' I've seen the worst and the best of what people are capable of, and the best is truly incredible'. Many other thought-provoking articles in this issue too.

[andante_in_c]

A happier update to this story can be found here.

[schraeubchen]

A happier update to this story can be found here.

Thank you for posting andante_in_c. It's good to hear, that things become better for Carla.

[allegro2011]

Good to hear this news (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[barry-clari]

A happier update to this story can be found here.

Glad she's on her way to putting her life back together (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Neumer]

A happier update to this story can be found here.

Glad she's on her way to putting her life back together (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Absolutely. Heard her play her new flute last weekend. Perfect. Very talented lady getting back to the music. She made a blog post back in September about her experiences that made me realise just how resilient and reflective people can be in the face of adversity: http://www.weareoca.com/music/where-is-the-music/ (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)



N