London Riots: Heartbroken

Let me start by saying we are safe, I think. Shaken and tearful, but ultimately safe. Fires have just started near us so we are going to keep a very close eye on everything.

I hate for my first post back from vacation to be about something so heartbreaking. The London riots have affected us personally. Tonight the rioters convened on our neighborhood (Clapham Junction). Shops less than 200 feet away from our home were ransacked earlier tonight. Hundreds of young Londoners convened on our neighborhood. They broke windows, raided shops, and robbed our neighborhood of its sense of peace and safety.

We watched in horror as young men and women walked down our street with clothes and electronics from neighborhood stores. We packed emergency bags, gathered our passports and are prepared to go to a friend's house if anything worsens. Police have finally moved in... hours after the rioting began...and are currently stationed at the end of our street bringing some sense of security.

These rioters (many of them young teenagers...like 13 years old...ummmm... hello parents????!!!!) were purely opportunistic and using political unrest as an excuse to loot and rob.

And this is going to sound so cliche, but what they've stolen is our trust. This is such an amazing, safe neighborhood, known as "Nappy Valley" because of the huge number of young families. And in the matter of hours these punks have destroyed nearly every shop in our neighborhood. Shops and restaurants that I visit or walk past every day. It's so scary and heartbreaking on so many levels.

I know tomorrow will bring more tears as we survey the damage.

We'll keep you updated on what's going on here, but please keep Londoners in your thoughts and prayers.