Video by BhamUrbanNewsUK
Part three in our series on Tottenham businesses and the riot recovery effort.
Part III: Pride of Tottenham
There was one good day of business, says Niche Mufwankolo, when Tottenham Hotspur played arch-rival Arsenal. Other than that the place, like the street itself, has been remarkably dead.
Now there are reports Haringey Council will exempt those hardest hit by the riots from nearly eight months of the business rates they pay in order to operate.
"I think it might be something very big," Mufwankolo said. "But I haven't heard about it from them yet."
Like many in the area, he has been critical of the broader government and the council since the death of a Tottenham man during a police weapons sting sparked the violence.
“We are struggling,” he said of the areas residents and business owners. “I’ve put all my savings, everything I have in life into this place.
We didn’t ask for the riots--we didn’t ask for the police to kill somebody, so why should we suffer for that."
Aid and Aug. 6
So far Mufwankolo says he's received just over £4,000 in assistance from riot recovery funds, not enough to keep the pub from falling into debt. He didn't have insurance, so he's also waiting to find out if the Riot (Damages) Act will help cover his losses.
It's a common story for Tottenham traders, but Mufwankolo's actual experience and climb to safety during the riots is different.
He remembers navigating the carnage of Aug. 6 to check the Pride of Tottenham, and "seeing the fire exit door wide open. I came inside—the place was completely dark, but there was a lady serving herself at the bar.”
Mufwankolo stepped forward to intervene, but quickly realized he was in trouble. “Some men came inside – I ran up to the office to hide myself, and from there I could see what was going on.”
He watched on CCTV as the woman filled a bag with drinks and looters removed his the contents of his establishment by the armful. What wasn’t stolen was destroyed.
“They took everything and burned them in the street,” he said. “No more drinks, no glassware, no music system.”
Exit Strategy
When rioters ascended the office stairs, Mufwankolo escaped through a window. “I saw them smashing doors and I had to save my life,” he said.
On the roof he paused to watch the looting’s final stages through a skylight, before scrambling down a drainpipe and running to a nearby friend’s home. He called the police, but was told they could do nothing.
Shortly afterward, Mufwankolo, a father of seven, was sure he'd give up the pub. “Not even a letter from God will boost my business or make me happy,” he said. “If I don’t sell, I sink.”
At other times, he's been more optimistic, but any final decision to stay or go will likely depend on how much help he gets.
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