DMT
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Joined: 12/3/2004
Msg: 1 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 5:35:36 AM | Apparently that somepeople haven't been able to understand the thread and have compained about it being too confusing for them, despite the clear english and reference to stories that have been all over the National news this week.
So, for you. This is a story about the police raid of premisis in Kennnington in south London that has formerly been used as a Rastafarian Temple. The reason the police gave for raiding it was suspicion of drug dealing and allegations that it had been turned into a "drug den / crack house / drug supermarket".
There has been much local oppostion to the raid, some arguing that it was motivated by religious intolerance, others that it was motivated by Lambeth borough councils keeness to redevlop the potentially lucrative site.
Those who understood the thread have been debating whether or not the place was:
1) A rasta temple shut down because of relgious intolerance?
2) A community squat shut by a council to raise money?
3) A lucrative crack house closed down?
or 4) please give other reason? | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 5:37:07 AM | | It wasn't a squat as it was now owned by its occupiers as they had been there for decades. It had been taken over in the last few years by local yardie gangsters. That was the reason given. | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 5:43:59 AM | It was shut down because hundreds of people were going there to buy drugs every week lol. The locals complained to police about it because of the goings on and it was no longer a temple but a drug dealing place 
Thing is, Rastafarianism is a proper religion with Halie Selassie as their King and God as they believe that he was a direct reincarnation of Jesus.. hmm.. lol But most people think its just all smoking weed and listening to Bob Marley 24/7 | |
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DMT
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Joined: 12/3/2004
Msg: 4 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 5:58:56 AM | Yeah, the early leaders from Jamaica though the Selassie was their prophet, but he was reasonably perplexed by the whole thing.
He visited the temple but he wasn't keen on thousands of black people from the caribbean "returning" to ethiopia, as their spiritual homeland.
As for this temple, I'm sure there is a chance that both things were going on at once - i.e. serious believers and serious dealers.
The police have said that temple leaders complained to them about it being taken over but I haven't seen one actual direct quote about that. On the other hand there are plenty of people willing to be named who say that the police used suggestions of dealing as an excuse of closing it down.
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To those people who don't like this thread, you have no good reason to stop it as it's clear, newsworthy and other people are able to understand it and contribute to it. If you don't understand it, ask questions on the thread | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 6:18:36 AM | people don't understand it coz they'Z R fick innit!
anyway, what's to understand about a bunch of blackjacks smoking pot? | |
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DMT
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Joined: 12/3/2004
Msg: 6 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 6:21:37 AM | Well, my interest is in the motivations of the police and council to close it at this point.
Also, I'm genuinely interested in the perceptions of those in the black communities involved as many seem to thing that something shady had been going on, driven by wider council police and money.
We are at the peak of a housing boom and this would be the idea time to rebuild on the site and sell of a few million pounds worth of homes | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 6:35:07 AM | well unless the media was making things up, or the police had planted stuff on 'em... they were not only caught selling drugs, but there was ammunition for their guns, 9mm bullets there too, these were no peaceful jah loving rastas coming to worship jah!
The media were playing on their words, they're only up in court for selling weed, and for being in poession of bullets. Thats hardly crime of the century. | |
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DMT
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Joined: 12/3/2004
Msg: 8 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 6:40:07 AM |
well unless the media was making things up, or the police had planted stuff on 'em... they were not only caught selling crack, but there was ammunition for their guns, 9mm bullets there too, these were no peaceful jah loving rastas coming to worship jah!
How many bullets were found then?
My understanding was that hundreds of people lived there or regularly visited the place. Say there were a few bullets found, does that mean that everyone there was a gasngsa? | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 6:52:48 AM | | just one guy was charged with being in possesion of the bullets, they didn't say how many were found, it was probably just a handfull, and being that they didn't find any hard drugs, or guns, i think the police have ended up with egg on their faces over this one! | |
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DMT
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Joined: 12/3/2004
Msg: 10 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 7:24:49 AM | Interesting point mate,
If they had found a***nals of machine guns and a crack lab with kls of coke it would perhaps be justified.
In the minds of many Londoners, pushing people from their homes for the sake of some weed, looks quite dodgy.
The local council leader is a good person but I can't help wondering how much money can be made from that land, once the temple is demolished | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 9:12:50 AM | ^^ You seem pretty negative on the whole thing DMT, hopefully you werent one of the Rasta's turfed out?!
I used to live with some Jamaicans when i lived in Lewisham, and there was one really old, cool, Rasta dude, he was wicked, used to tell stories and talk to me about the religion, the music, explain the colours to me, everything, he was a genuinely nice fella and not into any gun crime or owt.. That was more the Yardies  Although they were actually really nice ppl as well, nice to talk to and would do me favours all the time... aah well... I'd be very ashamed of my own culture if it was to do with religious intolerence, although to be fair im not religious at all, live & let live is my motto.
So I cant see it being about making money from the land? Unless thats just me being niave.... And I am in agreement about if its just a bit of ganja then the police/council waaaay over reacted!
Re-reading this thread, I am actually thinking its probably about the land! The housing crisis in London is ridiculous at the mo, and developers are probably frantic to find land...... Such a shame theyre kicking out ppl from their homes/place of worship AND giving Rastafarianism a bad name to boot.. SWINES!!! | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 10:14:08 AM | | Big clue why the local residents would be complaining about the raid...............Cos the local area is flooded with blacks. pretty obvious when police do anything in a black area, they always complain about it!!!!! | |
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DMT
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Joined: 12/3/2004
Msg: 14 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/14/2007 4:57:43 PM | To the last person, to be honest I think that people of all ethnicities and background would get quite annoyed when a religious place is destroyed at the whim of the police.
People don't have to be rastas or black to feel offended and annoyed when public employees trash home and a spiritual centre. I've talked to quite a few white people who are annoyed about it (and no, not because they want access to drugs but because it feels quite oppressive).
If a u university was closed because police found a small amount of coke and week, all right thinking people would be annoyed and complain about it. To suggest that black people have a particualar tendency to complain could be seen as a trifle racist, couldn't it?
We'll see how much worth of drugs the lab guys saw was there and then work out if the amound found would be normal for any large group of people.
But, chance are, by then the building will be in the council's clutches and will never be a temple again. | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/15/2007 12:49:22 PM | | i really dont see the issue here. if the 'temple' is used as a base for the supply of controlled drugs then who not shut it down? paedophiles in the catholic church and cannabis rastafarian smokers are equallly illegal. id expect them both to be stamped on | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/15/2007 1:02:32 PM | I am quite sure of is that in these dangerous times of racial unrest and lack of community integration the police are not going to want to cause themselves and the community around them extra difficulties through opening up a hornets nest of problems by closing this temple down with an over the top selfish act based on unfounded allegations of mass drug dealing.
Which leads me to the conclusion that this was in fact Britains largest drugs den containing dealers who knew they were onto a good thing. The temple was no doubt popular and they would of thought they would never get caught dealing out of what was supposed to be a religious building or a symbol of peace and harmony.
Thats not to say that the big cheeses at the top of the council heirarchy wont have one eye on potential business interests after this has calmed down so perhaps your claims are not unfounded, I love a good conspiracy as well but i think there was no doubt that serious law breaking was going on inside the temple. Give them an excuse to bust you and you get busted I guess. | |
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djb65
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Joined: 3/4/2007
Msg: 17 | |
| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/15/2007 1:24:51 PM | | Haile Salasse was also the first black man in Africa to kick the white man out when Ethiopia was independant from Italy. Wha'ppen Brothers! | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/16/2007 3:25:05 PM | It was a crack house, pure and simple.
This 'religion' is based on drugs, and this place was raided because of its drug-based activities.
I cannot see the problem. | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/16/2007 3:28:21 PM |
Which leads me to the conclusion that this was in fact Britains largest drugs den containing dealers who knew they were onto a good thing
Spot on, it's happened before in my City, using 'community centres/clubs' as a safe base for dealing. Cunning like a fox, but they always get their come uppance. Especially when I call crimestoppers when they start encrouching on my patch  | |
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| London Rasta temple or drug central?
Posted: 4/17/2007 7:29:29 AM | Well we can only comment on our own opinions, but from from the facts released, it was no crack house, my suspicion is that yes there was some dodgy shit going down, but only by the one or two guys who got into the temple under the pretences of being a real rasta, yet was out for exploitation, make some money, sell some dope, we all know rastas love their dope, i know its bad for your chest but anyways.. dope will always be with the rasta community forever, and they need somewhere decent to score it from, where better than the place where u live?
Now bullets being found without the gun suggests to me that there may have been a yardie involved, but he was clever, and felt safe enough to not worry about carrying a gun about his person.. semi retired yardies maybe? well.. they are always sneaky, the fact that there was bullets means there was guns somewhere, if even on the streets of london.. but where was the guns? Was the guy selling bullets to any old punter coming in off the streets, or was this a shop for the yardies or the local gangs to stock up?
Now i'll bet my bottom dollar most people in there were decent peaceful rastas seeking a free rent, but they must have seen what was going down, yet turned a blind eye.
But no crack or guns., they either outsmarted the police, or they aren't really a yardie outfit at all. | |
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