I noticed but would have been afraid to take part in any discussion at the time as I was rather disgusted with the way some tried to play the various angles of 'It's the blacks fault', "It's the muslims fault", "It's the fault of the poor" "It's the youth of today" etc.
I was amused at the way the rhetoric died a sudden death when it was revealed some were white and upper class.
It seemed like a mob mentality out of control looking to being one of the crowd with no thought of consequences or even knowing why. Just as all riots are and probably always have been.
The killings should be treated as any other murder, same with the theft (looting) vandalism etc.
Should they have bought in hoses? Probably as they could lower the pressure a bit so people weren't seriously hurt. Nothing like being cold and wet to send people home early
Should they have bought in the Army? As long as they weren't armed and told not to bludgeon people.
Should the parents have realised where their children were? Definitely. Possibly why some turned them in as they discovered there was no way to stop them going out. For some parents turning their kids in was revenge for disobedience.
Just like everything we do sometimes, spur of the moment with no real reason.
