Editing Thamesmead (section)

== Crime ==
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Some estate residents claim that gang T-Block (Now known locally as Greenside or GS28) have been left untouched by police, due to the high levels of drug-related crime and violence taking place in the Thamesmead area and local areas [[Abbey Wood]] and [[Plumstead]].<ref name="newsshopper1">{{cite web|url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11546766.thamesmead-murder-estate-being-controlled-by-gangs/ |title=Thamesmead murder estate 'being controlled by gangs' |work=News Shopper |date=2014-10-20 |access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> Gangs and crime have been prevalent in the area since the late 1970s due to increased rates of poverty, a failing economy and the rise of working class communities during The Tories' reign in government.{{CN|date=July 2024}} However, in the 80s, there was a raise of racist gangs which ran riot within the Thamesmead area, and local areas (such as Welling, Erith, Belvedere, Eltham & Plumstead). These groups (such as R.A.) felt inclined to defend their 'turf' and would often harass young black men and boys from Thamesmead, and surrounding local areas. These behaviour was shown within a famous murder within the area, which soon shaped the major change within the Thamesmead area from the 1990s onwards - The Murder of [[Rolan Adams]]. [[Rolan Adams]] (1975 - 1991) was a Black British boy who was murdered as the result of a racist hate crime which was committed in 1991. He is frequently associated in connection to [[Stephen Lawrence]], another teenager from a neighbouring area [[Eltham]] in Southeast London, who was later killed in a similar incident, exposing the public view of racially motivated attacks in London, England at the time.<ref name="independent1">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-spied-on-family-of-a-boy-killed-in-a-racist-attack-9627202/ |title= Police spied on family of a boy killed in a racist attack |work= independent | date=2014-07-24 | access-date=2024-04-12}}</ref> From the late 1990s onwards, a rise of Afro-Caribbean people would move into the areas, from abroad (Countries like [[Ghana]], [[Nigeria]], and [[Jamaica]]) and inner [[South London]], due to re-housing and gentrification in areas like [[Peckham]], [[Camberwell]], [[Walworth]] and [[Brixton]]. Many of the black youths who would move into the area, will move around together to defend themselves against these racist gangs, seeing the early formation of the gang T-Block (now known as Greenside or GS28) in 2002. The gang would fall into heavy beefs with local gangs [[Woolwich Boys]], [[Charlton, London|Cherry Orchard Boys]]  and R.A. ([[Welling]] & [[Erith]]) but also form deep alliances with other local gangs, such as [[Plumstead|Glyndon Boys]], [[Ferrier Estate]] Boys and [[Peckham Boys]], during the mid-late 2000s and early 2010s <ref name = "newshopper1">{{cite web|url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1519187.gangs-in-turf-war/ |title=Gangs in turf war |work= News Shopper |date=2007-07-04 |access-date=2024-04-12}}</ref>