‘There’s A Riot Goin’ On’ A View From the Crowd

Rip It Up, Issue 89, 1 December 1984, Page 2

‘There’s A Riot Goin’ On’ A View From the Crowd

The trouble in Aotea Square is generally agreed to have begun when a couple of spectators on top of the covered way of the Wellesley St Post Office began urinating off the edge and dropping bottles during an enforced break caused by a power failure during DD Smash’s first song. There were some bottles thrown at police who arrested the youths but the majority of the crowd was unaware of any trouble. Shortly after the arrests had been made, police in riot gear marched up Queen St to the other corner of Aotea Square and stood in formation across the main exit. Chris Caddick, who was standing at the back of the square, near where the police lined up, said "99 per cent of the crowd” was unaware of any trouble and attention was focused on the stage. There had been some noise

and disturbance when Dave Dobbyn had mentioned the riot police behind the crowd: ‘ - . "But it wasnt until the music stopped that I turned around and saw the police in riot gear just behind us. Everyone’s attention turned away from the stage and that’s when the trouble really. started'J||BPßM9BPVw I had been walking towards the information centre corner during the last song and when the music stopped just before Bpm there was bewilderment for a while, a crowd ran back, apparently in the face of a police charge, then rallied and, with numbers'swelled, by people simply leaving, missiles began to fly in earnest and windows were broken?BHHßH

“This is the real thing, isn’t it?" said a friend I bumped into. "An actual riot.”

And it was. While alcohol was undoubtedly a major factor in what happened, this wasn’t the drunken, surly violence that sometimes crops up at such events. Violence was directed only at riot police and nearby buildings and the mood among onlookers from the square side seemed more one of bemusement and interest than fear. I walked up among those doing the damage and the mood seemed to be one of “you gave us riot police we give you a riot.” The moments of fear came on the two occasions when the police charged the crowd several people fell. Meanwhile the destruction of the city Information Centre and the 6 metre windows of the empty-since-it-was-built ground floor of the DFC building was almost methodical. There was a weird sense of purpose among the cross-section of young people doing the damage. More stood back and cheered. The second police charge convinced me that this was no place to stand and observe proceedings, so I returned to the RIU office. To get a ride away from it all, I would have to accompany the driver back past the disturbances and up Wakefield St. By this

time the police had created a kind of buffer zone at Wellesley St, Shopowners below Wellesley St peered nervously out through closed, but still intact, doors. They would catch damage and looting an hour or so later, when police drove rioters the length of Queen St. shouting “Move down! Move down!" We took the back way up to the car. through demolition sites which had an unearthly feel, with groups of people wandering up from the square to nowhere in particular. When we struck Wakefield St the really sad, senseless part of the rioting had begun youths ran out of a smashed up little lunchbar, cackling with glee at having been able to heist a carton of cigarettes or a couple of cans of drink. It was definitely time to leave. Later, a sports shop would be broken into and several rifles stolen something the Auckland Star made much of. even though guns in such stores are mechanically disarmed as a matter of course. The next day Queen St was quiet and clean, although still a little shell-shocked. Glaziers’ vans dotted the footpath and new windows went up Centrepoint Fabrics even had neat letters reading Riot Sale’ on their new