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| Grenfell Tower Fire Aftermath: 17 June 2017 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 17 2017, 10:09 AM (88 Views) | |
| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:09 AM Post #1 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) The Queen says UK is determined to 'rebuild lives' --The Queen has released a statement on her official birthday, saying the day is “traditionally a day of celebration” but “this year, however, it is difficult to escape a very sombre national mood.” She said: “In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession of terrible tragedies. As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been directly affected by these events. “During recent visits in Manchester and London, I have been profoundly struck by the immediate inclination of people throughout the country to offer comfort and support to those in desperate need.” The monarch visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital following the Manchester Arena attack in which 22 people were killed following an Ariana Grande concert. She added: “Put to the test, the United Kingdom has been resolute in the face of adversity. United in our sadness, we are equally determined, without fear or favour, to support all those rebuilding lives so horribly affected by injury and loss.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:27 AM Post #16 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Jeremy Corbyn has told Theresa May that the £5m pledged to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire will not be enough and that she should reiterate her commitment to rehousing those who have lost their homes within the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. In an open letter to the prime minister, the Labour leader also insisted that any public inquiry into the disaster must not delay any parallel legal actions, and demanded that legal funding be made available to support those involved. He also called on the government to take “an attitude of generosity and compassion” over the cost of funerals, as well as visas for grieving relatives from outside the UK to attend them. Corbyn has been praised locally for his response to the disaster after he visited the scene and spoke to victims, firefighters and volunteers. Theresa May drew criticism after apparently leaving the scene without meeting residents who had been made homeless or were searching for loved ones. In his letter, Corbyn noted that the government had made it clear that displaced residents would be locally rehoused. But, he wrote: It now appears that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea may not be as committed to ensuring that all are re-housed locally. Your public re-commitment to this is imperative as part of an unequivocal, wider statement that the government will do all it can to provide timely practical support to those who have suffered so much. In this context, I note the announcement of the first government investment of £5million. Given the magnitude and scale of the crisis, this will clearly not be sufficient and I therefore await information regarding further funding plans. On a related matter, I believe that an attitude of generosity and compassion in relation to the costs of funeral expenses and ensuring that it is possible for families living outside the UK to travel here to attend funerals, as well as participate in the inquiry, is also warranted in such a tragic situation. This is particularly the case given the circumstances of many of the Grenfell Tower residents, including the number of bereaved families who may be resident overseas and the costs of burial and cremation. As was also raised at yesterday’s brief discussion in the Grand Committee, I would expect that the Home Office guarantees the replacement, as a matter of urgent priority, of all documentation for those affected. -Read more: https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/876009928045060097 |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:29 AM Post #17 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) The Queen has observed a minute’s silence for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, as she marked her official birthday. She and her husband, Prince Philip, stood in silence on the steps of Buckingham Palace during the trooping the colour ceremony. The Queen said in her message: “Today is traditionally a day of celebration. This year, however, it is difficult to escape a very sombre national mood. In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession of terrible tragedies. As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been directly affected by these events.” --A minute's silence has taken place at Buckingham Palace as a mark of respect to the #GrenfellTower fire victims (Sky News, 17 June 2017) |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:30 AM Post #18 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) While the Grenfall Tower protest has been postponed, a demonstration will still go ahead this afternoon in Whitehall against the Conservative party’s plans to govern with the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party. The “No Coalition of Chaos with the DUP” demo, organised by Guardian columnist Owen Jones, is to begin at 2pm on Whitehall, central London. The protest’s Facebook event page says: The Tories launched a general election to destroy Labour. They waged a campaign of fear against a campaign of hope. And they failed. Now a disgraced Theresa May is trying to cling on to power with an alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party, the most extreme party in Parliament. They are anti-gay. They are anti-choice. They are climate change deniers. And they have a history of links to and sympathies for Northern Irish loyalist terrorism - after smearing Labour and Jeremy Corbyn over terrorism. The Tories are themselves riddled with homophobes, opponents of women’s rights to choose, and climate change deniers. Now they’ll be strengthened with an alliance with the right-wing extremists of the DUP. This Coalition of Chaos and Hatred is a threat to all of us. Take to the streets in London and all over Britain. Set up your own Facebook events for your towns and cities and I’ll share them. Let’s bring down Theresa May - and stop a Coalition of Chaos and Hatred taking power. Around 3,600 people have indicated that they will attend, with a 3,700 saying they will attend another ‘Protest against Theresa May’ that has been called for the same time. Organisation of the two events has apparently been merged. -Read more: https://www.facebook.com/events/290268031384019/ |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:32 AM Post #19 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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![]() --The public need to know that all companies, contractors and subcontractors involved in Greenfell Tower will be investigated by @metpoliceuk (David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham - 17 June 2017) |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:32 AM Post #20 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) It seems that authorities still have not got to grips with the relief and recovery operation around the Grenfell Tower. Since the very first day of the disaster, volunteers have said there has been a almost total lack of official crisis response management, with churches, mosques and community centres effectively coordinating the response between themselves. Now Matthew Price, chief correspondent for Radio 4’s Today programme, has spoken to representatives of the Grenfell Tower residents’ association, who have told him that the official response, as far as they are concerned, is in “absolute chaos”. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:33 AM Post #21 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Tube services disrupted amid fears over building structure --Latimer Road tube station has been closed and some underground services in the area suspended because of renewed fears about the structural safety of Grenfell Tower, a police officer has said. An officer at the site confirmed the station and the Hammersmith and City line had been shut following instructions from the London fire brigade (LFB), who are going through the charred skeleton of the building. Transport for London confirmed that services between Edgware Road and Hammersmith had been suspended at the request of the fire service. It was not clear what risk was believed to exist and LFB have not yet responded to requests for comment. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:35 AM Post #22 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Theresa May is to meet victims from the Grenfell Tower disaster at Downing Street, the Press Association reports. The meeting on Saturday comes amid criticism after May did not meet any survivors in the immediate aftermath of the fire. May arrived in Downing Street on Saturday to chair a government taskforce meeting on the disaster. She will meet victims, volunteers and community leaders afterwards, No 10 said. A Downing Street spokesman said: The prime minister is this morning chairing a cross-government meeting to ensure everything possible is being done to support those affected by the Grenfell tragedy. Afterwards, she will meet a group of residents, victims, volunteers and community leaders in No 10. The PM has sent her best wishes to HM Queen on the event of her birthday. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:36 AM Post #23 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) There are yet more complaints that relief efforts for the Grenfell Tower fire continue to be coordinated by volunteers who fear some of the mountains of donations could go to waste. Food and other essential items have been brought to centres near the scene in west London, but anger has grown towards the council, with helpers criticising the apparent lack coordination, said PA. Dozens of people attended a meeting of the Radical Housing Network, made up of different activist groups, in a community centre not far from the burnt-out tower block on Saturday morning to discuss their “next steps” in supporting displaced residents. Moyra Samuels, a teacher who lives in the area, called on Kensington and Chelsea council to take control of the relief efforts. She told the meeting of about 70 people: These are very uncoordinated [efforts] and my question is, ‘Where is the council?’ This is something that we cannot do without an enormous level of planning and coordination. Stuff is going to deteriorate at these centres so they won’t even get to people. If the council is going to have to pay people to do that, that is what they are going to have to do. This is not going to go away. Grenfell is going to be with us for weeks and weeks. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:39 AM Post #24 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Kensington and Chelsea council and the tenant management organisation did not respond to more than 130 offers to put up displaced residents of Grenfell Tower and its neighbouring blocks, a volunteer who came to assist in the relief efforts has said. Michal Nachmany, a researcher at the London School of Economics, told the Guardian that she spent hours on Wednesday compiling a list of people willing to provide a roof for families and individuals – with some even offering entire flats to the dispossessed. She even offered to put up two families herself at her home in Chiswick. “My kids can fit into a single room,” she said. Nachmany sent the list to senior workers at KCTMO and the local council. However, as yet she has not received any news that any of the offers have been matched to families or individuals in need. It comes amid reports that displaced residents are still sleeping on floors and have not been housed. In an email to the Guardian, Nachmany, 40, said: I know that the emails were received (verified by phone), but I don’t know if any action has been taken. Hearing that people are still sleeping on the floor, rather than at least spending the first few days with host families is heartbreaking and outrageous. For example, I offered to host six people. Never heard from anyone, and I doubt if any matchmaking was done between the local offers and the people in need. There is no lack of volunteers or of offers to help – just lack of coordination and organisation. Would be happy if you could support any efforts to resolve this terrible mess and make sure everyone has a proper bed tonight. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:40 AM Post #25 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) 1,000 gather at Downing Street in protest against May --More than 1,000 people have gathered outside Downing Street to protest against Theresa May’s leadership. There is a real undercurrent of antipathy towards the prime minister, with the crowd’s verdict of how she has dealt with the Grenfell Tower fire ranging from anger to disgust. Almost unanimously the protesters believe she should resign immediately, the word “coward” being the most commonly used in reference to May. Tilly Howarth, 28, from Brighton who works in the social housing sector, said: “She’s a coward and needs to leave. The people are waking up to the rightwing mainstream media and May just doesn’t get the public mood.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:41 AM Post #26 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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![]() --Hundreds outside Downing St to protest against Theresa May. Kids and pensioners - practically everyone - using the word 'coward'. (Mark Townsend, The Observer - 17 June 2017) |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:43 AM Post #27 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) 58 'missing and presumed dead' --58 people are missing and presumed dead in the Grenfell Tower disaster, commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan Police has said. The first victim of the Grenfell Tower disaster has been formally identified as Mohammed Alhajali, the Met commander Stuart Cundy said. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:45 AM Post #28 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) The figure of 58 people who are now being classed as missing and presumed dead includes 16 bodies being held in the mortuary, Cundy said. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:59 AM Post #29 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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--Today I attended the Govt taskforce on #GrenfellTower. Here are the issues I raised on behalf of the local community (Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London - 17 June 2017) -read more: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1553668398019275&id=275283499191111 |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:00 AM Post #30 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Met commander Stuart Cundy pleaded with any people who escaped the tower but haven’t made themselves known to police to get in touch with the Met’s casualty bureau. I don’t care the reason, I want to know and we all want to know that you are safe and well. Images and video of the scenes inside the burned out Grenfell Tower will be released tomorrow, Cundy said. But, he added: “We will not do that until we have contacted all the families we are supporting to let them know that’s our intention.” |
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