The Brixton riot of 1985 started on 28 September in Lambeth in South London. It was the second major riot that the area had witnessed in the space of four years, the last in 1981. It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy "Cherry" Groce by the Metropolitan Police, while they sought her 21-year-old son Michael Groce in relation to a robbery and suspected firearms offence; they believed Michael Groce was hiding in his mother's home.^[1][2]

After two days of riots, photo-journalist David Hodge had died, 43 civilians and 10 police officers were hurt. Amongst a number of fires, one building had been destroyed, 55 cars had been burnt out, and 58 burglaries had been committed including acts of looting.^[2]

In March 2014, the police eventually apologised for the wrongful shooting of Mrs Groce.^[3] In July of the same year, an inquest jury concluded that eight separate police failures had contributed to Mrs Groce's death, for which the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe subsequently "apologised unreservedly for our failings" to the family.^[4]

The community of Lambeth, after the 1981 Brixton riot, did not trust the Metropolitan Police, with many people but mainly those from African-Caribbean population upset about the institutional racism of the police department.^[1]

Twenty-one-year-old Michael Groce was one of six children born to Dorothy "Cherry" Groce, who had migrated to the area from Jamaica when she was in her early teens. From aged six much of his life was spent in residential care, brought up in Tinworth House, on a rough housing estate in Vauxhall.^[5] Michael was involved with street gangs, and had been exposed to guns during his childhood.^[5] He spent time in and out of prison throughout his life, and by 1985 had accrued 50 convictions and 15 different spells in prison.^[6]

After being released from prison two months before,^[5] whilst out on licence^{[clarification needed]} Michael became concerned with a turf-war between local street gangs.^[5] Subsequently, given a gun for protection by a friend,^[5] a few days before the riots Michael was in an argument with his girlfriend at his mother's house, and in a fit of anger fired the gun into a wardrobe.^[5] Shortly afterwards, he heard a knock on the door and went down to answer it, finding a police officer enquiring if he was Michael Groce. He attempted to close the door, but after the police officer would not let him, Michael put the gun into the officer's mouth.^[5] After the officer left, Michael cleaned the gun and placed it in the house, then fled to his sister's home.^[5]

On the morning of Saturday 28 September 1985, a group of police officers raided Cherry Groce's house on Normandy Road, Brixton, including an armed CID officer, searching for suspected armed robber Michael Groce.^[1] Mrs Groce was in bed, whilst three of her six children were in residence when the police entered the house with force. During the raid, Mrs Groce was shot and seriously injured; after an extensive search, the police did not find Michael Groce. An ambulance was called, and by the time it had arrived a small crowd had gathered outside the house. Mrs Groce was taken to St Thomas' Hospital in central London.^[1]

As word of the shooting spread throughout the community, rumours persisted that Mrs. Groce had in fact been killed in the raid. The group that had gathered outside her house grew to over 60,^[7] and then moved to the local district police station, where they began chanting "murderers" and anti-police slogans,^[8] demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved.^[2]

However, hostility between the largely black crowd and the largely white police force quickly escalated into a series of mild street battles.^[2] These then developed into elongated skirmishes in the areas of Brixton Road and Acre Lane, where the first two of a total of 55 cars over the following 48 hours were burnt out.^[2] In response the police deployed the first 50 officers in riot gear in the afternoon, who approached rioters whilst banging their truncheons on their riot shields.^[2] Through force which involved a number of reported unprovoked attacks on local passers-by and accredited members of the media,^[2] the police cordoned off the area around the police station on Brixton Road, and then cleared the surrounding shopping district.^[2]

That evening, the police lost control of the area for approximately 48 hours. In the subsequent riot, severe injuries were sustained by both sides, with police injured as they were attacked by young black and white youths equipped with bricks and wooden stakes.^[1][2] After further skirmishes, the rioters built a defensive wall out of upturned cars across the Brixton Road, which were set alight at various times. From behind this wall, the rioters threw petrol bombs at the police, and looted local shops.^[1][2][8] As darkness fell on Coldharbour Lane, groups of men gathered and were stopping cars, opening doors and seizing the keys, expelling their occupants and then setting the cars on fire.^[9] One furniture shop, spanning the junction of Gresham Road, Barrington Road and Coldharbour Lane, was set on fire. The fire rapidly spread to the residential flats on the higher levels of the 4-storey building, and it was only by singular good fortune and heroic action of residents in rescuing one elderly gentleman that all escaped without loss of life or serious injury.^[10] Police later stated that they made 149 arrests that evening, mostly for violence, 20 for burglary and theft and two for petrol bombing.^[2]

In the aftermath, photo-journalist David Hodge died a few days later as a result of an aneurysm, after being attacked by gang of looters he was trying to photograph.^[11] In total over 50 people were injured, 200 arrests were made, one building and dozens of cars were destroyed, and several shops had been looted.^[1]

In a press conference on 30 September, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Wells described the shooting of Mrs Groce as tragic, and whilst recognising the resultant "genuine feelings, particularly those of the relatives and friends of Mrs Groce", blamed the riots on "an unruly criminal element."^[2]

• The 1986 Pet Shop Boys song "Suburbia", telling a story of boredom and (fictional) riots in suburbia, was partially influenced by the Brixton riots of 1981 and 1985, the latter of which was in recent memory when the single was released.^{[citation needed]}
• The 1987 film Sammy and Rosie Get Laid opens with an incident very similar to the Groce shooting.
• The Law & Order: UK episode I Predict A Riot, first aired 26 March 2014, is about a fictional black undercover policeman who went missing during the 1985 Brixton riot.
• The first episode of the three part series Life of Crime (May 2013) is set during the riot and uses the riot as a backdrop for a critical plot element.

• 1981 Brixton riot
• 1995 Brixton riot
• Broadwater Farm riot
• Eleanor Bumpurs
• "The Guns of Brixton"
• Urban riots