SOCIETY IN SOUTH
Gang culture, knife crime and youth homicide are issues which are heavily prominent in London and South London in particular. The year 2021 resulted in London’s highest number of teenage homicides with 30 young men and boys being killed. The society in South London is greatly impacted by gang culture and knife crime, whether there is affiliation or not, everyone in this society has been impacted by it and has experienced loss of loved ones on either side of the coin; losing friends, family and acquaintances, to either murder or jail.
'Society in South', is an exploration of the experiences of those who have grown up in South London and who have been surrounded by the influences of gang culture and knife crime. In particular focussing on the stigma and stereotype surrounding young Black boys and knife crime. The individuals photographed in this project are not affiliated with gangs or gang culture however have been affected by gangs and gang culture in society. In order to do this, this project also explores and questions the societal factors that lead to young people joining gangs and engaging in gang activity, such as poverty, single parent households, lack of support, stereotype, underfunding etc.
This photographic inquiry shows that almost every person from South London has a story to tell and has been affected by gang culture and knife crime, every young person therefore somewhat becomes part of the statistics, as knife crime becomes more common and gang culture is so engrained into this society.
“South makes you or breaks you, you’re either strong enough to get through it or not. It’s a predatory environment, king of like living in the jungle, you’re either the prey or the predator.”
'They cornered us, ran us down and robbed us at knifepoint"
'The whole environment was quite hostile, you don't want to rub people up the wrong way or do the wrong thing."
