BBC News - UK riots: Before-and-after images of the devastation

i was stunned by these images; some of the places are simply unrecognizable.
my heart breaks for the people who've lost their homes, their memories & treasured possessions,
& their businesses in this awful way.

the historic buildings in particular are a grievous loss; a modern building is replaceable, but an 1800s building
is impossible to reconstruct - due to costs & lack of materials - and is thus a destroyed artifact. Slashing a painting
or smashing a statue are comparable acts of vandalism.

i hope that few people are seriously hurt or killed, but at the same time, livelihoods & lives are being ruined.
a business-owner cannot employ people when their very building & its contents are destroyed by fire.
many people who HAD a job a few days ago, have none now. The ripple effect will be enormous.

BBC News - In pictures: London riot aftermath

the job-center in Tottenham struck me as especially sad. It will take a month or more just to re-open it.