A Neighborhood in Ruin


Anger is rising over a myriad of failures that led to what could be a massive death toll in the Grenfell Tower fire. On the early hours of Wednesday June 14th, Grenfell Tower in south London caught ablaze from a refrigerator on the fourth floor. The fire then spread upwards, consuming 17 floors above it in flames. Over 70 people are unaccounted for, and officials say that there may be no hope for any residents left in the burning building.

On Thursday Kaely and I traveled to South Kensington to see the damages and, honestly, I wasn’t prepared. As we stepped off the platform a giant, charred building peaked over the treetops, soot and ashes still blowing off in the wind. Train riders gathered at the edge of the platform to get a look at what could be one of the greatest tragedies the U.K. has ever seen. As we walked down the steps, towards the exit, you could feel the heavy air of a neighborhood dismantled by tragedy.
As we left the station, missing person’s signs were plastered all over. One 12-year-old girls face stuck out to me the most. Unbeknownst to us, the residents held a vigil for Jessica Urbano, the missing girl, just minutes before we arrived.

We spoke to one of the officers guarding the blocked-off area. She, as well as her fellow officers, have no idea when the building will be stable enough to enter—or if it will still be standing by that time. The neighborhood is in turmoil, but this is a different kind of pain from the recent attacks seen in Manchester and the Borough Market. This pain wasn’t brought upon by intolerant acts from outsiders of the community; it’s a result of a system that failed residents that it never really cared for.

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