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Islington Tribune - by JAMIE WELHAM
Published: 31 August 2007

Councillor Greg Foxsmith has called a public meeting on the New Orleans estate following a shooting

‘Break wall of silence’ appeal after shooting shocks estate

‘By staying quiet we are condoning guns and violence in our communities’

WITNESSES to a suspected gangland shooting on an Archway estate are being urged to break a wall of silence that has followed the attack earlier this month.
Lib Dem councillor Greg Foxsmith has called a public meeting on the New Orleans estate next week in the wake of the shooting that left a 21-year-old man with minor injuries.
No arrests have followed the shooting at the corner of Sunnyside Road and Hornsey Lane on August 6.
Cllr Foxsmith said: “Knowing there has been a shooting in your area is a real cause for concern. Residents deserve to have their questions answered and to know what is happening now.
“But, equally, the best way to solve this is for someone to come forward. New Orleans is a real community and someone there must know something. By staying quiet we are condoning guns and violence in our communities.”
Residents of the quiet estate fear the shooting could be the start of a tit-for-tat gang feud.
Cllr Foxsmith said: “The weapon has never been recovered and we don’t want a Croxteth-type situation on our hands, where an innocent bystander is killed or a youth is caught in the crossfire.”
Chairwoman of the Tenants’ and Residents’ Association Sonya Barnard, who has lived on the estate for more than 20 years, said: “I was amazed when the shooting happened. Nothing like that has ever happened here and I’m worried it could be the start of something bad.”
She added: “We want the police to be more pro-active because there were no witness boards or door knocks after the shooting. People are reluctant to speak to the police because they have a low opinion of them and this inactivity doesn’t exactly help. Sometimes I wonder what we pay our taxes for.”
A police spokeswoman said: “House-to-house inquiries were not feasible due to the massive size of the estate. Instead, appeals boards were placed at the scene as soon as was practicable.”
The Safer Neighbourhoods police team, representatives from Operation Trident – the specialist unit which tackles gun crime in the black community – and Homes For Islington’s anti-social behaviour team have been invited to next week’s meeting. It is hoped the meeting in the community hall of the New Orleans estate, just off Hornsey Rise, at 7pm on Wednesday will provide an alternative means for people to help the inquiry who may have been reluctant to approach police directly.

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