Riots break out in predominately black areas of Birmingham and London, sparked by heavy-handed policing, although with deeper underlying causes of discrimination and deprivation among inner-city black communities. Police and rioters battled each other for days, with angry youth hurling missiles and abuse, while buildings burned and shops were looted. Particularity shocking was the brutal murder of London policemen Keith Blakelock at the hands of a mob. For their part, the police were criticized for their violent approach, especially regarding the unacceptable treatment of matriarchal black women, who occupied a reverential status, even among the most delinquent or disaffected of black youth.