Hundreds of residents wrote positive messages about Peckham and stuck them to the board covering the smashed window of the Poundland shop in Rye Lane, Peckham.
It was the brainchild of Lisa Harmer, age 28, and Dani Baker, both from Peckham Shed an inclusive theatre company that runs drama workshops at schools in Peckham.
They had come to Peckham to help tidy up the mess left by rioters. When they arrived other volunteers had already cleared up so they decided to set up the wall.
Lisa Harmer said: “We see so much positivity in the young people we are working with in Peckham and we wanted other people to tell us what they think of Peckham.”
Armed with a bunch of different coloured Post-It Notes and pens they encouraged passers by to write messages saying why they love Peckham.
By the end of the day the board was covered in positive messages.
These included messages such as: “Peckham is home soo much potential here.”
“All together we love Peckham as one community.”
“Peckham will recover.”
Lisa Harmer said: “It’s been a really amazing response, it’s been quite cathartic.”
Most people passing added to the wall and thought it was a good idea.
A pair of teenage girls who did not want to be named were less positive. They said they had not rioted but friends of theirs had.
They were both very angry at the police. One said that people rioted because they hate the police due to their bad treatment of youngsters. She said: “Yesterday I got sworn at by the police, they are always swearing at us. The police have too much power.”
She believed many of the rioters just wanted to let off steam and get their revenge against the police. She said: “They were having fun playing with the Feds.”
Dani Baker also works with youngsters. She said that earlier that day she had spoken to some of them who had rioted.
They all said that they hated the police and saw the riots as a way to get back at the police. She said: “One of them said he had been stopped and searched four times in one day and he felt that rioting was a way to get back at the police.”