January 14th marked seven months since the horrific Grenfell Tower fire. For many, the day served as a painful reminder of loss, whether personal or within a community - but in the spirit of positive action, some chose to participate in the evening's silent walk from Notting Hill Methodist Church, as a gesture of remembrance and a call for justice.
The Grenfell Tower silent walks are held on the 14th of every month, and many of their attendants are people for whom the disaster hit the hardest. On this brisk winter's evening, local residents and supporters of the cause walked alongside stationary traffic in a greatly moving manner; the world appeared to stop as on-lookers watched through vehicle windows. Fire-fighters who were present on the night of the fire stood and faced the crowd. In a deeply heartfelt display, several marchers paused to shake their hands or hug them.
As is marked in the minds of the London population, June of last year was when Grenfell Tower was ravaged by an out-of-control housefire. It caused 71 casualties and hospitalised 74 people. Though it has frequently been described as a tragedy, perhaps this is not an apt term, because that implies it was caused by misfortune; complaints about the building's safety had been made by residents from as early as 2013. Justice4Grenfell is the movement that organises the marches; their aim is both to honour Grenfell's victims and to hold authorities accountable for the shortcomings that enabled it.
At the start of a year where nothing is certain, to see people unite for the greater good is a wonderful thing - and should encompass London as a whole.
