The Hard Stop plot
Mark Duggan grew up in the Broadwater Farm housing complex; a desolate concrete jungle in poor Tottenham north of London. Using photos, videos and stories from friends and family, the filmmaker reconstructs Mark's childhood and life in an underprivileged, harsh world surrounded by prejudice and crime. When his cousin is stabbed to death during a scuffle in a nightclub, the police think Mark will avenge his relative. At the time of arrest, the officers assume he has a weapon and shoot. He turns out to be unarmed. This event ignites the flames of London's black community, which have been at odds with the police for years. Crowds of people take to the streets, pelt cops, set cars on fire and loot shops. The riots are the largest in British history.