Businesses and homes in Notting Hill boarded up their windows with plywood, some put up makeshift fences out of big wooden boards. People sold food and alcohol from their doorstep or through crude holes cut out of their makeshift fences. I paid 1 pound to use the bathroom in someone's basement flat.

During the parade, across the street from where I was standing the walkway narrowed like a funnel. People were trying to get through from both directions. There were heavy metal barriers set up to prevent us from crowding into the parade route. People were being painfully pressed against these metal barriers. I didn't notice until I looked over and looked at the pained, panicked expressions on people's faces, a crush was slowly taking form.

Someone called over a parade worker who called over some police. First, they lifted up a few young children over the barrier. Then they moved one of the metal barriers and a crowd of people came pouring out into the parade route and headed over towards our side climbing over the metal barriers all around us, the drunk ones spilling beer and acting clumsy. It was frightening to see people trapped like that and to see people at both ends obliviously trying to push their way through.

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