Nelson Galaxy

Walking down Whitechapel High Street recently I saw an unusual altercation outside the Citroen dealership, the one next to the East London Mosque. There was an incident involving a woman and a street cleaner, a career position now referred to as a ‘Visual Urban Hygiene Technician’. The man with the brush was a filthy looking individual, he had a totally shaved head except for a bunch of dirt caked dreadlocks at the back of his skull.

The woman who was stood next to him was obese and wore a bulging tie-died dress with the words “Death to Everyone” emblazoned across her chest. She was holding a can of White Lightening, I assumed this was not the first she had imbibed that day. Her face was caked in mud and the smell or urine emanated from her very soul.

The woman was shouting loudly at the man as he attempted to sweep the street, incessantly repeating the phrase, “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.” The cleaner continued his monotonous sweeping of the broken beer bottles and used condoms, not saying a word or expressing any emotion. The woman continued to shout her hatred.

A small crowd of homeless drunks began to form, attracted by the possibility of violence. The inebriated woman lunged for one of the brushes lying across the mobile dustbin, grabbed it and proceeded to batter the cleaner, repeatedly shouting, “I hate you.”

A cheer erupted from the crowd as the cleaner was beaten to the floor, a trickle of blood emitting from a cut on his face. A few intrepid and inebriated members of the crowd joined in the beating, their gang mentality defeating any sense of right or wrong.

As the man lay bleeding on the pavement the crowd took the initiative to steal all of his brushes and mobile dustbin, obviously hoping to have some fun later in the evening. The woman shouted one last time and left to enjoy her cheap cider in the park. I went over to the cleaner to check if he needed help. He said three words to me before I left him there outside the car showroom.

He said, “I hate you.” I think he meant it.