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| Type of site | Community, local news, politics, direct action |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Brixton, London, England |
| Editor | Mike Slocombe |
| URL | urban75 |
| Commercial | No |
Urban75 also known as U75 or simply Urban is a website and internet forum based in Brixton, England. It was founded in 1995 and is edited by Mike Slocombe. The site and forums are characterised by an eclectic mix of left-wing politics, drugs, music, photography amongst other subjects, combined with an opposition to mainstream culture and it does not carry adverts.
History
Urban75 originated from a football comic called Bluebird Jones from which an e-zine entitled Football Fans Against The Criminal Justice Act was spawned, the website of which became Urban75. The campaign received large amounts of exposure in the media, and in May 1995 an unknown helper on the campaign from Brighton put together the first version of the Urban75 site, using a modem donated by The Levellers.
As the site expanded into areas other than football and protest, it grew in popularity and was moved to a different, bigger server (becoming part of The Head-Space Project until it moved to its own domain in 1998). Early publicity was generated by Shockwave games in which celebrities could be virtually "slapped" or "punched".
In March 2002, Urban75 entered the national news when Lambeth police chief Brian Paddick posted on the forums in order to discuss issues with Brixton's internet users while he was conducting a cannabis tolerance experiment. However, when the tabloid press discovered Paddick's posting on the site, a scandal ensued. In particular, the press highlighted one post on the boards, where Paddick supposedly said "The concept of anarchy has always appealed to me". Paddick subsequently met with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir John Stevens, and accepted criticism of his remarks. No disciplinary action was taken and Paddick remained in his post until his retirement in 2007.
In July 2005, Rachel North, would post her account on having being caught up in the 2005 London bombings, which would become a BBC blog.
References
- ^ Jason Whittaker. "Internet forms and e-zines". The Cyberspace Handbook. Routledge, 2003. ISBN 9780415168359.
- Matthew Collin (17 June 1997). Wired world: Eighties survivor cracks the zine scene, Wired
- JL Perone (9 June 1998). The Urban Web Warrior:Urban75's Mike Slocombe, Online Journalism Review
- Vikram Dodd (28 November 2003). The Guardian profile: Brian Paddick, The Guardian
- ^ Police chief rebuked over 'anarchy' remark, BBC News 11 March 2002.
- Met's Paddick set to retire early, BBC News, 27 April 2007.
- BBC News - UK - Coming together as a city BBC News