r/Glasgow Tools

Grew up in Easterhouse at the height of gangfighting, drugs, knife crime and getting a right tanked arse aff yer ma n da if you were a wee dick to them.

It just seemed normal like others said. I lived on a street that overlooked the main road that separated two schemes within Easterhouse. There would be gang fights over that road all the time. Seen some right horrific injuries. Bricks and bits of garden slabs would get tossed. Knives and swords would appear from time to time. And there would always be "artillery" backup in the form of a couple cunts at the back lobbing golf balls across the battle with golf clubs. Mental.

I remember the police ended up renting out one of the corner shops in the middle if our scheme so they had a mini-station right in the thick of it. Also remember a big knife amnesty happening where they put a big bin outside the shop where you could toss your knives and swords. Came with the promise that they wont fingerprint them and would just be destroyed so dont worry about past crimes, you wont get done. Basically, the knife crime got to the point where the police had to help folk get rid of murder weapons just to get as many knives off the street as possible.

Then I started working the city centre in nightclubs in the 90s. Nightclubs back then would turn the hair grey on most young people today. Proper bouncers that didny just chuck you out. If you were getting ejected from a club then it would come with a proper battering with bruised kidneys and a broke nose. One club I worked in was just as bad for gangs as the schemes, only this was more like an international travellers convention where instead of fighting the scheme next to yours there would be the likes of Barrowfield having a massive square go with Pollok. Each scheme ended up with their own bits of the club. Like the Barrowfield would have the left balcony.
The young team from Possil had the alcove by the gents. Etc. So many drugs, but back in the schemes where it was heroin, in the clubs it was all dodgy eccies and speed. Plenty of full scale riots and seen a few stabbings in the clubs. There were a few safer places, not everywhere was like this, but it was bad. Again, just felt normal.

Like somebody else said, I grew up normalised to death as well. Several weans at secondary school died. A couple of heroin overdoses in second and third year. One boy got murdered cos of his football top. And the son of the lollipop woman for the nearby primary got kicked to death walking home. That one was totally unprovoked cos he was a quiet wee guy. Feeling a bit shite remembering these. I remember the woman in a close a couple down from ours was murdered one night as well, but canny really remember what that was about.

To be honest, I hardly recognise Glasgow today as it was back then. Totally different city. You still feel that vibe in some rough bits like Barmulloch or Castlemilk, but the lid seems to really have been put on it.