The blanket coverage of Terry Adams conviction and sentencing has led to plenty of TV coverage for the area.  The Adams family grew up on the Barnsbury Estate, East of the Cally Road and South of Copenhagen Street built in the 1930s and 1950s (only Sky seemed to find it – i can’t quite get the circle on the map in the right place – the BBC was helplessly filming in front of some Georgian terraces). 

The coverage has been disappointingly glorifying, making comparisons to Lock, Stock etc.  One angle the media miss is the tragic role model that the Adams and other organised criminals provide to young people.  Seen from one perspective, such criminals are people who have fought hard to escape local poverty, poor housing and lack of local opportunity.  If you have no other models turning to crime seems less illegitimate. 

Local youth workers frequently mention this as an important influence on young people’s behaviour when they start to go down the wrong path.  This makes the problems in Kings Cross harder to tackle.  Despite that though imaginative and targeted youth work has made a big impact in the area in the past few years.  I am on the board of the Copenhagen Youth Project – who really impress will post some more on them shortly.