The well-known and loved Dragon Bar just by Old Street was the type of joint in which propping yourself up against a wall during a drunken piss would likely leave you with a ruined shirt – since the toilets were bombed to shit by the graff writers that hung out there. That bar was bulldozed a while back though, as part of the ongoing regeneration (read: gentrification) of East London.
The “new” Dragon Bar is itself gentrified, with a swanky food menu and a pricey whiskey selection. The large Eine canvas and various little stickers and artworks around the place hint at the previous location’s graffiti past.
A couple of weeks ago however, HurtYouBad published a letter from their inbox that explained that not everyone drinking at Dragon Bar was doing so because they love the street-art canvas on display.
Last week whilst drinking outside the Dragon Bar Shoreditch High Street, Dougie saw some one get up from there seat and do this in the road (ed: see image). They then went to return to their seat, upon which immediately two undercover police stood up and placed them under arrest, grabbing them. They broke free to everyone’s surprise and ran off up Shoreditch High street, with undercovers in hot pursuit. Dougie doesn’t know what happened after this. So undercover police drink at the Dragon bar, ouch.
While the term “undercover” is probably being misused in this case (they could simply be off-duty cops, or plain clothes officers), it’s certainly worth knowing that police are drinking in these venues and are happy to give chase if they spot someone doing a cheeky hollow throwie.
Is sitting in pubs waiting for graff writers to pass though part of a strategy by the BTP or the Met? Probably not. Perhaps this particular writer just got unlucky in bumping into these two. Who knows.
Just remember – loose lips sink ships and you never know who is watching! Be safe out there, kids.
