Modern technology played a part in organizing the recent series of London riots, with Blackberries and Twitter used by riot instigators, with hacks threatened against RIM if they give out customer information to law enforcement. However, those same forces are being used to unite clean up efforts by the local community.

“After everything that happened last night, it’s good to see people can come together for something other than looting,” said resident Jina Creighton.

Clean up efforts have been has been improvised but enthusiastic. People read about the effort on twitter and have been showing up by the dozens.

“The police are stretched to the limit, so it’s down to them doing what they can and the people helping out,” said Alex May, a 32-year-old software engineer and clean up volunteer. “But the problem is that the riots happened in the first place. It’s something that has to be dealt with in the longer term.”

Twenty-one-year-old bartender Charles Jupiter set up a “Liverpool Clean Up” Facebook page put 100 volunteers onto the streets Tuesday morning. I thought, ‘Not in my city’,” Jupiter said. “People were posting, ‘I’m embarrassed to be English, I’m embarrassed to be from London or Liverpool.’ I reposted and said, ‘I’m not. That’s why I’m going out there to help clean up.'”

Most of the volunteers vowed to return to help with the clean up if the riots erupt again.

Source: AP {link no longer active}