Papering Over The Krays

Today's image was taken at the same location where I had previously captured a depiction of Winston Churchill (see previous blip 26/06/2024) at an empty house of a notorious local landlord well known for treating his tenants with contempt and failing to keep up with the maintenance of his myriad properties - he'd eventually been served with a notice by the local council to stop this particular residence collapsing on to an adjacent busy road. Subsequently the windows of this abandoned property were 'adorned' with images of Churchill, a fox hunting scene and The Krays!
The Krays -  identical twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie, born in the Haggerston area of London - were prominent English gangsters from the late 1950's until their arrest in 1968.
Their gang, known as the Firm, was based in Bethnal Green, where the twins lived and were involved in murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets, gambling and assaults who at their peek in the 1960's gained a certain measure of celebrity status by mixing with prominent members of London society, being photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on television.
Promoting so-called "gangster chic" (discreet, dark double breasted suits with tight-knotted ties and shoulder-padded overcoats combined with garish jewellery such as large gold rings, gold bracelet watches and diamond cufflinks) part of their new found celebrity status was due to the widespread perception that they were men who had risen out of poverty to positions of great wealth and power due to their own efforts - with them being viewed as "Robin Hood" type criminals whose crimes were seen as 'acceptable' - a peverse example of what some saw as a "meritocracy" that was to replace the traditional class system.
I really like the fact someone has taken exception, by papering over it, to what is a depiction of hardened and violent criminals who should not in any way be glorified or glamourised (they were widely seen at the time as folk heroes supposedly standing up to a corrupt Establishment).