Watching London burn. That's something that my grandad, a Peckham boy, would never have expected to see again. Having worked with communities in Brixton and Kilburn with the Empty Shops Network, it's not something I'd ever expected to see. London's not that kind of place any more.

I'd spent the weekend at Adhocracy in Bethnal Green, an event all about standing up, taking control and building a DIY culture. After that, doing nothing wasn't an option. So I tweeted the most practical thing I could think of: let's get brooms, bin bags and a dustpan and brush. Let's start the clean-up ourselves.

This was late on Monday evening, and I was at home in Worthing. I still am. I haven't left the laptop for more than a few minutes, and the phone has been ringing without a break. I've been up most of the night, surfing a wave of London pride and helping people team up, find the resources and get on to the streets. It started with singer-songwriter Emmy The Great at 8.30am in Westbourne Grove. Musicians have been busy all day – Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape, set up the Twitter account @riotcleanup (70,000 followers last time I looked) and Kate Nash and the Kaiser Chiefs' lead singer, Ricky Wilson, have been on the streets of Clapham. Out there, right now, hundreds of people are waving brooms in the air. Boris Johnson has visited. Government ministers have phoned me to see how they can help. People have created websites, Facebook pages, their own small local groups.

The action has changed things. People have said they woke up this morning feeling fear, but they now feel optimistic. There's talk of reclaiming the streets from violence just by being there and talking. The broom, raised aloft, and cups of tea carried on riot shields have become today's iconic images. How British. How beautifully British. And how very, very London. People have even produced "Keep Calm and Clear Up" posters. It's a movement.