Dairy Social Centre Raided: Pics + Report
outraged of north london | 12.04.2002 13:23
Pics and report from the police raid on the Radical Dairy social centre this morning - Friday 12th April 2002
(The first 3 pics were taken after the police left as people remained determined to keep the centre open.)
(The first 3 pics were taken after the police left as people remained determined to keep the centre open.)
Dairy Social Centre Raided: Pics + Report
At about 8am this morning, around 7 police vehicles with approx 30-40 police, many in riot gear at the Radical Dairy Social Centre in Stoke Newington, North London. Officers from several police stations and different units were present including Scotland Yard, Transport Police, and a Public Order division.
The police raided the social centre on the pretext of suspicion of drugs and suspicion that electricity was being 'illegally abstracted'. They blocked off the street to other traffic, and threatened to smash the door down as people were already unlocking it. They then spent over an hour searching and filming inside the building. A clear printed notice on the door explained that people had been in contact with London Electricity explaining their full intention to pay any bills and that the process of setting up an account was underway. Despite this they still cut the wires to the electricity meter.
No arrests for drugs were made. However they took two computers from the building without providing a receipt for the property, and those carrying away the equipment refused to answer questions of why the computers were being seized or under what legislation.
The senior police officer on the scene, Detective Superintendent Randall of Scotland Yard, said that the computers were seized to try and secure proof ("an audit trail") that electricity was being used. "If we can show who has been abstracting electricity then we will have a prosecution" he said.
A supporter of the social centre said: "This is a clear police intelligence operation to seize computer equipment under the pretext of some spurious rubbish about electricity use. It's another part of a much wider level of harassment being carried out every day".
A local resident, one of many who came out of their houses to offer support to the social centre, said: "I am absolutely appalled by the police action, there's no excuse for it, it's political policing and nothing else".
"These several officers have made it clear to me that this is about Mayday and nothing else to prevent people from exercising their right to free association, it's disgusting."
"It's fairly obvious this is about stopping people's right to protest, it's an openly political raid nothing else, it's scary to see this happening in your own neighbourhood."
Another nearby resident said: "This place, the people here have been nothing but good for the local community. This place was empty for three years, that's bad for everybody, it was unsafe, it was unhealthy. It is now clean, occupied, safe, it's used for socially constructive purposes, we all know who is here and how to get hold of them, you know, there hasn't been a squeak of a complaint from the community, and yet we just had four police vans armed with the most latest technology down and spending hour harassing these people when they don't even respond to a wide variety of other problems we have here, it's stomach churning."
After the raid many local people were stopping by offering support and asking if they could help in any way, a strong sign of the popularity of the Radical Dairy in the local community. The Dairy has been providing workshops for local children and raising awareness of the bankrupt Hackney Council sell off of community properties like schools and advice centres.
A statement will be issued later from the Radical Dairy.
A notice placed in the window of the centre after the police had left read:
"Thankyou for all your support this morning. For those who don't already know the police came to 'visit' us again today. They have taken our computers and the electricity was cut off. However we want to STAY!"
"We now need donations of gas lamps, tilly lamps, car batteries, gas bottle heaters etc - oh yeah and wind turbines and solar panels! :-)"
(see other report at
http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=27579&group=webcast ) The Radical Dairy is at: 47 Kynaston Road,
Stoke Newington, London N16.
Phone 020 7249 6996
outraged of north london
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
WE ARE STAYING!
12.04.2002 15:55
come to open meeting tonight 6.30pm followed by yummy caff and acoustic music!
After days of varied police presence outside the Stoke Newington social centre, police arrived this morning on the pretense of looking for drugs. After searching everyone and coming up empty handed they went for what they were really after - the computer hard drives. The accompanying people from the electric board cut off the electric supply. Loads of neighbours came out in support of the social centre, as they have on previous police visits, and many have already offered help.
We have now put a sign up outside the dairy:
"Thankyou for all of your support this morning. For those who don't lready know, the police came to visit us again today. They have taken our computers and te electricity was cut off.
However...
WE WANT TO STAY!
We will have an open meeting this evening at 6.30pm and all are welcome.
We now need donations of gas lamps, tilly lamps, car batteries, gas bottle heaterss etc, (oh yeah and solar panels and wind turbines would be great too!)"
The meeting will be followed by the usual Friday night acoustic caff!
we hope that some of you can make it!
it would also be great to get hold of someone to do a workshop for making coal burners out of gas bottles so that we can keep warm while and learn new skills.
Please get in touch with support and ideas for ways to go from strength to strength with this wonderful place.
You can call the Radical Dairy on: 0207 249 6996.
or pop by 47 Kynaston Road, N16
==============================
here is an article that we just wrote for the HN4S newsletter though it is now a little out of date! Though we hope that all evnts can go ahead as planned - well maybe not the internet for a while...
RADICAL DAIRY
As well as the windows playing host to the Hackney NOT 4 Sale spoof estate agents and other local campaign information, this wonderful social centre has been providing the community with free yoga lessons, english language teaching, internet, library, singing classes and massage treatment for three months now. They have also been running DJ workshops with local children and have regular cafés offering good-value healthy food. It is an inspiring example of a positive alternative as well as a practical response from a community under attack.
Early last Friday evening a van full of police turned up outside the Radical Dairy on the pretence that they had broken down and were waiting for a repair vechicle to arrive! They then proceeded to stand around outside and take photographs and generally intimidate everyone arriving for the weekly acoustic benefit café. A call was then put out to people who have left contact details and over 60 people arrived to support the centre and once inside enjoyed good food and music into the early hours.
The local community on Kynaston Road and surrounding streets have been very supportive of the Social Centre and many were amazed by the police behaviour. They knew that if there was any crime being committed the police would not have hesitated to come into the building instead of simply choosing to intimidate people outside.
People believe that the police were there because the Dairy was hosting a benefit café for another new social centre that night and it is very likely that it is the very politics behind these social centres that attract the attention of the police. The most amazing thing though is the fact that so much time and money was wasted with over half a dozen police sitting around all night in a quiet side street on a Friday night when so much serious street crime is being committed around the streets of Hackney.
Why not come along and see for yourself just what is happening in the Dairy that worries the police so much. Similarly if you are interested in offering workshops, in need of meeting space for local campaigns, or would just like to use the free internet or have a cuppa, then please pop by The Radical Dairy, 47 Kynaston Road, Stoke Newington, London N16.
Events: Saturday 20th April 12-6pm -The Radical Dairy is having an alternative health/healing day. With the general theme of self-empowerment we are offering: Yoga, Herbs, Shiatsu, Aromatherapy, Tai-Chi, Swedish Massage, Discussion, Stalls, Food...
Friday Nights it's open acoustic music Downstairs @the 'Dairy from 10-ish. Bring things!
Saturday Nights is plugged-in resident DJs and local kids crews playing hip-hop, reggae, dub, madchester, and other funky monkey punky skunky stuff...Downstairs @the 'Dairy.
Every other Tuesday Night it's Radical Drama from 7-8...with Barny's Dad!
Tel: 020 7249 6996 Email:
DairyMaid
Folk art proposal
13.04.2002 09:00
PCs connected by wires, bike chains, pieces of string
among which the live computers can hide. Many of the
boxes are decorated and contain heavy rocks, pots
of ink and pet hamsters, among other junk that will
cause chaos when taken apart.
Title of the piece: The People Network.
goatchurch
I don't understand
18.04.2002 22:57
Lou
Italy=Uk?
20.04.2002 11:33
The feeling is like they're afraid of free comunication and media activism.
So I just want to let know to the bro and sis of social diary that they are not alone.
The Mayday will be fun all over Europe and the world against the corporate globalisation.
United we stand, divided we fall
viva Social Diary viva Mayday
Mr Tamburino
Homepage:
www.31feb.org
bollox
21.04.2002 14:19
Stokey Police wernt half so keen to *visit* when somone kicked in the door of our rented house share in Kersley Rd. and stole a lap top.
Rich
e-mail:
ihateplasticcups@yahoo.com