East London Squat Fire
m o | 04.12.2005 17:11 | Free Spaces | London
This afternoon at around 4pm around 3 or 4 fireengines, police and an ambulance were in attendance at a fire in an east London squat...
It is not known, who, if anyone, was inside the building although it is rumoured that there have been people living there. The squat had had most of it's windows smashed a few months ago when it was evicted. Around 50 people were made homeless and the building trashed to prevent further squatting. Nether-the-less it appeats that people did move back in and perhaps were tempted to improvise some kind of burner to heat the trashed building.
Ironically the building, 52 Commerical Rd, stands next to a complete gutted shell of a previous squat that burned down just over two years ago. Apparently the building is owned by the same person that owns the building that has just had it's own fire. Inbetween the two buildings is a yard in which a few people are living in vehicles.
Ironically the building, 52 Commerical Rd, stands next to a complete gutted shell of a previous squat that burned down just over two years ago. Apparently the building is owned by the same person that owns the building that has just had it's own fire. Inbetween the two buildings is a yard in which a few people are living in vehicles.
m o
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Property Speculators are scum
04.12.2005 18:23
Property developers have been known to let buildings fall into dangerous disrepair so that they have to be knocked down for safety reasons - then they can build their office blocks without the problems associated with being listed. Quite a few Warehouses along the Thames mysteriously caught fire freeing up space for Dockland development. It's odd though - bas quite often the older buildings were more attractive ( e.g ultra expensive loft conversions)and developers can shoot themselves in the foot. Also the added bonus of rendering a building uninhabitable hekps to keep the ammount of available property down andmarket prices up
( as does buying up land and sitting on it - a tactic that even Prescott has criticised ) .the other reason is because of power and autonomy:-hence Livingstone's GLC policy of smashing places up and pouring concrete down the toilets to prevent the homeless and the working class organising themselves into communities such as they did with Tolmers village in Euston ( now a fairly dismal looking flats and pub debvelopment).
Mind you - holiday cottgaes ,investments in Estonia, investments in hotels,owning several properties, charging extorniate rent, the town planners, social housing pimps, William the Conqueror, and the monarchy all have their share of the blame.
sarah beeny
have photos of squat, have painted crack room
02.01.2006 22:49
graffiti artist, also who drew black pen drawings on top floor of building,
what was the interview room used for, know it was indiemedia, well think.
am drawing whole building and eventually will paint it again as first time not happy with it, also who owns the property, when it was built, have slide photos of devastation inside, have a nice day all the best john
john young
e-mail:
westwoodtrendies2004@yahoo.co.uk