UK Indymedia | Occupation against Hackney's gentrification

Occupation against Hackney's gentrification

IMCista London | 08.12.2005 23:01 | Free Spaces | London

A cafe in Hackney's Broadway Market has become the site of a community struggle against gentrification [see campaign website]. A public meeting is announced for 16 Jan.

Update 9 jan:Possible eviction on 10 Jan, 6am

On 5th December, members of the community occupied the cafe in time to prevent demolition. Evicted on 21 December, the cafe was demolished, then reoccupied on boxing day. Papers have been served on the occupiers, who were due in court on Friday 9th December. They are receiving support from local people and welcome visitors. Another eviction is expected any time.

The leaseholder of Francesca's Cafe at no.34 was evicted from his premises in the summer, and the building was sold to Market House Ltd., a property development company owned by Dr. Roger Wratten, who has also acquired other properties in the Market which he intends to turn into flats. Dr. Wratten was able to snap up the properties at bargain prices, despite the fact that leaseholders of several properties, including Francesca's, had been trying to buy the freeholds for years.

The sell-off resulted after sustained financial irregularities by Hackney Council, and the Estate Agents appointed to handle the sale are believed to have sold of £225m worth of properties for a mere £70m, thus increasing the burden on council-tax payers in the Borough who will be forced to pick up the debts created through the council's ineptitude. The people of Hackney have already suffered closure of amenities, privatisation of services and demolition of schools. Property values in the Borough are expected to rocket as developers clamour for sites to accommodate the Olympics in 2012.

5 Jan 06 Still there, asking for people to come down. Public Meeting 16 Jan.
3 Jan 06 Another eviction imminent
1 Jan 06 Broadway Market occupation continues
21 Dec 05 Broadway Market Cafe has been evicted. Instead of a cafe night, a show of protest took place.
7 Dec 05 G2 article: Market Forces
1 Dec 05 Libcom coverage
30 Nov 05Statement from Occupiers of Hackney Cafe
28 Nov 05 Occupation in Hackney Broadway Market | Demolition workers repelled | Photos
21 Jul 05 Blog: Hackney Gets Ripped Off - Again

IMCista London

Additions

Latest Update from the Occupiers - 21st December

21.12.2005 23:39

Here's the latest update from the cafe occupation explaining some of what went down today and plans for continuing the fight now eviction has taken place.
Check out the website for background and updates etc:

http://34broadwaymarket.omweb.org
Thanks!
B

UPDATE – OCCUPATION OF 34 BROADWAY MARKET. IT'S NOT OVER!!!

For the past few weeks we have been occupying 34 Broadway Market in protest against the council and developer's disgusting treatment of local people and the rampant gentrification of the area.

This morning, Sheriffs and police broke into Tony’s Café without notice and threw us out. Developer Roger Wratten's men immediately began demolition of the building. Within an hour the cafe was smashed up and rendered uninhabitable.

Today, Dr Wratten and Hackney Council have given us a taste of the type of “development” that they are offering Broadway Market: In minutes, Tony's cafe has been transformed from a focus for community, resistance and fun into a broken down, vandalised wreck.

It is disgraceful that the council let this destruction go ahead. Ignoring our pending legal appeal, Wratten's men were allowed to reduce half the café to rubble. Throughout this process basic safety procedures were ignored. One of the occupiers was injured during the eviction and passers by were endangered. The process was halted this afternoon by Health and Safety officials, but clearly Wratten doesn't care much about his new neighbours’ welfare.

WHAT NEXT?
Despite the eviction, we aren’t finished yet. There has been overwhelming support from local people for the occupation. Thank you again to everyone for keeping this going for nearly 4 weeks!

We intend to keep up the campaign. We will carry on pressuring Hackney Council to reverse the original decision by which Dr Wratten came to be owner of 34 Broadway Market. The council may have let Wratten get away with demolishing the place, but if they can no longer give Tony his cafe back, then we demand that they give him the land it stands on.

Other people on Broadway Market are still under threat from the developers: Spirit (of Nutritious Food Gallery) must not be put through the same brutal process that we have seen here today. We demand that his shop is returned to him now before any more damage is done.

Up in Dalston the ruthless demolition of buildings to make way for more yuppie flats is going on right now, giving the lie to the council’s claims that dubious sell-offs and unaffordable developments are a thing of the past. We demand that the council puts a stop to this development immediately.

Finally, we offer our support to everyone involved in resisting this ongoing landgrab.

HELP US TAKE THIS FURTHER
Although we are no longer in the cafe, there is plenty still to fight for. In the name of 'regeneration' this area has endured sell offs and corruption, public housing replaced by yuppie flats, vital services shut down or privatised. In the end, what happened with Tony's cafe is not so much the exception as the rule.

Until the council starts taking the wider community's interests into account, we will go on pushing for the rights of the majority against the interests of big business. The strong and diverse support for the occupation of Tony's cafe was just the tip of the iceberg. We are all sick of the council and government's contemptuous treatment of the people of Hackney.

This isn't the end, it's just the beginning. Get in touch and let's see what we can do to take this further.

To show support, help out, or get more information please contact us.
Email:

acsadvice@yahoo.co.uk Phone: 07939 333465.

ben
Homepage: http://34broadwaymarket.omweb.org

occupied again!!

26.12.2005 14:20

As of this morning the building is RE-occupied. We have spent the morning clearing rubble left behind by Wratten's men. We are also building the roof that they destroyed. We need help and support. Especially if you have building skills to help woth the roof building.
Also come and support the actual occupation (i.e. please come and take shifts).

We're going to celebrate resilience and resistance tomorrow Tuesday 27th at 1pm. Come round!

we shall not be moved

CAFE RE-OCCUPIED AS OF 27TH DEC – COME AND HELP OUT!!!

29.12.2005 18:15

URGENT:WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
We have reclaimed (and rebuilt!) Tony's cafe after we were evicted last week, but to keep the occupation going we urgently need people to come down and help out: we need people to help occupy the place, tables, bedding, food and gas heaters.
Please forward this on to everyone you know:

http://34broadwaymarket.omweb.org

More details:

COME AND DO A SHIFT IN THE CAFE
To prevent re-eviction we need people to keep the place full at all times. If you can come down during the day or night for a few hours, let us know. If you are not working this week we particularly need people to stay overnight or come along in the early morning. Drop by the cafe or contact us on 07939 333 465 or 07949 239 415 and let us know what you can do.

TABLES, BEDDING, FOOD, GAS HEATERS
If you have any of the following to lend or give away we would be delighted to come and pick them up for the cafe:
Bedding – sleeping bags, blankets, duvets, mattresses, sleeping mats, futons etc.
Tables – dining tables or cafe type tables.
Food - whatever you can spare would be great!

Bring them to the cafe, or we can come and collect. Contact: 07939 333 465 or 07940 814 170 or drop by the cafe.

UNWANTED CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
We need entertainment! TVs, chocolates, videos, music (and musical instruments) – all very welcome. We will be resuming film screenings and kids movies in the afternoon soon so watch this space!

THIS WEEK'S NEWS IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

34 BROADWAY MARKET RE-OCCUPIED
On December 21st the occupation in defence of Tony's Cafe at 34 Broadway Market was evicted. Developer Dr Wratten's henchmen smashed half the place down. On Boxing Day morning, a new group of supporters of the campaign managed to enter and re-occupy the cafe.

We have now undertaken an ambitious reconstruction scheme and are rebuilding the cafe almost as fast the wreckers smashed it down. (We plan not one but two floors – but no exclusive penthouse apartments or concierge on this development!).

We still have lots of work to do, so if you have building skills or just would like to help out, we'd be glad to see you. We urgently need more bedding, food, heat, and other provisions. Anything you got for christmas and don't want would be gratefully received. Please come down if you would like to help out keeping the place occupied.

As promised, we are going to go on fighting for Tony to get his cafe back and to defend Spirit's shop. The fact that new people were willing to come forward and carry on this community occupation shows how strongly many in this area feel about the sell off of Tony's and Spirit's places.

For more information on why we occupied the cafe and what we are trying to achieve, please see the News updates section of our website.

http://34broadwaymarket.omweb.org

Please sign up to our mailing list and pass this news on to everyone you know – we need your help to keep this thing going! Thanks to everyone for their support so far.

Mailing list:

resist_gentrification@lists.riseupnet.net

ben
mail e-mail: fredericmoreau1@yahoo.com