Over the weekend one of the rampART collective caught friends of the neighboring squatters stealing the lead of the roof. Confronted, they justified their action by saying that the place was going to be evicted in a week anyway. Of course that's not actually true, there is no date yet for an eviction and who's is to say that an eviction attempt would succeed. It could have been months before the rampART was finally closed.
Now there is water pissing through the rampART bringing the ceiling down. Not just in the social centre but also the houses in the block as well, including the building used by a local accountant as his office. People personal possessions have been trashed and the buildings made almost uninhabitable for the sake of under one hundred pounds worths of lead.
The scum who did it might try to justify it by saying that it's the developers that pay but that's not really the case. The building are currently occupied and even when evicted they weren't going to be demolished. Now that water is pouring in the building would quickly fall into total disrepair and allow the owners to justify demolition which is what they'd really prefer to do.
So, for the sake of a quick buck, these parasites have basically hastened the end of the social centre and forced those living in the houses to move out ahead of threats from bailiffs. This incredibly anti-social behavior is sadly not untypical.
The St Bart's squat near All Saints DLR was originally squatted as a convergence centre for the Disarm DSEi mobilisation and then was used as a residential squat. Before the place was evicted almost two years later, all the copper and lead was removed and weighed in. The building, which was a council owned adult education centre, was left exposed to the weather and made total unsuitable for reuse when it was considered for the next DSEi convergence. Repairs would cost a fortune so the council will now never put it back into social use, they'll no doubt just let it rot for a few years and then sell it on as land for redevelopment.
thanks a bunch you thieving scum
The scum who did it might try to justify it by saying that it's the developers that pay but that's not really the case. The building are currently occupied and even when evicted they weren't going to be demolished. Now that water is pouring in the building would quickly fall into total disrepair and allow the owners to justify demolition which is what they'd really prefer to do.
So, for the sake of a quick buck, these parasites have basically hastened the end of the social centre and forced those living in the houses to move out ahead of threats from bailiffs. This incredibly anti-social behavior is sadly not untypical.
The St Bart's squat near All Saints DLR was originally squatted as a convergence centre for the Disarm DSEi mobilisation and then was used as a residential squat. Before the place was evicted almost two years later, all the copper and lead was removed and weighed in. The building, which was a council owned adult education centre, was left exposed to the weather and made total unsuitable for reuse when it was considered for the next DSEi convergence. Repairs would cost a fortune so the council will now never put it back into social use, they'll no doubt just let it rot for a few years and then sell it on as land for redevelopment.
thanks a bunch you thieving scum
Comments
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indentify these scum to the movement
10.03.2008 16:00
anarchist
...
10.03.2008 21:33
x
that DSEI convergence centre
11.03.2008 09:58
Kinda gives you an idea of the atmosphere at that place.
To the 'both sides' person, either these bastards stole the roofing whilst people were in the building or they didn't. Thats not a 2 sided thing. Nicking scrap out of a building that no one is in is fine, as is any kind of non personalised financial crime - capitalist property values are a crock of shit. The line is where it hurts other people - and in the case of Ramparts people who are helping others and giving something for free.
still bickers
Empty buildings aint' safe
11.03.2008 15:00
1) there was somebody in the social centre, and
2) you won't have lost the neighbouring flats, originally occupied by activists, to a bunch of crackheads.
Before you so loudly and angrily complain, think of your responsibilities too.
Mimi
not a crack head
11.03.2008 15:52
There is a long history of thefts and anti-social behavior emanating from some of the houses. In this particular case the thefts were carried out by the brother of one of the original residents who hasn't lived there for several years but somehow gained access via friends who live there now.
rampart resident
DSEi convergence (st matts squat)
11.03.2008 17:12
Unfortunately those who wanted to do this were too few in a large building with a yard and it was impossible to regulate who came and went, with the result that it did slip into drink, drugs and sometimes violence. Eventually driving out a lot of the people who wanted to look after the place.
I appreciate this debate is two sided. There is always a conflict in squatted spaces between what may be seen by some as middle class activisits and the more hardcore squatter / traveller types, and arguements over who has what rights to squatted space.
I think it is possible for these groups to work sucessfully together and at times in st matts they did, but unfortunately where drink and drugs take hold, places will go downhill.
bob
Reply to...
11.03.2008 18:28
It is a very true fact: where drink and drugs take over places go down. We probably need to put more effort into deal with those issues: can't ignore and hope for the best. We need to find effective ways to deal. And help the people who are into drink and heavy drugs, as far as we can. And also rise awareness/ provide good quality information to people. So they can have more control on what they are taking.
Drink/ drugs are often the result of social disadvantage, which is something we should take on board. I must apologise for using the word crackhead so lightly...some crackheads are not bad people but beware of your pipes, roofs and belongings!
Mimi
Middle Class vs Hardcore squatter types?
11.03.2008 19:32
In the case of St Matts is was between decent political activists and wife-beating, child abusing smack head crusties! We shouldn't tolerate scum like that, especially the way some of them at St Matts expose their children to violence against women, hard drugs and alcohol abuse. Don't get me wrong I have met on the whole some of the most decent human beings who are travellers, solid people but there are some scum who parasite off squats and end up using the situation for their own childish drug abuse.
Crack the crackhead heads
The real world
11.03.2008 21:11
Sure, people want scumbags caught but the police force was set up to protect shops and the rich and that's not really changed much. Funnily enough, most CCTV is placed in a commercial context, protecting shops etc rather than 'communities' (whatever they are). Likewise, you'd be hard pushed to find police on the beat protecting communities (even if that's what they'd like to be doing) but you'll find plenty of police available to protect the status quo and the interests of capital.
Another comment lays the responsibility of the theft on the victims, much like those who say women in short skirts are asking to be raped. The logic here is that the rampart was asking for it because it doesn't have 24 hour security and somehow allowed low life to move into the neighboring houses. Sadly, many (or perhaps all) of the stereotypes relating to squatters appear to be true and Rampart Street suffered more than it's fair share of nutters, thieves, druggies and brew crew.
The anarchist/autonomous movement is unable or unwilling to act as police or security and the people who stole the lead off the roof will probably go unpunished even if their identifies and whereabouts were published. Even if some action were taken against them, it wouldn't change the fact to some people think it's ok to trash perfectly good buildings for a few quids worth of scrap.
floyd
something similar in Nottingham
12.03.2008 11:54
Ripping out the copper water tank has damaged clothing and bedding for destitute seekers of asylum. The place has been trashed, and the two chamber cellar flooded with hundreds of gallons of water because they didnt turn the water off before ripping out the tank.
There is no need for me to repeat it all here. You can check it out if you want to. Needless to say, two and a half years work in this place, and a previous three years of work now has nowhere to continue to offer the service in the immediate short term. Currently Im not feeling an awful lot of solidarity around this, although there is some.
Just wanted to say that I am feeling really upset at the moment too and send my commiserations to you.
miriam
not nice
13.03.2008 13:38
why is it so hard for a bunch of people to sort it out and hold down running a building?
and why do people steal from or trash such great projects?
very disappointed
So who are they?
13.03.2008 14:51
When we can't even do that what do we say "we need cops". We just look like wankers.
(PS Crack and smack have devastated loads of working class communities as well as the traveller scene.)
Angry Joe
Who done it
14.03.2008 15:18
cludo
such a sad blow.
18.03.2008 15:56
The idiots who did this should be made to pay in some way. So they live in a red van in north London? Would it be possible to make them strip the thing down, sell parts of it for scrap... like they clearly did with the roof!! ... just a thought.
But want ever happens they must pay for there actions.
coal