It was nice to be around St Agnes place as it finnaly bit the dust after 30 years. I never lived there but was invited to a couple of times. It seemed like it was a very hard space to hold over the last couple of years with the good guys putting lots of invites out to cool people they met to try and balance the more "difficult" element. Bob Marley stayed there a year after it was first squatted in 1972. It was funny seeing the press release Lambeth council put out with artists impressions of the proposed new development.
The last frequently asked question: Why has it taken 30 years to do this?
The 200 or so Police had it pretty easy. Plenty of people had been told about the imminent eviction including me. We all thought, yeah heard that last year, and the year before. I was actually heading up the previous night but was stopped by the cold.
A couple of my friends who shall remain nameless woke up to see riot Police coming down the road, headed their drugs and barricaded the doors. A lot of familiar faces congregated over the day and although the harder Police were their usual selves on the inside, on the outside Police were negotiating the return of peoples belongings. The best picture I missed was a Policeman in full riot gear carrying a bass-tube.
My friends came out eventually. The Police had told them there was a gas leak and that if they didn't come out they would be removed by force if necessary. It turns out they weren't lying either. The guy over the road had pulled a gas pipe off the wall and was threatening to light it. I asked the Police if they needed someone to talk to him but they told me a friend was already doing so from outside. I saw lots of photographers I recognised from Finsbury park. There don't seem to be that many news photographers in London.
video via indymedia
article indymedia
telegraph,BBC,Gulf Times, Qatar,Livestyle extra,Guardian
There was a tiny protest outside Brixton town hall, but most of the ex-residents were out cracking squats to live in. I think everyone is OK.
St Agnes place website
1 comment:
I think Kimberley said their might be in some parts of Houston. I really want to come to Texas. I have more blogging friends from Texas than everywhere else. Send an email again and mark it so as I'll recognise it. Cheers.
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