PROTEST THE EVICTION OF ST. AGNES PLACE
at LAMBETH COUNCIL'S HOUSING COMITTEE MEETING
LAMBETH TOWN HALL, ACRE LANE, BRIXTON
MONDAY 5 DECEMBER 2005, 7PM SHARP
St, Agnes Place, the last squatted street in South London, occupied
for 30 years, was evicted by Lambeth Council, with the help of several
hundred police, on Tuesday 29th November. This long-standing community
in a
street of victorian houses next to Kennington Park, is to be
demolished to make way for modern housing - supposedly mostly social
housing, although this remains to be seen.
The cops turned up at 10 am and smashed their way into most of the
houses.
Supporters gasthered outside the huge cordon, but little could be done.
By
mid afternoon there were still three houses resisting the eviction, as
residents and supporters pledged to hold for as long as they could. But
later in the evening, reports came in that the last resisting squatter
had
been removed from the remaining occupied house in an ambulance, as the
eviction was brutality completed. He was taken to hospital after he was
badly beaten on the head with truncheons.
Meanwhile 50 ex-residents and supporters picketed the town Hall in the
evening.
The Council justify their destruction of sound houses and a compact
community by saying the squatters cost them so many millions in unpaid
rent... But in 1977, the council would have knocked the lot down and
levelled the area if the squatters had not resisted the wrecking ball
and occupied the Town Hall. There would never have been any houses to
pay rent on!
We don't expect sense from Lambeth Council, whose long record is well
known: destruction of housing, persecution of squatters who make homes
out
of the flats and houses they abandon, and flogging off social
housing to developers in their ongoing campaign to gentrify as much of
the area as they can.
And if they care so much about the money, what
about the £3 million lost to the council through careless payment of a
contractor who took the money, did no work, and ran? A scandal in which
Councillor keith Fitchett is centrally involved, this is the man who
recently called St Agnes residents "parasites". Hi Pot, this is Kettle
calling.
The Housing Committee meets on Monday night. We think we'll pay them a
visit
to discuss their decision to destroy liveable houses and make
200 people homeless. We hope youll come and join us.
BRING BANNERS, PLACARDS, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, NOISE MAKING EQUIPMENT,
LOUD VOICES AND DEFINITELY ATTITUDE.
ST. AGNES PLACE LIVES ON IN OUR HEARTS
SOUTH LONDON STRESS
Councillor KEITH FITCHETT says the people of St Agnes Place are
"PARASITES",
Let him know how you feel
telephone: 020 7733 9681
fax: 020 7738 4436
