US: Homeless evictions in Saint Paul

Five encampments in St. Paul [Minnesota] are scheduled to be evicted in the coming weeks, two already have been. @STPCampsHub and local activists have organized an event to raise awareness of the states continued brutality.

When: January 3rd at 2pm
Where: 387 Marion St. St. Paul

Context:

In 1956, after failing to provide electricity, modern plumbing, or municipal services to the immigrant community of Swede Hollow, the City of St. Paul declared the Hollow a health hazard, forcibly evicted families, and burned the neighborhood down. On April 16th of this year, a St. Paul city worker neglected to check a tent before removing it with a utility vehicle, seriously injuring the woman inside. And on National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, the City of St. Paul displaced residents of the Kellogg encampment from their home and from each other.

This approach is in direct contradiction with CDC Guidelines, which state, in part: “[i]f individual housing options are not available, allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.” We contend that shelters wherein residents must share restrooms do not qualify as “individual housing options”, whereas hotel rooms do. If there are currently only 385 hotel rooms available, there are not enough “individual housing options” for every person living outside in St. Paul. And evicting an encampment with an active COVID-19 outbreak will only create further spread.
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Calais: Eviction at Grande-Synthe

8.45am [December 29] in Grande Synthe where an expulsion of refugees is taking place. Two identity checks, impossible to enter the forest where about twenty police entered. They are accompanied by cleaning crews, who tear up the tents to prevent their reuse.There are a lot more these day, the ground is soaked, spongy. One by one, the police destroy the tents where migrants are still sleeping. A Kurdish man hurries out, stuff in hand, heading into the forest. It’s raining, two degrees. Some go quickly, carrying on trolleys what they can save from the blows of the digger. Cops Police officers try to convince them to take the buses, without knowing themselves where these buses go. All the tents and tarpaulins are cut and torn, one by one. A young Kurd from Erbil, annoyed and laughing nervously, takes a pciture of his big orange tent being destroyed, “Oh no, man, don’t touch my house, no, no” “OH. I’m homeless now”.
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Zadar (Croatia): Nigdjezemska roof appeal

We invite you to support us in rebuilding the decayed roof of “Nigdjezemska” (“Nowhereland”),which despite our efforts and attempts continues to leak rain while destroying inventory and activities in the concert and performance space of “Nigdjezemska”. The socio-cultural center “Nigdjezemska”is a project of the civic initiative “Nigdjezemska” gathered around a former boiler room and canteen in the military complex Stjepan Radić in Zadar.

At the end of 2012,the initiative had renovated the dilapidated boiler room building with the intention of gathering in an autonomous socio-cultural scene to act and cooperate on the horizontal “Do It Yourself” principles of cooperation and solidarity, while striving for self-sustainability. Nigdjezemska has opened its doors and started the program in the spring of 2015 and began activities such as concerts, discussions and workshops, a free shop, a communal garden, and infoshop library, film screenings and the provision of space, human and technical support to individuals and associations in the field of cultural production.

In this context, we invite you to support us once again, this time in the renovation of the decayed roof of the building of “Nigdjezemska”ie the concert and performance space of “Nigdjezemska” which despite our efforts and attempts continues to leak rain and destroy inventory and activities in the space. After having seeked expert advice, we came to the conclusion that the most optimal solution is to re-raise and replace bitumen-tar strips and metal sheets along the edges of the roof, i.e. a partial restoration of the upper part of the roof.

Crowdfunding

South Africa: Fire at Cato Crest occupation in Durban

A fire that broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning has left more than 70 families without homes in our Marikana occupation in Cato Crest. Many people were not in their homes when the fire took place at around 5 a.m. today. Many are away in the rural areas with their families who they have not seen for a long time as a result of the lock down. These families will be coming back to ashes in what used to be their homes.

All the families were unable to take out their possessions or save their building materials. They lost everything. Most were away and others, who were at the occupation, could not save their possessions or building material because the fire was so strong. The situation is very difficult at the moment as many people have lost their jobs as a result of the Corona virus lockdown which had a devastating impact on the economy.

Apart from facing the economic decline, job losses and the pandemic we in the shacks are facing fires which leaves us destitute. This is because decent housing and services are not provided. These fires are taking place at a time when we are supposed to be with our families in the rural areas. To us happiness is a dream even at a time when people are in joyous times.
[Read More]

Hambacher Forest: Information on the arson attack against the vigil of the occupation

Right at the beginning, it should be pointed out that the brief information about the arson attack unfortunately has to rely, in terms of content, primarily on reports from the blogging service “Twitter”. A format unsuitable for serious reporting, which does not nearly meet the criteria for independent media. There, of course, the typical sneering social media comments and fatuous speculations about an alleged orchestration, open expressions of approval and references to the following “begging” for donations are not to be missed. It would make sense if at least the spectrum of activists and supporters who consider themselves anarchist, autonomous, anti-authoritarian, libertarian, or similar, would rely on their own information structures. Twitter cannot replace independent media work with reports in a structured form.

The police investigation is ongoing. The association “Buirer für Buir” has, according to its own statements, informed the executive that Molotov cocktails were discovered at the crime scene and is now hopeful that DNA traces may exist that will contribute to the investigation. The association points out that a vigil is an event in accordance with the right of assembly and that shedding light on the crime would therefore be socially relevant.
[Read More]

US: Over 40 Units At Port Of Tacoma Travelodge Occupied To Provide Emergency Housing

Tacoma Housing Now reports on an ongoing housing occupation that so far has housed over 40 people for over 4 days at the Port of Tacoma Travelodge. This situation is unfolding, so follow them on social media for updates.

We’re on day 4 of the hotel occupation and settling in for night 4! Negotiations with the hotel owner, city, and county start tomorrow, but we have 50-70 people ready to defend if needed. Housing activists from Tacoma Housing Now, Seattle (the Yellow House), and Olympia have coalesced into a broad Puget Sound coalition that will support housing actions in each other’s cities. Most of our medics on-site are veterans of the recent far-Right battles in Olympia that saw two antifascist protestors shot. We’re also in a chat with housing organizers from Philly, Ashland OR, Medford OR, El Sereno CA, and Los Angeles trading tactics and media tips — the national movement is growing.

[Read More]

London: Four squats evicted just before Xmas

Today [December 21] four separate squats were evicted in London. One being the mutual aid community free shop [pictured] in Harringay that was very close to our hearts. They illegally evicted us, as they didn’t tell us we had court on 17 December.

Many people have been made homeless today due to parasitic landlords. They’ve destroyed homes and communities. All befoere 9am.

Support your local squat. We’re working with other members of the crew to relocate and get running again but cannot guarantee when. We hope soon.

Kill bailiffs. Kill landlords. Kill cops.

Squat the world. We’ll squat the copshops. We’ll squat the bailiff HQs. We’ll squat your fucking holiday homes.

UK: Major case management hearing ahead of an upcoming High Court case on anti-Traveller wide injunctions

On Thursday 17th December 2020, a major case management hearing took place ahead of an upcoming High Court case on anti-Traveller wide injunctions, due to be held in January 2021.

Since 2015, councils have increasingly used injunctions to prevent Gypsies and Travellers from stopping on council-owned land. The majority of people who pull up on land in this way have nowhere else to go due to councils’ failure to identify land for sites and stopping places.

Despite this, anyone found to be breaking an anti-Traveller injunction faces criminal action. A landmark Court of Appeal ruling in the London Borough of Bromley V Persons Unknown and London Gypsies and Travellers case, denied Bromley Council’s injunction against “Persons Unknown” and set strict criteria for local authorities to meet before applying for these injunctions, such as providing transit sites.
[Read More]

Seattle: House squatted and evicted

Puget Sound Anarchists reports that activists from the Cal Anderson Community in Settle recently occupied a vacant building on December 16 and it was found empty by cops on December 18 when homeless people were again evicted from the park in a sweep which happens monthly.

Press release from December 16:
Activists from Cal Anderson Community occupy vacant building while facing sweep; demand a stop to sweeps and housing for all

Facing an eviction notice for 7:30 am Wednesday morning, dozens of housed and unhoused activists occupied a vacant house at 1006 East Denny, on the Northeast corner of Cal Anderson Park. At 3:30 pm Wednesday, these members of the community, which has formed over the past six months around Black Lives Matter and homeless advocacy, dropped a banner stating “Housing Is a Human Right!”
[Read More]

Manchester: Winter Shelter update

Well, time to check in with you all.

As you have probably gathered there is no shelter this winter. It became an impossible situation. We are continuing to distribute clothing etc to Outreach, and recently furniture and household goods to 1st Homer’s. Bless all involved and it’s been lovely to meet you. X

We kitted out the squat lot with fridge freezer, beds, bedding, pots, pans, plates, cups, food, dog beds and blankets, clothing, towels, toiletries, everything to give them a good start.

Hopefully they will remain safe from eviction for the winter. It was not possible to engage further with them. We hope they get the help they so obviously need.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ❤
Manchester Winter Shelter

Brighton: Using Space 15 about the squats of London Road

Using Space is a zine about squats, social centres and alternative ways of living

Recent (2020) squats in Brighton on the short stretch of London Road which goes from St. Peters Church up to Preston Circus led me to reflect on this area’s incredibly active radical history. To focus on just one element, let’s walk past the sites of former squats on London Road …

This is a 28 page zine which is presented A4 sized and can be easily printed brochure to make a A5 zine. Download here or at cobblebooks.

UK: Latest Rupture is out now

The latest edition of the long-running DIY culture zine RUPTURE is OUT NOW via online PDF format! Grab it Rupture_zine_2020_autumn or at Rupture

This issue features:
• LASIT terrorism unit editorial
• Nantes Bites Back – free party resistance in France
• A Rant From a Raver (who’s not going out much)
• Power in Plants collage zine pages by Heather Hughes
• Modern Witch Movement and Samhain piece by Morgasmik
• The Bread Bin short story by Lucy Hutson
• Squatting at 17 – anonymous writing
• ‘Dear readers’ – lockdown rant by Dr C Distortion
• Poetry by Jack Houston, Refstrolls and Laura Hughes
• Art by Arki Grynberg, CATWF, Joe Fur, Jess Hudsley and Olive in Dreamland
• Lockdown subvertising photos from Illustre Feccia

You can also check out the full archive at: https://rupturezine.org/
Send contributions for the next issue to: info [at] rupturezine [dot] org

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