Memphis (USA): Native squatter refuses to cooperate in court after mansion eviction

By: dolph-l - March 11th, 2013  Filed under: News

Abka Re Bey (aka Tabith Gentry) was arrested early Friday morning (8th March) outside of 600 S. Shady Grove Road in East Memphis, an empty mansion worth more than $3 million that sits on nearly four acres, that she and her family had squatted. She faces charges of aggravated burglary, criminal trespass and theft of property $6,000 or more and was in court Monday morning. Her bond was set at $2 million.

She took the building last week and drew a red flag with green star in the middle on a poster board, while erecting another sign claiming Moorish American National Republic rights and included statements “pertaining to sovereign citizen rhetoric and beliefs,” according to a police report. Moorish American’s are descendants of ancient Moabites in Africa and are the original inhabitants of North America who were enslaved by European colonists. [Read More]

Tags: , ,

UK: Is Mike Weatherley Dead Yet (a brief interview)

By: sisulscz - March 10th, 2013  Filed under: Interviews, News

Some stories enrage you because there shouldn’t have to be anything more to say: no National Debate or serious frowny faces on Question Time. The HIV-positive asylum seeker and her 10-month-old child who starved to death in a Westminster flat last March. The teenager who set himself on fire in a council office in December after they refused to find him a home.

And now there’s 35-year-old homeless man Daniel Gauntlett, who died of hypothermia in Aylesford last week on the porch of an empty bungalow that he could not enter without facing arrest and a criminal record.
[Read More]

Tags: ,

London: We have successfully occupied the Women’s Library

By: sisulscz - March 9th, 2013  Filed under: News

Seventy activists from feminist groups, Occupy, UK Uncut, Solidarity Federation and Disabled People Against Cuts have today occupied London’s historic Women’s Library in a daring bid to save it from closure.
In a secret action, a small group of women from the specially-formed Reclaim It! group led the take-over of the library in central London at 1.30pm. Within minutes they were joined by a larger crowd of protestors who had been led to the location by the organisers from two meeting points.
[Read More]

Tags: , , ,

Bristol (UK): Overnight rooftop protest averts eviction of Braggs Lane squat

By: dolph-l - March 7th, 2013  Filed under: News

The squat at Bragg’s Lane / West Street in Old Market, Bristol, was on the night of Monday 4th besieged by cops as part of an illegal aviction attempt. After an overnight rooftop protest and negoitation, possession was then regained by 6pm the following day.

See below the updates from ‘braggs lane rooftop climbing club’ from Tuesday 5th for more information on their inspiring eviction resistance:

1pm: thank you for the warm food an drinks, tent and blankets, we wouldn’t have made it through the night without them.
we’re still on roof, have had sporadic visits from police but they wont approach as they deem our position too dangerous.

first chance they get the police will arrest us, probably on suspicion of criminal damage. we have the building though and would like people to occupy it. [Read More]

Tags: , ,

Amsterdam (The Netherlands): March 2013 Joe’s Garage program

By: Hlulome - March 6th, 2013  Filed under: News

A deepening crisis, a social housing policy crushed, a constant precarisation of life and work, what a promising future. The masses aren’t dreaming any more. The glitter that has been fed to us by the government and the media won’t last for long.
We are not done with protesting and taking action. Knowing your rights and responsibilities when you are arrested is crucial. Joke Kaviaar will be tackling these issues during an info night. Throughout March, local activists and the many volunteers will take over Joe’s Garage to support various initiatives, SVZV (Support Group Women Without Papers), Riseup.net and Anarchists Against the Wall. Other local projects, LaRage, Roomtuintje Oostbos and Soweto will provide you a deeper insight on the neighbourhood. People eating, talking together, exchanging ideas, making projects, forgetting about the role models society is imposing…, all this and more is happening at Joe’s. [Read More]

Tags: , ,

UK: “The Case Against Section 144″ Press Release

By: Rosa - March 5th, 2013  Filed under: Press release

Press Release

For immediate release

Campaign to repeal new squatting law launched in Parliament

Entitled ‘The Case Against Section 144’, SQUASH (Squatters Action for Secure Homes) are launching a new report and campaign in Parliament today. The report’s findings suggest the major concerns regarding criminalisation that arose during the government’s consultation process have been proven right, with homeless and vulnerable people disproportionately affected. No arrests so far have been for squatters displacing anyone from their home, which does suggest that the Criminal Law Act 1977 was sufficient for dealing with squatters – as predicted by many legal experts.

[Read More]

Tags: , ,

Heavy Riots rocked Zurich, Switzerland. BINZ squat under eviction threat.

By: Rosa - March 4th, 2013  Filed under: News

Last night, as 2.500 – 4.000 people took the streets for a “Reclaim the Streets” parade in solidarity with the biggest squat of the city, BINZ, which exists since 2006 and shall be evicted in April! Colourful dressed and with several sound systems and even a car with a live punk band on it, the big crowd moved out of the Binz at 23:00, where only a hand full of police was waiting and totally surprised. Until 23:45 the parade was loud and joyful, pyrotechnics was fired and not a single house on the route towards downtown wasn’t sprayed with dozens of tags, stencils and graffitis. At 23:45, as the crowd reached Wiedikon Train Station, police started firing rubber bullets and tear gas, and with support of their water cannon vehicle, they tried to disperse the RTS.

[Read More]

Tags: , ,

Pittsburgh (USA): Solidarity Actions in Solidarity with St. Louis

By: Rosa - March 4th, 2013  Filed under: News

Apparently the evictions in St. Louis touched a nerve in Pittsburgh as several actions were reported to pghanarchy.tumblr.com:

NEW SQUAT OPENED
Hearing of the eviction notices in St. Louis, some anarchists decided to act in solidarity by opening a new squat in Pittsburgh. Somewhere in the hills we entered the house we have been casing out, tidied up a bit, and put new locks on the door. At least a few comrades plan on moving in soon.

[Read More]

Tags: , , ,

Amsterdam: Squatters Linux User Group opening up their hacklab project LAG in a new stable place

By: Rosa - March 3rd, 2013  Filed under: News

From : http://slug.squat.net

Ladies and gents,

After 6 months of renovation work we are proud to invite you all for the opening. The work is not over yet and a lot is only starting. Come by to hear what are our plans with the place,  have a drink, re-unite,  listen to some music and in general have fun. We start from 17:00.

[Read More]

Tags: ,

London (UK): S.O.L. lost in Court….PEOPLE’S KITCHEN (&…) AS USUAL !!!

By: Rosa - March 2nd, 2013  Filed under: News

Yet again, the law has served the interests of corporate business: The High Court issued an order of possession for Eileen House. It might result in bailiffs turning up anytime from today afternoon: we’ll have a legal update then.

But we insist: at a time when welfare and benefits are cut by the government, thousands of properties stand empty, and community and public spaces are sold off for private profit, squatting is more than legitimate!

[Read More]

Tags: , , ,

UK: Homeless Man Prevented From Squatting Dies

By: Rosa - March 1st, 2013  Filed under: News

We are gutted to bring the extremely sad news that media reports suggest that homeless man Daniel Gauntlett is the first known person to die because of the new squatting law brought in last September which criminalised squatting in residential properties.

There may be more people who have been affected in this way but he is the only person we know of for sure. He passed away last Saturday. The news comes exactly 6 months after the introduction of the new law.

[Read More]

Tags: ,

Fresno (USA) : Fresno has no Heart – Evicted and burned down on Valentine’s Day

By: Rosa - March 1st, 2013  Filed under: News

An eviction of a significant number of homeless people at a downtown encampment in Fresno was expected to take place on February 14th. According to residents of the homeless encampment, located near Monterey and E street, they were told by the owner of the property they are living on that they had until that day to “move on.” The owner of the lot was accompanied by several officers from the Fresno Police Department and a truck & crew from the Fire Department. One homeless man said that the owner of the property threatened to bulldoze the vacant lot and destroy everything. The landlord said to “get the fuck out of here.”

[Read More]

Tags: , ,