Cottage of Content Occupation Comes to a Close
Jack Writer | 17.09.2006 18:13 | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | Birmingham
On Friday 15th September 2006 the occupation of the Cottage of Content social centre in Sparkbrook came to a close.
The occupation was started on the 9th of July 2006 by a local collective intent on securing the community resource from auction proposed by Birmingham City Council. The occupation lasted 69 days.
At approximately 7:45am high court bailiffs and a Council official who initially refused to identify himself forcibly evicted the occupiers of 147 Kyrwicks Lane, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.
Bailiffs encountered barricades and passive resistance which halted the eviction for one hour. Local people gathered together opposite the neglected community centre to offer verbal support and witness the forceful eviction.
One onlooker, Mrs D, commented: "There was no need for the force used to evict these people, do they do this kind of thing to families? What if that poor guy had been a pregnant women, would they have done the same? Shame on them!"
Local communities supported the occupation – which sought to restore the neglected community space back to community use. Local people were involved in public meetings and discussions about the future of the Cottage, expressing a common desire for the council to rethink its intentions of selling the property off.
However on the 7th September 2006, Birmingham City Council won a possession order from Judge Savage regarding the Cottage of Content.
On Friday morning, bailiffs tried to persuade the occupiers to leave, who refused and made clear their intentions of resisting the eviction. Following this, bailiffs called the police who are said to have refused to identify themselves. Police officers claimed that a reporter from Indymedia was disturbing the peace.
The bailiffs finally entered the property by taking the front door off its hinges with a crowbar. Another bailiff damaged a wooden fence repaired by the occupiers as part of their restoration of the building.
Entry to the building was met by passive resistance, with those involved linking arms and legs. One bailiff was taken away in an ambulance for straining his lower back, and several members of the resistance also sustained injuries, one being taken to casualty.
At approximately 7:45am high court bailiffs and a Council official who initially refused to identify himself forcibly evicted the occupiers of 147 Kyrwicks Lane, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.
Bailiffs encountered barricades and passive resistance which halted the eviction for one hour. Local people gathered together opposite the neglected community centre to offer verbal support and witness the forceful eviction.
One onlooker, Mrs D, commented: "There was no need for the force used to evict these people, do they do this kind of thing to families? What if that poor guy had been a pregnant women, would they have done the same? Shame on them!"
Local communities supported the occupation – which sought to restore the neglected community space back to community use. Local people were involved in public meetings and discussions about the future of the Cottage, expressing a common desire for the council to rethink its intentions of selling the property off.
However on the 7th September 2006, Birmingham City Council won a possession order from Judge Savage regarding the Cottage of Content.
On Friday morning, bailiffs tried to persuade the occupiers to leave, who refused and made clear their intentions of resisting the eviction. Following this, bailiffs called the police who are said to have refused to identify themselves. Police officers claimed that a reporter from Indymedia was disturbing the peace.
The bailiffs finally entered the property by taking the front door off its hinges with a crowbar. Another bailiff damaged a wooden fence repaired by the occupiers as part of their restoration of the building.
Entry to the building was met by passive resistance, with those involved linking arms and legs. One bailiff was taken away in an ambulance for straining his lower back, and several members of the resistance also sustained injuries, one being taken to casualty.
Jack Writer
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jack-writer@hotmail.co.uk
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Spot the difference...
17.09.2006 20:52
Jack Reader
yimach shemo vezichono - may the memory of mahmoud abbas be erased
17.09.2006 23:35
apart from blowing up trains, buses, planes, yousrselves, buildings, murdering children, women, Jews and Christians (referred to as "infidels"); destroying the world trade centre and most unemployed/unemployable people is there anything that the muslims have done to contribute uesfully to society?
Only the muslims justify such disgusting acts of murder and terrorism for their false religion the worship of the pagan g-d allat; where the arabic allah comes from.
Let us destroy this pagan religion, the religion which causes all the problems in the world, from poverty to terrorism, the only religion which justifies murder, rape, suicide because “we are occupied” and “being mistreated because of “islamophobia””
More importantly, if you can think of something that the arabs and muslim arabs have contributed to the world I would please like to know. Don’t say the oil that the filthy arabs sit on because they are too fucking stupid to work out how to refine it; they’re too busy raping their wives and eating lambs they murdered the night before. It was the Americans and yes, the arabs hate to admit, the Jews who created fractional distillation of oil into naptha, kerosine and oil and implemented the factories and refineries in the muslim arab nazi terrorist pig countries. In fact, as Yasser Arafat said “ I am proud for my one true invention. The creation of plane hijackings”. Arabs also have a wonderful mind for blowing up all sorts of transport BUT they also invented sucidie bombing – ingenious! They are sooo clever are’nt they! “It’s because of EEZ—RAAA-ELLL and OOOLLLAH will deal will them” “diii ammmericaaans are infeeedells!!!” as the arabs so often say in the pitiful stupid minds.
PALESTINE HAS NEVER, WILL NEVER EXIST. ISRAEL WILL BE FREE FROM THE RIVER AND TO THE SEA AND AS OVER 6 MAJOR WARS WITH MORE THAN ONE MUSLIM ARAB NAZI TERRORIST ARMY HAS SHOWN, THE JEWS ARE ABLE TO FIGHT THE MUSLIM ENEMY AND DESTROY THE MUSLIM HOPE OF DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWS. ISRAEL WILL BE FREE FROM THE RIVER AND TO THE SEA; DESPITE THE PATHETIC MUSLIMS AND COMMUNISTS WHO THINK OTHERWISE. EVERY WAR, EVERY VICTORY, EVERY INCH OF ISRAELI LAND IS FOR THE JEWS.
AND HENCE NO, THERE IS NO “VICTORY TO THE INITFADA” AS EVERY INTIFADA HAS BEEN CRUSHED. WHETHER IT MEANS BUILDING A WALL OR CRUSHING THEIR PATHETIC CLAY HOMES WE ALWAYS WIN. UNFORTUNATELY THE LEFTIST EHUD SMOLMERT DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH TO WIPE THE MUSLIM FILTHY ENEMY OFF THIS PLANET.
SO LETS FACE IT – THESE DISGUSTING PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN THAT WE WANT DEMOCRACY, WE REJECT ISLAM, THE TERRORIST, MURDERING RELIGION.
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PROPHET MOHAMMED WAS A CUNT
18.09.2006 00:51
hunai
...
19.09.2006 08:32
....and what?
JW
Jack Writer
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