On Monday, 27 September, Lambeth Council's out-sourced housing management
"Lambeth Living", brutally evicted the house in Mayall Road, Brixton, which
was squatted for the last 1 1/2 years.

Some Background

Located just around the corner from the former 121 social centre (which
was evicted by Lambeth Council 10 years ago) the Mayall Road squat, beside
housing, served as small community cinema, and a space to host events from
neighbourhood meetings to poetry nights.

The house had been empty for years, after the council "decanted" the last
council tenant under the false promise that they would refurbish the house.
Instead they spend money on security companies to "secure" the house and
let it fall derelict. After an offcial request last year it was revealed that Lambeth
Living "had no plans to use the house" and it was managed by its "long term void"
management team.

The Mayall Road squat gained attention even in the mainstream press in spring 2010,
when, shortly after Lambeth Living had announced that they want to evict the place,
local residents petitioned to let the people stay. Neighbours from 40 houses in the road
alone signed the petition.

When Teodoro De Carvalho, Lambeth Living's housing officer for the premises, received
the petition he stated "that he does not know the property and he would not care
about petitions". he also proposed that the residents should move to a hostel. Instead of
responding to any of the requests to sit down and talk to find a solution for the house,
Lambeth Living also stated to the press that they were having a "zero tolerance" strategy
towards squatters and would proceed with the eviction plans.

Several eviction attempts

A first eviction attempt failed end of July 2010, when neighbours and friends protested
outside the house at the announced eviction date.

Last Monday early morning, police and bailiffs were again confronted with people
protesting outside and were unable to get through despite brutal attempts to remove
people and clear the road. Two people got arrested during this attempt, several were beaten
by the police. For several hours, Mayall Road was filled with police vans, while neighbours
tried to convince the only council representative who turned up (who titled himself
an "eviction officer") to stop the eviction. After about two hours, both police and bailiffs
withdraw.

Only a few hours later they returned in what can only be described as a concerted action
of police, court bailiffs and security. About 40 police officers sealed off the road
clearing the space for 10 or more bailiffs, trying to batter the entrance with rams,
jigsaws and angle grinders for almost an hour. Finally the managed to storm the house, randomly
smashing the furniture and other belongings they found to the walls.

After the last occupier had been removed, the security company "secured the house" with
steel boards, hereby willingly smashing the front windows (they didnt even bother to open them).
Questioned by neighbours the security company claimed that that they were told to smash
installations and toilets in the property to render the house uninhabitable for future
squatters.

Zero-tolerance for housing?

Currently about 1000(!) units managed by Lambeth Living are sitting empty, while more and
more people are unable to pay their rents and getting evicted. Lambeth Living, which is run
in the style of a company, does not care about housing, they care about business results,
which means that there is no chance for old properties to be used. Those properties either
get sold to the private market or fell derelict.

But the eviction from Monday does not only show Lambeth Living's approach to housing, it also shows their ignorance towards the local community where it does not fit into a business model.

more fotos: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/5610