Participants from the Social Centre Plus created through Deptford.TV a 3 min. documentary about the eviction attempt, which was then published on indymedia.
Local residents who occupied the old Job Centre on Deptford High Street with the aim of “converting it into an anti-cuts space for the community” have responded to a legally binding eviction order for this Tuesday by announcing a series of events, culminating in a “mass meeting of anti-cuts activists” the night before. The collective – who go by the name of Social Centre Plus – also plan to bring the local community together against the government’s budget cuts, with spoken word concerts, children’s days, film showings and market day cafés.
Members of the Social Centre Plus collective were in Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday 30th March to hear the Judge accept the argument of Paul Jackson from Victory Land, the owners of the site on 122 Deptford High Street, and rubber-stamped an order that allows Jackson and bailiffs to forcefully evict the occupation. “They’ve notified us that they’ll arrive this Tuesday morning,” Nasser Khan said. “So we’ve got a raft of activities to keep us busy in the meantime, and we’re calling on the local community to come down and participate. It’s your space, so we want to hear your ideas!”
When asked what the SCP Collective had planned for after the eviction, Khan replied that they hadn’t discussed the issue. “What’s important now is that we all work together to use the space as an effective space to counter the brutal cuts being implemented both by the Tories and Lib Dems in Westminster, and the Labourites running Lewisham Council,” Khan continued.
On the morning of Tuesday 12th April, SOCIAL CENTRE PLUS successfully resisted an attempted eviction. Around 60 people gathered outside the space, linking arms and blocking the front door so as to prevent High Court bailiffs and builders – backed up by a vanload of police – from entering.
photo by Transpontine
The victory was achieved following an hour-long stand-off, during which the bailiffs – from Locks Bury Services – met with Paul Jackson, the site’s landlord, were spotted outside the Deptford Project, the café opposite Social Centre Plus, whose owner also wanted the space for a high society art exhibition. There they made a series of frantic phone calls in which they spelt out their reluctance to confront the occupiers inside the anti-cuts space, some of whom were positioned on the building’s roof.
Eventually the police informed the bailiffs that they had no intention of intervening, and recommended that they come back another day. Members of the local community remained outside SCP for most of the morning, savouring the success for South East London’s anti-cuts movement.
However, the SCP Collective is well aware of the continued threat to the space. A second eviction attempt must be expected, and this time Locks Bury will come unannounced, and with the necessary tools and thugs to remove the occupiers. Despite this, SCP remains committed to hosting and facilitating the local anti-cuts movement, even if they do have to move on from 122 Deptford High Street.
From the blog http://socialcentreplus.wordpress.com