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News :: International : Organizing |
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WhiteChapel’s Community Spaces |
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by Kassie Carlson, BAAM Newsletter |
05 Feb 2010
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Words and Photos by Kassie Carlson
Whitechapel is an incredibly progressive area of London home to countless radicals and open-minded individuals. Once the home of the infamous Jack the Ripper and anarcho-syndicalist writer Rudolf Rocker, Whitechapel is commonly known for its local bars and restaurants, but also as a central area for community-based activism. Some centers include the London Action Resource Center, an anarchist-publishing house called Freedom Press and a local Food Not Bombs. Whitechapel Anarchist Group circulates a free newsletter called W.A.G. that can be seen in the hands of locals and radicals alike. |
One autonomous space named rampART specifically caught my attention because of its longevity. The collective self-describes itself as being “one of a number of autonomous spaces around London providing a non-commercial venue for a wide range of groups and activities.” Currently there are about 100,000 homes empty in London, one of the richest cities in the world. Unlike most areas of the world, squatting isn’t illegal in England or Wales. Once someone other than the owner occupies a building, the occupiers will not be evicted as long as there has been no damage done to the building, they do not leave the building unattended and you agree to pay any relevant bills. The Advisory Service for Squatters (ASS) is a useful resource for rampART and many other autonomous spaces.
The rampART collective is an important part of the Whitechapel community. Events at the building are attended by the whole neighborhood instead of just a single age group or social group. Even the firefighters are friendly with the occupiers, especially after a fire destroyed their first building next door. RampART is usually a show space and community space, but is used by other groups as well if the collective consensually agrees. One of their biggest events was called Behind Bars, held to benefit Greek anarchist prisoners and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the July 1969 anti-police riots at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in NYC, where queers showed the world that they would fight back against police targeting of queer spaces. This was the first time in American history where the homosexual community fought back against the police for their frequent unprompted and unwarranted raids of any areas they congregated in. The Behind Bars party was an all-day, all-night event including an entire weekend of shows, a bar, and a Punx Picnic in the park. With most people paying a donation of five dollars at the door, a three-floor building was stuffed to the ceiling, with people spilling out the door. There’s no wonder that rampART collective made quite a bit of money to support their cause. That night bridges were built between countries, but also within varying social circles and communities.
Another autonomous space that opened in London around the same time as rampART is The Non-Commercial House. The two-floor building is an alcohol and drug-free community space on Commercial Street. Beautiful, mural-like graffiti covered the walls. Large comfortable couches lined the walls. The Non Commercial House offered a free store and bike shop as well as Spanish lessons, film screenings, discussions, and workshops. At one time, the collective had even considered having free music lessons on the large organ upstairs. It opened its doors Friday to Sunday from 12-8pm. The House “promotes community without consumerism” and describes itself as “a non-profit, non-hierarchical space open to all.” The grand opening occurred in July 2009 with free music and food. Individuals and families all over the city attended the event.
The London Free School Collective aims to “confront hierarchy and inequality in education and reclaim knowledge to develop self reliance.” The group frequently holds weekends of skill sharing and workshops. Some of these classes include clothes making, radical reading group, computers, self-defense, nomadic kiln construction, class politics and climate change, and DIY/zine publishing. The workshops take place at different social centers around London. The London Free School Collective found its temporary home at the Non-Commercial House for a couple of months. However, the fact that the London Free School Collective does not have a permanent home can sometimes be beneficial. Events are held at locations all over the city. Changing places encourages many different communities to engage in the activities.
On November 30th, the rampART collective, The Non-Commercial House and thus, The London Free School Collective were evicted from their spaces. All three spaces had been fighting court cases with their owners for quite some time. The greatest loss of course was the rampART collective, however all the spaces were beneficial to London’s growth as a population. RampART held strong against the bailiffs and landlords for five and a half years. The building was evicted by forty-five police officers with chainsaws, however the collective still shouted strong: “Our energy has not dissipated. We will not be beaten!” Thus, activists have not lost any steam or strength. RampART has moved to another location and new autonomous spaces are opening up everyday. With the London Olympics just three years away in a desperate economy, its not wonder that the city is trying to “clean up” the best it can. The exceptional dedication of activists in London’s Whitechapel community proves that significant changes in ideals, community structure and even laws can be made if we put in enough effort and enthusiasm. • |
This work is in the public domain. |
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