Imposed a reign of terror on the inhabitants of keep ourselves in the building the school".
essential services such as eating facilities, space for office work and arrangements for various cultural aspect. comrades. For example, Ron Bailey was helping on the legal position, and the most Wednesday, 24th September. worthwhile lterature to date was produced.
The evening press was naturally hysterical, reports of Molotov cocktails, grenades, guns and the usual trappings of any self-respective terrorist group were detailed and gave the impression that we were prepared to do battle not only with the police but any group of dissenting opinion.
At the daily General Assembly, we discussed the incredible amount of publicity we had been given, and decided that we would not admit photographers to the school because it would do us no good, and as far as the press were concerned we were living ilth/squalor/general unsanitary conditions, and could they hardly be expected to surrender such good copy in exchange for mild reports about clean living. There seemed little point in doing anything but giving out a statement and allowing the public to absorb the hysterical burblings of the press, there being no way we could reply ourselves. As a result of this, a large and mostly hostile crowd gathered outside the school and never left until we ourselves had to We settled down for a night of comparative peace and quiet, with the 24-hour guard stationed at the door Tuesday, 23rd September. our situation, and also the practical aspect of a committee of 24 strong-arm boys who defence, and the tactics we could employ to CAST then entertained the commune, anc The afternoon was spent organizing various set up plans to start a guerilla theatre group, using commune members and so broaden our The morning was spent in the High Court: the commune waited to see what British Justice would offer them by way of a compromise. It was obvious from the start of the proceedings that we were not going to get any extension on our occupation, and the court made itself ludicrous by offering us one hour to prepare a legal case. The result of that was the granting of an order which entitled the Sheriff of London to enter the building to reclaim it for the Diocesan Council Rumours quickly spread that the police were having a tacties meeting (in tact they were but unis seemed unlikely and so the barricades which started to spring up on the ground floor were more bravado than anything else. In spite ot phrases like "meeting violence with violence" it wasn't taken seriously, and no-one anticipated spending long nights on the barricades fighting off the police Commandos. The actual eviction would probably be several days ahead, and-so the hysterical feeling of a "seige" was really "communards" playing at what they really felt to be a revolutionary situation... or just playing. The general frivolity was quickly replaced by worry when the police set up a curfew. There were some people inside, and some out: all were trying to predict the next police move. Perhaps it was at this point that comrades realised that they were IT COST £54,000 to evict squatters from Piccadilly. (900 policemen, £60 each IT COST £12,000 to evict squatters from Bloomsbury. (200 policemen, £60 each)
IT COST £18,000 to evict squatters from Holborn. (300 policemen, £60 each)
IT COST Mr. Lyon £1,000 to show his gratitude to the police for looking after his property rights.
IT COSTS ratepayers £85,884 17s. a year in unpaid rates to have Centre Point empty.
IT COSTS £100 to take a man to Court.
IT COSTS £15 a week to keep a man in jail.
IT COSTS £33 billion to go to the moon.
IT COSTS £16 13s. a week to keep a man, wife and 2 kids on Social Security.
IT COSTS Kensington and Chelsea Council £3 million to build a luxurious new Town Hall, although they already have three with all the gold fittings.
IT WOULD COST VERY LITTLE to house all the homeless in Britain. IT COSTS NOTHING TO LEAVE A MAN ALONE perfectly good Council house, so that people should not live in it.
HOW MUCH DID IT COST Redbridge Council to employ Quartermain and his fellow thugs to try to evict squatters at Ilford when the Council had no need to do so?
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST The G.L.C. to evict 5,000 tenants, employing bailiffs, police and the ensuing court charges?
It would be cheaper and more realistic if every working man and woman with or without children were to demand NOW that every empty house and office block be filled and/or converted for the thousands of families living in slums, cramped conditions or half way houses. In this way all these would be put to good use rather than left empty and neglected. The councils would not be in debt to the professional moneylenders, but provide their own interest from their own investments, and the country as a whole would have a more humane rather than inhumane housing plan. Profiteering would be stopped, the poor would be better off with a decent roof over their heads. We say use all the empty houses of which there are hundreds of thousands.
USE EMPTY HOUSES NOW.
DWARF Dear Comrade, I must confess I found Black Dwarf's nauseating nonsense. It seems as if you are editorial on the death of Ho Chi Minh having a bad attack of Stalinists. To indulge s portraiting Ho Chi Minh in a way that will appeal to youthful revolutionary romantics, nevertheless at a more profound level is deeply absolutely. The in this house have since home alone at night. threat of charges against Pakistanis living increased to include four persons. The Black Dwarf 26th October - 15th November 1969 Page 6 they often speak little English live in our Borough in a state of fear, not daring to go These men are mostly doing the worst paid (219 Gower and heaviest jobs including much work in
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hard". Mr. Ashu Miah, who is accused of this fellow workers because their skin is brown and molestation but not so far charged, denies it