Gemeente wil na mislukte ontruimingspogingen toch huurkontrakt aangaan; sydney squats live on! (fwd)

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From: ox@squat.net
Date: 10/12/00


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 11:22:51 +0800
From: justsay ha! <shac@kittymail.com>
Subject: sydney squats live on!

After more than seven weeks of physical and legal attacks, the Broadway
squats live on!

Last night [11/10], South Sydney Council - which owns the buildings -
voted to withdraw all eviction proceedings and legal actions against the
squatters and to mediate to form a caretaker lease agreement.

The squatters have endured just about everything the council could throw
at them over the last seven weeks - including repeated attempts to evict
them with police, having power and water turned off, continual harrassment
by 24-hour security guards, occasional midnight police raids, threats of
$1.1 million dollar fines, legal action in the Land and Environment Court,
last minute withdrawls of support from a number of councillors, and
continual abuse and attacks from the mayor john FOULer.

In response to the Council bureacrats claims that the squats were life
threatening fire hazards that required hundreds of thousands of dollars to
repair, the squatters have consistently pointed out that the buildings are
no more dangerous than any other terraces in the city and that they are
capable of doing the required work at next to no cost.

Now the Council have finally agreed and are set to negotiate to let the
squatters stay until the buildings are to be demolished.

The squatters - in conjunction with the Housing Research Centre at Sydney
University- have formulated a policy concerning the use of empty
buildings.  Under this proposal, groups of people that needed housing
would occupy empty council and privately owned properties and look after
them as caretakers.  The groups would be skilled in basic fire safety and
repairs and would be able to live in the buildings for no rent until the
buildings were set to be developed/demolished.  Unions could work with the
caretakers in ensuring that basic maintenance and safety repairs are taken
care of.  Squatters and others could share skills to make sure that the
buildings are relatively safe.

Under this proposal, squatters would no longer face court and the threat
of criminal tresspass charges for seeking solutions to their own housing
problems.

The caretaker lease proposal for the Broadway squats will be heard in two
weeks at the Council's new Homelessness/Affordable Housing Committee.  
SHAC will be fighting to make sure that the frightened and narrow minded
coporate thinking of the mayor and his bureacratical cronies doesn't
railroad the possibilities of this exciting proposal for housing in the
gentrified sydney 2000.

Meanwhile, the community-union picket remains in place on Broadway until
the squatters are given a clear indication of what the council are set to
do next.  And the Re-Cuisine Machine dumpstarkaff continues to serve the
finest in recycled trash food every night at eight o'clock.

SHAC [SQUAT.NET/SHAC]



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