Online Archive  
Issue 17 - December 1973
 
Squat Ends

For about two months a group of people occupied an empty house, 194 Gilesgate. The owner, Mr. Coulson, decided that he could tolerate "this sort of thing no longer", and hiring five "local builders"?????? marched off to evict us. Without a word of warning, or a single attempt at negotiations, Coulson arrived at 8.00 a.m. joined by his lackys with one thought in mind, forcible eviction.

Included in Coulson's Klan was the local "Sheriffs man" (baylif), who said he was not there in any official or court capacity but he added "I know where to put the boot when told...." I must say he acted out his role with the viscious enjoyment of such lepers of the human race, whose only justification is "....its only my job....." (Hey! Mr. Sheriffs' man, what are you doing and who for).

Nevertheless Coulson wasn't so lucky, one of his "Local builders" refused to have anything to do with the eviction, and left the building adding "Coulson can do his own bloody dirty work." So that left two of us and five of them!!!!!! One minute and a few blows later, the boards were going up in the windows, and our gear together with us was on the street.

Enter; a whole gaggle of snorting Piggies, Pigs in flat hats, Pigs in round hats, Pigs in cars, Pigs bullshitting about Keeping the peace!!!!!! Rapping time, with the Pigs; we decide by 5.00p.m., if everybody hadn't found somewhere to crash, we were going back into 194 Gilesgate. By 5.00p.m. all that was left outside was an old stove.

Now with boards in the windows and doors, 194 Gilesgate is again empty as it has been for two years.

What about squatting, what about landlords, profiteers like Coulson, buying up houses, increasing rents and prices, pushing up mortgage rates:- Why does he do this, buying up houses not to live in, but to leave empty as monuments to his exploitation.

What ever the outcome of the Gilesgate squat, it meant anybody bad somewhere to go, almost a home for a while. We lost nothing we have nothing to loose, but what has Coulson got to loose?