Bailiffs Sent Away By Hackney Community
On Monday the 3rd of November, bailiffs were due to evict the Nutritious Food Galley. The residents of Broadway Market and the surrounding area came together to defend the much-loved local greengrocers. They did this despite a long and painful process of gentrification which saw the communal high street of Broadway Market come under attack from the council, property developers and gastro-pub business owners.
Nearly a hundred people turned up and crowded around the entrance of the small store, determined not to let any bailiffs reach the door. The atmosphere was tense at first, but those who had survived the rising costs of living in the area were complimented by those who had taken part in the last decade of struggle against the duplicitous Hackney Council. Relaxed banter quickly began to ease its way through the crowd as the sun broke through the morning clouds.
Spirit, owner of the Nutritious Food Galley, has had a lengthy legal to-and-fro with Hackney Council over the auctioning off of his shop and home AFTER he had paid the deposit to buy it. Spirit had spent over 52,000 pounds and six years of his own labour in turning the derelict building into a thriving business, selling fresh fish and vegetables.
As more people arrived, banners were unfurled and hung from the facade of the shop. Police also arrived, along with a couple of bailiffs, and parked their vans across the street while they went to have a quiet chat round the corner. The sight of their vans made us all a bit edgy, as we hoped for a peaceful confrontation in which the bailiffs would arrive, get told they will not be allowed through, and be forced to leave.
A few years ago, a similar struggle was happening down the road from Spirit's shop, at a little Italian cafe. The Council had sold it unlawfully, so locals took direct action and occupied the shop against an impending eviction. It came, and they left, and the inside of the cafe was destroyed. But again they reoccupied it, and many people came to help rebuild the interior, and many came to stay the night, and many more people donated food, blankets and heaters. Eventually Tony's Cafe was evicted and the entire contents and back of the house destroyed. Only the high street facade has stayed, though covered with barbed wire, CCTV and metal sheeting. It stands as a testament to the locals' unity, and the council that would rather have them divided and manipulated than strong and independent.
So we stood watching the policemen, and they watched us. By now there were several people filming the developing situation, and we were ready to link arms and obstruct for all we were worth. As it turned out we didn't have to, for the bailiffs left with the cops in tow, apparently deciding it would be better to call another time. We all breathed a sigh of relief, though we knew the bailiffs can come at any time, day or night.