Transit Levantkade

By: börek - January 27th, 2019  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday 3rd february 2019, Film night: Transit Levantkade by Rosemarie Blank. 1991 | 82 minutes | In Dutch with English subtitles. Doors: 20:00, Film 20:30

This creative documentary captures, in a way, the end of Amsterdam’s wild three decade run of alternative culture. The Berlin wall has fallen, the east-block is no longer a viable possibility, and everything slides into the American de-regulated free-market ideology – and that means that everything that doesn’t make a profit has to be stamped out. Here in Amsterdam that change was more extreme and painful than most other places, simply because Amsterdam was so different than anywhere else.

The Levantekade in Amsterdam’s east harbor was one of the last large-scale alternative spaces to be destroyed. It was a place anyone who didn’t have money could go, a sort of no-man’s land where people could live and create freely. It was a place for those who didn’t fit in. It was a place for the homeless, emigrants and artists and they both created and lived their own alternative culture. Sure, it was rough to live there, but it could also be beautiful for those who valued freedom and had their own vision. This film documents these ‘urban Indians’ and charts the last days before the police came in to remove everyone for the bulldozers. In an act of ritualistic defiance some chose to set fire to their self-made homes, their own creations, rather than leave them to be destroyed by a wrecking-ball. Rosemarie Blank’s film is composed of flickering grainy black and white images which have a rough poetry about them. They depict a dark shadow that is overtaking this playground of the imagination. The mood is a haunting death fugue, and soon these people and the refuge they created, would soon be written off as road-kill for the gentrification and financialization of the city. This film, which digs deep into Amsterdam’s past, is more than anything else an ode to a special way of living… and is especially crucial to see today when even the ADM, leagues outside the city, isn’t allowed to exist as a free space.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

Tags: , , , , ,

De Sputnik benefit

By: börek - October 1st, 2018  Filed under: Benefiet

Thursday 4 october 2018, De Sputnik benefit. Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

This time we are cooking at Joe’s Garage to raise money for the legal costs of De Sputnik, a squatted bar in Amsterdam-Noord, evicted on 26 September.
Since May 2018, De Sputnik had been a living, and a non-commercial social space, which held various (fundraising) events, such as bar nights, vokus and gigs. The owner of the building, the social housing corporation De Key, decided to evict it through a civil court procedure to make way for anti-kraak and, in the future, a potential restaurant, despite initially claiming that the plan for the building and its adjacent area is to demolish it in 2021. The case was lost by the squatters. Believing the case had not been considered properly with regards to the (lack of) evidence presented by De Key for their plans, and to oppose the practice of hiring anti-kraak companies by social housing providers, they decided to go to the higher appeal. Unfortunately, this case was also lost and the squatters had to move out and are being made to pay the costs of both legal procedures.
If you’d like to support the group with your donations or find out more information about the situation of De Sputnik, come and enjoy a delicious vegan meal at Joe’s! […Lees verder]

Tags: , , , ,

Benefit for the struggle against the squat ban in Belgium

By: börek - March 1st, 2018  Filed under: Benefiet, Volkseten/Voku

Monday March 26th 2018, Benefit for the struggle against the squat ban in Belgium. Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

To protest against the new squat ban in Belgium, a demonstration took place in Gent on February 15th 2018. During the demonstration, an empty building, De Braempoort was squatted. Het Kraaiennest became the new social center until it got evicted on March 6th after a super fast trial. In total, Van Monck, Het Kraaiennest and 2 others squats have being evicted in Gent since the new law is effective. In Brussels, demonstrations also took place and faced heavy repression. A new demo is announced in Brussels on March 21st.

https://kraaiennest.noblogs.org/
https://squatbelgium.noblogs.org/
https://krakengent.squat.net/ […Lees verder]

Tags: , , , ,

Benefit the court costs of the evicted squat at Ruijterkade 110

By: börek - May 1st, 2017  Filed under: Benefiet, Volkseten/Voku

Ruijterkade_110_Amsterdam

Thursday 17 May 2017, Benefit the court costs of the evicted squat at Ruijterkade 110, Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

The building on the Ruijterkade 110 was squatted 26th March. On monday 27th March Oscar Stradmann and his workers broke in, thus breaking house peace. On wednesday 29th March Oscar Stradmann with more workers broke in with a bulldozer, this was stopped thanks to solidarity from comrades.
On monday 10th April, the crew was filmed illegally by Oscar Stradmann’s main B Cees van Schawedijk himself, bringing a conflict inside the court house. Two persons were arrested under false premises. They were released later on. On tuesday 11th April Cees van Schawedijk (Oscar’s main B) walked in the private soil of the NS rail system, and shied away when being filmed.
After the negative court case, we shielded the building, it took 3 days to evict Ruijterkade 110. We are facing legal costs from the court. Support the struggle, come to the best skipping voku, we out do ourselves! […Lees verder]

Tags: , , ,

Infonight and Food – Housing for all//Cologne + KoZe//Hamburg

By: börek - October 1st, 2016  Filed under: Infoavond, Volkseten/Voku, Woonstrijd

20161029_Infonight_Housing_for_all_KoZeSaturday 29th of October 2016 – 7pm @ Joe’s Garage
Infonight and Food – Housing for all//Cologne + KoZe//Hamburg

At the end of October, two collectives from Cologne and Hamburg will be in Amsterdam in order to exchange ideas and experiences about the local struggles for housing and the establishment of solidary structures in our cities and beyond its limits.

Housing for All is a recent movement in Cologne that suggests practical ways of re-appropriating real estate properties in word and action. We are happy to visit our friends at Joe’s and meeting people from KoZe as well! Looking forward to it 🙂

https://karti14.noblogs.org/

Koze is the ‘Collective Center/Kollektives Zentrum’ in Hamburg, that was founded through a squatting action in 2014 and is currently under thread of eviction.

http://koze.in/ […Lees verder]

Tags: , , ,

Benefit for struggle against Gentrification in Jeruzalem neighbourhood in Amsterdam East

By: börek - May 1st, 2016  Filed under: Benefiet, Infoavond, Volkseten/Voku

20160526_Benefit_for_struggle_against_Gentrification_in_Jeruzalem_neighbourhood_in_Amsterdam_EastThursday May 26th 2016, Benefit for struggle against Gentrification in Jeruzalem neighbourhood in Amsterdam East, Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

Bewoners van de wijk Jeruzalem in Amsterdam-Oost verzetten zich al jaren tegen het voornemen van woningcorporatie Rochdale om hun sociale huurwoningen te slopen. Meerdere woonblokken bleven behouden, maar het voortbestaan van blok G&H staat momenteel op het spel. Wat ooit een parel was van de naoorlogse woningbouw wordt tot symbool van de hedendaagse gentrificatie.

De bewoners van Jeruzalem hebben zich altijd ingezet voor behoud van hun wijk en de betaalbaarheid van hun woningen. In 2009, na een felle strijd van de bewonerscommissie, zijn het stadsdeel, Rochdale en de monumenten organisaties overeen gekomen de wijk te vernieuwen. Een deel van de blokken kreeg de monumentenstatus toegewezen, de rest moest wijken voor nieuwbouw. Deze omstreden oplossing ging in 2010 in rook op toen Rochdale aankondigde last van de crisis en haar eigen wanbeheer te hebben. Bewoners en het stadsdeel waren ontsteld. De woningen waren namelijk dringend aan een opknapbeurt toe en er was veel tijd en energie in de in 2009 overeengekomen plannen gestoken. De daaropvolgende jaren was Rochdale voor een substantieel deel van de bewoners onzichtbaar in de wijk en werd achterstallig onderhoud steeds voelbarder en zichtbaarder.

Deze situatie waren een aantal bewoners van de Pasteurstraat en de Hugo de Vrieslaan in 2014 beu. Ze kwamen bijeen om zelf plannen te ontwikkelen en om de leefkwaliteit van de wijk te verbeteren. De bewoners werden enthousiast, namen het heft in eigen handen en brachten de net uitgeroepen participatiemaatschappij in de praktijk. Rochdale was allerminst gecharmeerd en kondigde begin 2015 alsnog de sloopplannen aan tijdens een emotionele bijeenkomst. Sindsdien wordt het mantra van de sloop herhaald en hebben vooral oudere mensen tegen hun zin in hun woning verlaten.

De bewoners uit blokken G&H hebben het er niet bij laten zitten. Inmiddels is er samen met LB-Architect een toekomstvisie geschreven. Daarin worden missie en doelen uiteengezet. De bewoners hebben zich verenigd in de Wooncoöperatie Jeruzalem. Een coöperatieve vereniging die aan momentum wint. Ondanks de verhuizing van verschillende bewoners met een stadsvernieuwingsurgentie is er steeds meer interesse van de huidige huurders die niet willen vertrekken uit Jeruzalem. Er bestaat veel onduidelijkheid over het aanbod en de plannen van Rochdale. Daarnaast worden de opties op de Amsterdamse woningmarkt steeds beperkter door de massale verkoop van sociale huurwoningen, terwijl Rochdale zich wederom als projectontwikkelaar voor het hoge segment opstelt. Hoog tijd om de corporatie aan haar verplichtingen te herinneren zich op haar kerntaken te concentreren en zich voor haar huurders in te zetten.

Het doel is uiteindelijk om de blokken G&H te behouden en een geheel te blijven vormen met de rest van de wijk. De wooncoöperatie hoopt daarbij ook op steun vanuit de rest van de wijk en andere bewoners van deze stad die zich niet met veel poen een plekje in het pretpark Amsterdam kunnen kopen.

Tijdens de benefiet zullen we het verhaal verder uitleggen, donatie gaan aan de wooncoöperatie aan de kosten voor campagnemateriaal bij te dragen. https://jeruzalem.amsterdam/ […Lees verder]

Tags: , , ,

Still not loving Ymere

By: börek - December 1st, 2015  Filed under: Infoavond, Volkseten/Voku

Ymere_geld_poster_Monday 14 December 2015, Still not loving Ymere. Info and discussion about Ymere. Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

Beginning of November, Ymere is discovering squatters have occupied empty apartments in the Transvaal neighborhood. Posters “Ymere informeer” appeared on the walls. Ymere removed them as soon as possible, horrified their image could be damaged. It only took a few days for the mayor to send riot cops and evict the squatters. On November 22nd, one apartment is resquatted, a public statement is made. The squat is speed evicted in 24 hours, people arrested in the building released without charges.
Ymere is still busy with the Tugela, soon will come the Eenhoorngebied, and so on. Gentrification goes on, neighborhoods from Amsterdam are slowly but surely cleaned. One may even use “social deportation”, or “social cleansing” when it comes to relocate a part of the population somewhere else. Anti-squat companies are just one step in the whole process.
The way the city is reacting to protect Ymere tells us a lot about the future of social housing in the neighborhood. Hubert Möllenkamp, former Rochdale director, has been sentenced to 2,5 years jail. How long can we expect Ymere to be protected by Van der Laan? During this time, the social housing waiting list is getting longer

Text from the Ymere poster:

Ymere informeer. Meld je nu aan voor tijdelijke huur bij Ymere. Minimale huurrechten?

  • Van sociale contracten naar permanente onzekerheid
    Sinds 2010 is Ymere bezig met renovatie, sloop en nieuwbouw aan de Tugelaweg. Sociale huur woningen moeten plaats maken voor vrije sector huurwoningen en koopwoningen. Nog een deel van Amsterdam wordt hierdoor onbetaalbaar voor Amsterdammers.
    Gelukkig heeft Ymere een oplossing voor mensen die de hoge huren niet kunnen veroorloven: de permanente onzekerheid van anti-kraak en tijdelijke huur.
    Ook aan de Tugelaweg heeft Ymere tijdelijke huurders gevestigd; tijdelijke huurders, die hier al jaren in onzekerheid verkeren, om vervolgens te horen dat ze binnen twee weken moeten ver huizen.
    Bij woningcorporatie Ymere kan je erop vertrouwen dat winst boven huurrecht wordt gesteld. Want… geld, geld, geld.
  • Van €350 sociale huur naar €550 tijdelijke huur
    Bij Ymere nemen wij het principe van geld en winst heel serieus. Daarom nemen wij geen genoegen met het gebrek aan huurbescherming van de tijdelijke huurders. Om onze winst te maximaliseren, verhuren we de huizen aan de Tugelaweg voor soms wel meer dan anderhalf maal de oorspronkelijke huur prijs.
    Dus wil jij ook minimale huurrechten en een torenhoge huur? Meld je nu aan voor tijdelijke huur bij Ymere.

[…Lees verder]

Tags: , ,

Info night Squatting in the UK after the ban

By: börek - June 1st, 2015  Filed under: Infoavond, Volkseten/Voku

20150622_infonight_Squatting_in_UK_after_the_banMonday June 22nd 22015, Info night Squatting in the UK after the ban. Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm, then info night with a speaker from London.

In 2012 the UK government enacted a law to criminalise squatting in residential buildings despite 95% of responses to its ‘consultation’ opposing any further legislation. The squatting scene has died in almost all cities in England and Wales apart from London, where the movement has only a fraction of the numbers it used to. Squatters are now forced to live in non residential buildings which are often unfit for human habitation. The number of people sleeping rough has increased as London is undergoing a phase of transformation, with inner London becoming unaffordable for lower income people. As property prices rise, there are less empty properties to squat in and owners are able to hire private firms to carry out very fast and often violent evictions. The aim of this talk is to describe the legal situation and challenges to it, and how this has changed the squatting movement into something smaller but much more political and radical. […Lees verder]

Tags: , , , , , , ,