Housing
Another Successful Eviction Blockade for Boston's Working Class Housing Movement!
Submitted by pirate on Sun, 07/20/2008 - 05:52.Ainfos Sat, 19 Jul 2008
On the July 15th eviction blockade led by Paula Taylor and the City Life/ Vida
Urbana Bank Tenants Union ---- Today, Paula Taylor of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, her family, friends, the City Life/ Vida Urbana (CLVU) Bank Tenants Union, and various community allies successfully resisted an eviction attempt by Countrywide Financial in another win for Boston's working class movement! Paula- with the bank tenant union and community allies by her side- is asking Countrywide to accept rent money instead of kicking her out on the street and keeping the property vacant. Paula was attacked by the foreclosure scandals sweeping the country, and is now offering money to rent what she once owned. read more »
Number of refugees worldwide rises to 11.4 million
Submitted by pirate on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 19:43.
By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press June, 17, 2008
LONDON - Tents, sacks of food and a replica of a burnt-out village hut appeared in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday as a tourist hotspot became a refugee camp to highlight the plight of millions of people displaced in Darfur and elsewhere.
The display, set up to mark World Refugee Day this week, came as the U.N. refugee agency reported a record 11.4 million people were driven from their home countries last year. read more »
Berlin - In Chaos!
Submitted by pirate on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 20:36.
A personal report from last week's action days for autonomous spaces in Berlin. This report reflects the thoughts and opinions of the authors, not of any campaign, although these opinions may be shared by others.
(Report from) Action Days for Autonomous Space May 27 to June 1 2008
"If we do not wish to find ourselves in a world where no one really lives, where no one really knows anyone else, where everyone has become a mere cog in a machine meshing with other cogs but remaining truly alone, then we must have the strength to attack alienation in every way we can." read more »
Homeless advocates protest at Seattle City Hall
Submitted by pirate on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 20:11.
By Given that he was in a wheelchair, Mike Smith says Seattle police officers treated him "magnificently" Monday morning when they arrested him and 14 other homeless advocates who blocked Cherry Street near City Hall.
But the cordial treatment contrasted with the city's sweeps of homeless encampments, he said after his release from custody, likening the sweeps to a death sentence. read more »
FEMA's Toxic Trailers: Formaldahyde Isn't Good For You
Submitted by rafael on Wed, 05/28/2008 - 06:18.Relief according to the Feds: After you stick em in the trailers,which it turns out handily came equiped with 5x the safe level of formaldahyde fumes, lose track of em, start some useless studies and don't bother coming up with any long term plan to help these kids you've gotten so very, very sick... 12x the cases before the storm of severe asthma in kids after they stay in those FEMA relief trailers.
It will take 10-15 years before the cancers start to develop.
AP story after the jump, via Rawstory. read more »
Buenos Aires, Argentina: A Different Kind of Land Occupation
Submitted by pirate on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 04:43.ainfos May 21, 2008
"This is going to be a different type of occupation," say the people of Tierra y
Libertad (Land and Freedom), a land occupation on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The name of their group gives an idea of what they intend. The occupation began on March 29th this year when 40 families entered a small parcel of land in La Matanza and began setting up a community. Since then the occupation has grown to over 135 families and has continued to organize and resist eviction in the face of intimidation and violence. read more »
Hotel staff in barricade protest
Submitted by pirate on Fri, 01/04/2008 - 22:36.BBC Jan. 4, 2008
Two workers have spent three weeks barricaded in the bedroom of a closed hotel in protest at losing their jobs.
Assistant manager Mark Craig, 20, and kitchen porter Steven Black, 16, staged their protest at the Meldrum Arms Hotel in Oldmeldrum, Inverurie.
The pair live on food delivered in a bucket pulled up on a piece of string. read more »
Activists protest slum demolition
Submitted by pirate on Thu, 12/27/2007 - 16:55.Dec 27, 2007 Times of India
MUMBAI: More than 3,500 activists and slumdwellers held a dharna at Azad Maidan on Wednesday afternoon to protest against large-scale slum demolitions.
Over 600 homes were bulldozed in the last seven days alone. The protest was organised by the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM). Slumdwellers were upset that, despite a government affidavit in 2005 that set aside 50 acres of land in Mankhurd for those whose homes had been razed in the demolition drive, the land still lay vacant and slumdwellers were not allowed to build their homes on it. read more »
Vietnam: Man Sets Himself On Fire To Protest Land Confiscation
Submitted by pirate on Wed, 12/26/2007 - 14:10.HANOI, VIETNAM(AP): A Vietnamese man set himself on fire to protest the confiscation of the land where he lived that authorities said belonged to the government, police and state media reported Wednesday (26 Dec).
Hoang Huu Hanh, 53, soaked himself with gasoline and lit a match Tuesday (25 Dec) when police pulled down his makeshift house in Hai Ba Trung District, said a local police officer who declined to be identified, citing policy.
Police quickly extinguished the fire and rushed him to a hospital where he remained in serious but stable condition Wednesday, he said. read more »
Police Attack Protesters at New Orleans Demolition Hearing!
Submitted by pirate on Fri, 12/21/2007 - 21:09.
Thu. Dec. 20 2007 The Associated Press
Police used chemical spray and stun guns Thursday as dozens of protesters seeking to halt the demolition of 4,500 public housing units tried to force their way through an iron gate at City Hall.
One woman was sprayed with chemicals and dragged from the gates. She was taken away on a stretcher by emergency officials. Before that, the woman was seen pouring water from a bottle into her eyes and weeping. read more »
HUD Sends New Orleans Bulldozers and $400,000 Apartments for the Holidays
Submitted by rick on Mon, 12/17/2007 - 05:05. By Bill Quigley
t r u t h o u t | Report/Perspective Monday 03 December 2007
On the 12th day before Christmas, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to unleash teams of bulldozers to demolish thousands of low-income apartments in New Orleans. Despite Katrina causing the worst affordable housing crisis since the Civil War, HUD is spending $762 million in taxpayer funds to tear down over 4,600 public housing subsidized apartments and replace them with 744 similarly subsidized units - an 82 percent reduction. read more »
Protest Bring Demolition Activity At B.W. Cooper To A Halt
Submitted by pirate on Sat, 12/15/2007 - 22:27.
By Mike Howells New Orleans Indymedia Dec. 13, 2007
Direct action by supporters of public housing brought HUD authorized demolition to a halt at the B.W. Cooper Housing Development in New Orleans today. Tuesday afternoon a picket of dozens of public housing supporters prevented a truck from carrying a huge demolition crane into the new section of the development. read more »
OCAP Walks Protest PATH As Police Watch Closely
Submitted by pirate on Wed, 12/12/2007 - 19:54.
December 12, 2007 CityNews.caIt was, by any measure, a study in extreme contrasts: Bay St. types dressed in business suits, walking past men and women in worn coats and pants, begging for spare change. But it wasn't a scene from the streets of Toronto. Instead, it was a slice of life from beneath them. read more »
Public Housing Demolitions Set for December: Call for National Support!
Submitted by rick on Tue, 11/27/2007 - 03:52.by new orleans indymedia team Friday, Nov. 16, 2007 at 8:12 PM
Many activists believe New Orleans is a test ground for the US Government to demolish public housing across the nation and replace it with "mixed-income" developments that would displace thousands of families. Pledge to come to New Orleans and resist this privatization of public housing!
Many activists believe New Orleans is a test ground for the US Government to demolish public housing across the nation and replace it with "mixed-income" developments. According to HANO's contracts with developers, 82% of the pre-storm units would be lost in the development process. read more »
Survivors tell of Bangladesh cyclone
Submitted by pirate on Tue, 11/20/2007 - 06:56.
By PAVEL RAHMAN, Associated Press Nov 19, 2007
BARGUNA, Bangladesh - Azahar Ali huddled with his family, reading from the Quran, as the cyclone roared in. First the power went out, then screaming winds blew out the windows and ripped off the roof. The sea rushed in, washing him and his family away. read more »
South Africans protest living conditions
Submitted by pirate on Fri, 11/02/2007 - 19:36.Fri, 02 Nov 2007 Earth Times read more »
The Battle for the Block—And Another World
Submitted by pirate on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 05:11.A Dispatch from the First Ever Encuentro for Dignity and Against Gentrification
By Michael Gould-Wartofsky via Infoshop News read more »
Brazil: Homeless Occupation Movements in Rio De Janeiro
Submitted by pirate on Fri, 07/27/2007 - 01:40.July 26, 2007 Written by Kyle Weinberg Infoshop News read more »
Seniors in Halifax apartment protest "bullying superintendent"
Submitted by pirate on Wed, 07/25/2007 - 20:30.Robyn Young, CanWest News Service July 25, 2007
HALIFAX - One tenant at an independent living complex for seniors in Halifax was allegedly reprimanded for wearing slippers in the hallway.
Another was issued a warning for an inappropriate discussion about a Rummoli board.
A third tells of being yelled at by the superintendent for starting a composting bin in the common kitchen.
Close to half the residents at Almon Place, a Northwoodcare Inc. building on Almon Street, say they've been mistreated by management. read more »
Hundreds of Egyptians protest government plan to evict them from Gaza border
Submitted by pirate on Sun, 07/22/2007 - 20:22.July 22, 2007 International Herald Tribune
AL ARISH, Egypt: Over 700 Egyptians protested Sunday a government plan to evict them from their homes in order to improve security on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, police and demonstrators said.
Egyptian authorities have previously evicted residents living within 50 meters (54 yards) of the border to prevent traffickers and militants from digging tunnels to enter Gaza. Protesters on Sunday were demonstrating against a new plan that would evict people from homes within an extra 100 meters (109 yards). read more »
Cars and property damaged during protest in South Africa
Submitted by pirate on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 18:07.July 14, 2007 www.iol.co.za
Police arrested seven protesters at Jabulani hostel alone on Saturday for public violence in a demonstration over housing.
Arrests were also made elsewhere in Soweto and in Alexandra, but the exact numbers were not yet known.
Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said rubber bullets were fired to disperse a crowd of protesters from the Nancefield and Dobsonville hostels on Saturday morning.
"We had to use rubber bullets to get them off the roads," he said.
"Five cars were damaged when they were stoned at the Nancefield hostel," said Minnaar. read more »
Zimbabwe university evicts students following food riots
Submitted by pirate on Mon, 07/09/2007 - 19:24.HARARE (AFP) - Thousands of students were Monday evicted from Zimbabwe's main university campus after they protested at the weekend against a decision to deny them food for not paying their fees.
An AFP correspondent witnessed students carrying suitcases and bags trekking out of the University of Zimbabwe campus following an ultimatum to "pack up and leave in 20 minutes" while riot police watched.
"We were all taken by surprise this afternoon when we saw notices this afternoon ordering us to leave the halls of residence within 20 minutes or risk being beaten up by the police," said Chadwick Rugube, a second-year commerce student. read more »
Forced evictions trigger massive protest in China
Submitted by pirate on Mon, 06/25/2007 - 04:52.AFP , BEIJING
Monday, Jun 25, 2007
Thousands of protesters clashed with police in eastern China last week after security teams moved in to forcefully relocate families involved in a housing dispute, a rights group said yesterday.
Residents refusing to move out of their homes threw gasoline bombs at the security forces, igniting riots on Wednesday in Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said.
Up to 20,000 protesters and onlookers were at the scene of the riots that left at least five police cars smashed up, it said. read more »
Women shave off their heads in protest
Submitted by pirate on Sun, 06/17/2007 - 20:56.June 17, 2007 Times of India
SHIVANGAON (NAGPUR): The silence resembled a pall of gloom and a feeling of helplessness, as if someone was dead in the family.
Over 200 women were sobbing as 65 year-old Tursabai Gaikwad sat with her head tonsured. With a grim face, she soon broke into tears too. Even the men who consoled her broke down, including the tough looking Baba Dawre, who has been leading the protest against the Cargo hub project. read more »
Call for Solidarity & Urgent Financial Aid for Displaced Palestinian Refugees
Submitted by pirate on Mon, 06/11/2007 - 18:59.June 11, 2007 Tadamon! Montreal tadamon@resist.ca
Since 20 May, Nahr al Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp in northern
Lebanon with an estimated 40,000 inhabitants, has been under
bombardment by Lebanese military forces. The military assault on the
densely populated refugee camp takes place after a clash between
Lebanese security forces and an armed salifist group called Fatah al
Islam, which infiltrated the civilian refugee camp.
The bombardment of the refugee camp takes place during the 40th
anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and the
Golan Heights. This year also marks the 59th anniversary of the
creation of the apartheid state of Israel, which led to the read more »
Indonesian troops kill 3 during protest over land rights: official
Submitted by pirate on Wed, 05/30/2007 - 07:38.The Associated Press May 30, 2007
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesian marines shot and killed three people on Java island on Wednesday during a violent protest over a plot of land allegedly owned by the force, a local government official said.
The land in Pasuruan in east Java is also claimed by villagers, said Muzammil Syafi'i, the deputy district chief.
He said the marines had killed three people and wounded eight others, but gave no more details.
Syafi'i said the dispute dated back to the 1960s and concerned a 3,600-hectares (8,895-acres) plot that the marines wanted to use as a location for military training. read more »
Common Ground Collective/Relief: Black Flags and Windmills
Submitted by pirate on Sun, 05/27/2007 - 08:18.May 27, 2007 Infoshop News read more »
Tornado Ravaged Greensburg, Kansas: Kansas Mutual Aid Relief Workers forced out of city by police
Submitted by pirate on Sun, 05/20/2007 - 04:18.Saturday May 19, 2007
by Dave Strano Infoshop News
On Saturday May 19, five members and volunteers affiliated with Kansas
Mutual Aid, a Lawrence based class struggle anarchist collective, made the trek back to Greensburg to again help in relief efforts in the tornado
ravaged city. A week earlier, four KMA members had traveled to Greensburg on a fact finding mission to assess the situation there. What KMA members found was a militarized, entirely destroyed city where relief efforts were moving tragically slow. read more »
Somewhere over the Rainbow: Kansas Mutual Aid Report From Greensburg, Kansas
Submitted by pirate on Mon, 05/14/2007 - 20:03.Monday, May 14 2007 http://news.infoshop.org
by Dave Strano
On Saturday May 12, four members of Kansas Mutual Aid, a Lawrence based class struggle anarchist collective traveled to the small South Central Kansas town of Greensburg. Our intention was to go as a fact-finding delegation, to report back to the social justice movement in Lawrence on what exactly was happening in the city.
On Friday May 4, 2007 Greensburg was almost completely destroyed by a F5 tornado. 97% of the buildings in the town of 1500 were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Nearly every single resident was left homeless, jobless, and devastated. At least eleven people died in the storm, and hundreds of companion animals, livestock, and wild animals were killed as well. read more »
