Barham Park tenants to protest Monday over 'premature' notices to quit

From Brent Housing Action

DEMONSTRATION: 

The Grange, Neasden Lane, NW10 1QB between 5pm and 6:15pm 

 Monday 11^th August 2014

 

 Tomorrow, Monday 11th August, marks the due date for the first tranche of households to leave the Barham Park Estate under the premature Notice to Quit orders issued by Brent Community Housing (BCH).

It also marks the two week anniversary of the initial meeting between Senior Council Officers and BCH to negotiate an extension of the tenancies for the 42 affected households which would comply with the Council’s regeneration plans.
 

Phase 2c of the Barham Park Estate regeneration last week. This is where the remaining council tenants are due to move in “early 2015″ prior to demolition of remaining properties.

In an email to a resident dated 4^th August, Cllr Margaret McLennan, Lead for Housing and Regeneration said:

As previously stated, our senior Officers are in discussion with BCH. They know the Members view on this and have stated our grave concerns at their unilateral action. Nothing will happen while we are in discussion or beyond this. I promised I would update you once I had firm confirmation, and I shall.

This is a very positive statement, and the residents of Barham Park gratefully acknowledge the efforts Cllr McLennan has put into resolving the situation.

Regrettably it does not allay the concerns of those who are due to move out: they have two primary issues:

1) That if they DO move out on the NTQ due date (s) they become “intentionally homeless”, and will lose any potential assistance from Brent’s Housing Options Team to find alternate accommodation;

2) If they DO NOT move out, and so engage in the legal eviction process to give them access to assistance from the Borough, under their current contracts BCH have no obligation to rehouse them.

The tenants have therefore sought clarification, asking if the NTQs have been suspended pending the outcome of the negotiations, and requesting “non-prejudicial” access to rehousing via BCH in this instance. This last point is particularly contentious as some of those involved in organising, and merely signing, the earlier petitions have reputedly been verbally informed they will not be rehoused. 

In fact to date none of the affected 42 households has been offered alternative accommodation.

It has been decided therefore to call a demonstration outside the BCH Offices to show the level of solidarity between the affected tenants, their neighbours and supporters with the intention of getting BCH to re-examine their current stance.

The demo will take place outside The Grange, Neasden Lane, NW10 1QB between 5pm and 6:15pm on Monday 11^th August 2014. The Grange is located on the central roundabout at the top of Dudden Hill Lane and Neasden Lane (google maps shows the wrong building!). Nearest tube is Neasden on the Jubilee Line, a three minute walk away, and all bus routes through Neasden Junction stop nearby (182, 297).

Please do try to attend, but if you can’t you may wish to contact BCH with your thoughts by calling 020 7624 3168 or emailing info@bchcoopha

2nd showing of film about Gaza tomorrow in Kilburn

The first showing  of Where Should the Birds Fly was so crowded that the audience spilled into the street so a second showing has been arranged by Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign for Monday August 11th. Please email brent2harrowpsc.outlook.com if you intend to come. Some seating will be on floor cushions.

Yesterday Brent & Harrow PSC and Brent Stop the War activists joined the huge March for Gaza:

A cautionary tale about stereotyping and free speech at Kilburn station

Yesterday evening along with others I was giving out leaflets at Kilburn Station about today's demonstration.

There follows a troubling account of what happened to one of the women who was leafleting which raises issues about stereotyping (religion, age, gender) as well as free speech in a democracy.

After about twenty minutes of leafleting just outside the station, I had a most unusual encounter with a middle-aged Pakistani man who works there. He told me I should move away and stand more discretely and not so close to the station. I asked why, and he said he had received complaints and some people were afraid that I was going to blow up the station because I was wearing a headscarf.

Really? There were plenty of women wearing headscarves walking in and out of the station and past it. Were people afraid they were going to blow the station up as well? What if such a complaint had been made against one of TfL’s female staff members who wear a Muslim headscarf or would he say the same thing to one of them? Here was an Islamophobic comment being made by a Muslim.

I pressed him to find out how many such complaints had been made in such a short space of time as there were few people around. I asked many times until finally he said three. I said I was outside the station and it was not the station’s concern as in a democracy a person can hand out leaflets and people can complain about it, but if neither of us is breaking the law, there is not much anyone can do. There were Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) inside the station the whole time, so I said that if I was breaking the law, he should complain to them and they could deal with it directly.I remained calm all along.

He had picked on the wrong woman to intimidate: he then told me that I was actually on TfL property. I asked for proof of that but he just pointed to the bridge above the station. He said the land just outside the station is also owned by TfL. I said, then why aren’t you talking to other people? He said “you’re too close to the station”. I said if I’m not breaking the law and you can’t prove it, I’m not moving. I did ask him which statute I was offending, to which he could not answer. I also pointed out the discriminatory nature of his actions. Instead, he went on, claiming I was aggressively leafleting people and making them feel scared. This was after he had accused me of being a terrorist, trespass and aggressive behaviour. I am intimidating when I am the person being intimidated.

He spoke to me in a patronising tone. It is not only the fact that I was wearing a headscarf: he also chose to target me as I am a younger person. I think he thought I was a school kid on holiday. 

He eventually gave up and left. As he walked away, I told him I hadn’t moved and didn’t plan to: I stayed where I was until I finished. Before I left, I finally entered the station. I asked his colleague, a younger man, if anyone had made any complaints. He said no, and none had been mentioned to him by anyone else.

I then wanted to make sure I had been in the right: I spoke to the PCSOs who were there the whole time. I asked if anyone had complained to them. They also said no. I told them what had happened and they were surprised as they had not noticed any of this. Another activist had come inside to hand out leaflets but she left when they asked her to step outside and took up a similar position to myself. In this case, the younger man asked the PCSOs to ask her to move.

Explaining that his comments were discriminatory, although I was the one who had been accused of all sorts of things, it was me the PCSOs asked if I wanted to make an official complaint. I said no, as they said they could speak to him instead.

I have been an activist for a long time and I am well aware of my rights. He chose to pick on me because of his perception of my age as well as my attire. I am aware that this happens very often to young people of both sexes, and that a less experienced person would be intimidated and walk away when told to by a person in uniform or authority, even if they are wrong. When I spoke to the police, it was me they agreed with. Issues like the current war in Gaza bring in people who are new to activism and such things can really put them off. I have seen this many times. Like war, discrimination is pretty much an everyday fact of life for most of us. The issues we campaign for, however, are bigger than any one of us and we must not forget that wars abroad have their home fronts too.

Michaela will be ready for September 15th insists Assistant Head

I have now heard from Barry Smith, Assistant Head Teacher at Michaela Academy Free School:

We will be opening our doors to our first intake of 120 Year 7 pupils on Monday, 15th September. 

I was on site on Thursday - the place is a hive of activity! The pace of progress is phenomenal. Having spoken at length with the site manager I came away very confident indeed. 

I'll be back again on site next week and of course there's so much else going on to make sure everything comes together for Monday 15th.

Exciting times. Thanks for your continued interest Martin. 

Will Michaela Free School be ready for 120 Year 7s in September?

I visited the Michaela Academy site at Arena House in Wembley Park yesterday and was concerned at the state of the building which 120 Year 7s are expected to attend in less than a month.

I am awaiting responses from Michaela and Wilmott Dixon, the builders, to my enquiries about building progress. (For response see LINK)

Any delay will follow the failure of two other free schools, Gateway and Gladstone, to open in Brent in September, which left those Year 7 pupils to find places in other local schools.

On its website Michaela says:

Whilst the refurbishment of the entire building is scheduled to be completed by early 2015, from September 2014 we will have the use of a substantial portion of the site with all the necessary facilities and resources to enhance the education of our first Year 7 pupils.

In our first year at Michaela we will only have 120 pupils and eight teachers, and it has always been our intention to limit our use of the building to the lower floors, with the upper levels opening as the school grows.

The photographs below were taken yesterday evening and I leave readers to judge for themselves:

The 'playground' beneath the building

A classroom?

External view?

Local backing for Tricycle Theatre in Film Festival row

As the debate over the Tricycle Theatre's decision to boycott official Israeli funding for the UK Jewish Film Festival reaches the national media, local people have expressed their support for the Tricycle's decision.

The following letter was published in the Guardian today:

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The London borough of Brent is one of the most diverse and tolerant parts of the UK, with a rich cultural heritage compromising many  ethnicities and religions, including the Jewish faith. As local  residents, we can say that the Tricycle Theatre, whose cinematic and  theatrical repertoire is broad and inclusive, reflects this diversity,  demonstrated by 8 years of hosting the UK Jewish Film Festival, as well  as works on Palestine by comedian Mark Thomas, and works by MUJU, the  Muslim-Jewish theatre company.

We support the Tricycle Theatre’s decision to refuse funding from the  Israeli Embassy, the UK representative of a state currently involved in  war crimes and potential genocide in the Occupied Palestinian  Territories. As the theatre has already offered to help find an  alternative sponsor, we hope this is not the end of the festival as your  article suggests. The theatre’s position cannot be construed as  anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish or political but is instead a cultural boycott  of a belligerent sponsor.

Martin Francis, Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign

 Sheila Robin, Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Aisha Maniar, London Guantánamo Campaign

Meanwhile an on-line poll on the Kilburn Times website LINK currently has 70% of respondents supporting the Tricycle's position, 29% against and 1% undecided.

Wembley Allocated Pubs for Community Shield Sunday August 10th

Local roads are expected to be busy on Sunday. Gates open 1pm K.O. 3pm

Man City
The Torch 1 - 5 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB
Crock of Gold 23 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB
Crystal Club (Silverspoon) South Way, Wembley
The Parish 120 Wembley Park Drive, Wembley, HA9 8HP
First Class Sports Bar 125 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HG
The Wembley Tavern 121 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HG
Flyers Last Stand 45 Blackbird Hill, NW9 8RS
Watkins Folly1 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0EW
Moore Spice Wembley Retail Park, Unit 2, Engineers Way, HA9 0EH
Blue Check Café 12 - 13 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0RQ
The Blend 5-6 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0XA
Alisan Bar The Junction, Wembley Retail Park, Engineers Way, HA9 0EG


Arsenal
The Green Man Dagmar Avenue, Wembley, HA9 8DF
Blue Room 53 Wembley Hill Road, Wembley, HA9 8BE
JJ Moons 397 High Road, Wembley, HA9 7DT
Thirsty Eddie’s 412 High Road, Wembley, HA9 6AH
Flannery’s 610 High Road, Wembley, HA0 2AF
Mannions 313 Harrow Road, Wembley, HA9 6BA
The Copper Jug 10 The Broadway, Wembley, HA9 8JU
Powerleague Olympic Way, Wembley
Fusilier 652 Harrow Road, Wembley, HA0 2HA
Liquor Station 379 High Road, Wembley, HA9 6AA
Station 31 299-301 Harrow Rd, Wembley
Masti 576 – 582 High Rd, Wembley, HA0 2A

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National Demonstration for Gaza Saturday 9th August

From Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Brent residents attending the demo are welcome to meet up with others at Kilburn Jubilee Line station (southbound platform) at 11.30 am on Saturday.

National Demonstration for Gaza Saturday 9 August. Assemble 12 noon outside BBC, Portland Place (tubes: Great Portland Street/Oxford Circus) marching to rally at Hyde Park via US Embassy

Please ask all your family and friends to join the demonstration on Saturday. Be a part of it! At the time of writing (Tuesday) over 1,814 Palestinians have been killed and 9,536 injured.  UN OCHA says "Children continue to bear the brunt of the crisis". The number of children killed stands at 408 with at least 2,877 children injured.

An Israeli missile attack on Sunday against an UNWRA school has been condemned by the UN  as 'criminal act.' Yesterday (Monday), Israel broke its own ceasefire, killing an eight year old Palestinian girl and flattening her family home. The Israelis then launched an attack on another home> Whole neighbourhoods have been flattened, and almost half of the Strip was already a 'no go zone', before the bombardment of Rafah. Palestinians are struggling to dig out the bodies of the dead, hospitals struggling to cope with the bloodshed and death, and shelters struggling to cope with the hundreds of thousands attempting to seek refuge. Ambulances, hospitals and UN schools sheltering refugees have all been targeted by Israeli bombs. International outrage has escalated, with thousands blocking the streets outside the Israeli Embassy in London over the weekend, and protests taking place across Britain. But even now, the BBC is determined to 'defend Israel'>  We need to increase the pressure even further - and ensure that our voices are heard. Please ensure that nobody can say that they didn't know about the demonstration this coming Saturday - forward this email on to family and friends, and bring them along. Tell Cameron - NOT IN MY NAME! STOP ARMING ISRAEL! STOP THE MASSACRE! Take action - sign our letter to the Prime Minister>  Join us on Saturday - and spread the word! Click here for the facebook event page.