For over a week now the “Love Activists” squatting group has been occupying the Bank of England building on Castle Street in the centre of Liverpool. They have opened the old bank as a space for the homeless with kitchen, sleeping space etc. They are expecting eviction, and yesterday (29 April) large numbers of police arrived at the building in what looked set to be an attack on the squat. However, after harassing people outside and issuing a dispersal order, most of the cops left. Up to now, the building remains occupied. For more information and updates see the occupiers’ facebook page. Below we repost a statement of demands from the group, via squat.net.
We make this document a Statement of Intent regarding the old Bank of England building on Castle Street, Liverpool. The intentions are as follows to feed, cloth and help all those who seek it and for the local community to help resource this project.
We intend to use this building for the community, to inspire a feeling of community, which is lacking.
We do this in direct response to a local council and government who are lacking in their efforts to help those in need and in fact, the local Council and government seem intent on making matters worse for the people by putting more and more austerity measures in place.
We wish by the direct action of occupying an empty unused building and using said building to provide certain needs for the street people or for that matter anyone else who needs to use what is provided by donations, which come from the local community.
We intend to live in peace and harmony with our local community and will resolve any issues which are brought to our attention.
@Love Activists (Liverpool) former Bank of England.
@Love Activists (Liverpool) former Bank of England.
Our demands are as follows:
1. We demand Mayor Joe Anderson meets with us before the end of this week
2. We demand the Merseyside Labour councils and Joe Anderson Mayor rejects the cuts and says no to austerity and no to the cuts. We are suffering ‘Enuf is Enuf’ – we and they need sanctuary.
3. We demand all of the homeless we have been supporting, helping to provide a sense of worth and belonging are re-housed immediately.
4. We demand Social Services and Mental Health Services undertake rapid assessments of those we are supporting, they are very vulnerable.
5. We have learned the drug and alcohol rehabilitation services are underfunded and unsupported, with long waiting lists, cuts to funding. These services must be well resourced and protected. We say no to privatisation.
6. The voices of the homeless must be heard and their requests must be actioned and they must be treated as equals.
7. We have also learned that the Homeless Provision in Merseyside is at breaking point, we have been working with the Whitechapel Centre in particular and will continue with that positive relationship.
8. We demand that the first step to recovery for those with addition issues is a roof over their heads, this is a priority over their recovery.
9. We would also like to thank the community and businesses of Liverpool and further afield for their generous support in solidarity of our direct action to occupy the Bank of England – we have only got this far with that support.
10. We continue to peacefully resist our removal from the Occupied Bank until our demands are met in full.
In peace and solidarity @Love Activists (Liverpool)