Squatters & Rotters: A Resident Rages

So I was cruising down Stoke Newington Church Street on Friday night - with the brood en route to ten-pin bowling, since you ask - and went past the now former Vortex jazz club which is presently occupied by protesters enraged by the venue's new owner's cunning plan to, apparently, redevelop the building as a bunch of luxury flats. This reminded me to link to Stoke Newington Kris's several posts on the mini-saga, which seem to reveal a certain conflict of local opinion about which is the worse, the prospect of the developer getting his own way or the late-night racket made by those bent on stopping him - a sadly familiar irony in the recent history of struggles over Hackney properties and community concern.

Comments

[Ms Melancholy]

I live up north now, and so have only just heard about the Vortex. I had some wonderful times there when I lived in Stokey, about 20 years ago. I feel so sad that this place - dedicated to good, live music without pretention or airs - is possibly to be developed as luxury flats. Does SN need more luxury flats?

[Ms Baroque]

Ms M, well London needs more housing - I'd think, of whatever description. Stoke Newington doesn't need more yuppies though.

And while it was hugely distressing when the Criminal Justice Act came in and all the squatters were evicted in whatever year it was - Church St had a large, thriving squatting community in it which was a big part of the flavour of the neighbourhood - that doesn't mean that all squats are good. These guys seem not to be trying to be part of this neighbourhood - their website just incites to revolution or whatever. And their gigs, however fun it is to have a gig, go on too long & loud and the police get called - and when the police come they rough up the kids (15, 16) without entering the premises - and from what I can see on Kris' blog, the X-Vortex people are quite happy to leave the kids to it. Which ain't my idea of how "community" works, especially when you, the over-21s, have invited a bunch of under-16s there on the promise of getting to play live with their bands.

So it's unfortunate.

The old squat even had a school. It wasn't so polarised then. They were just getting on with it and supplied the entire neighbourhood with nannies, etc. But the neighbourhood wasn't so pretentious then.

[kris]

I think it was the drunken/drugged 15 year old kids falling around pissing all over the place that nailed it for me.

The squatters want all the rights of a club but none of the responsibilities.

BTW, the Vortex lives- albeit in Dalston. The squatters have a little book with "Your Memories of the Vortex".

What do the squatters know or care about the Vortex?!