MOUND ZERO

Brighton community garden The Mound was evicted by force in in the early hours of Wednesday morning (May 18th).  Around twenty heavies and eight coppers turned up, taking the opportunity to swoop on the site whilst most of the gardeners were out of town visiting another community garden at Heathrow.  

By the time the The Mound collective rushed back to Brighton, the site was heavily guarded and the bulldozers were already in full swing.  There was one arrest around as a protester tried to scale the walls to resist the eviction.  He was cuffed and dragged down the street by cops just as more supporters started to arrive.

The guerilla gardeners stood together, with signs and placards, and watched as ‘The Mound’ signage was tossed aside. The bailiffs then spent twenty paid minutes literally polishing the Hargreaves ‘To Let’ sign.  Well, if its gonna last another ten years, folks, it really does need to sparkle...

* Meanwhile Lewes Climate Camp (see SchNEWS 769) also faces eviction having lost their legal battle to remain in the disused grounds of a former special needs school – St Anne’s - handily located under the windows of the county council offices. Can it be mere coincidence that both county and district councils became Tory controlled the week before?

The camp’s original plan to stay a week was torn up after garnering healthy local support and finding out the council had designs on selling the site for prime development. A new occupation called STAND (St Anne’s Diggers) was started. Three weeks in, the well organised and family-friendly site is still going strong and taking to the trees ahead of next Wednesday’s expected eviction attempt.

There will be an open meeting on Sunday afternoon for people supporting their attempts to stay and eventually hand over the precious open space to Lewes residents. See www.climatecamp.org.uk