chiron wrote:
Just been reading all that stuff about Brett.Got me thinking about the squatscene in general and the darker side of the whole malarky.Seems to me that what starts out as something positive,progressive and, dare I say radical, inevitably starts to attract the desperate,dysfunctional and in this case dangerous types who end up becoming at the very least a burden and at the worst a force of destruction.It’s a tricky one.Nuff times I’ve lived in squats where the original crew end up becoming amateur careworkers,councillers etc.This always weakens whatever creative potential there was in the first place.I knew Brett in what I consider the heyday of the scene in London,about six or seven years ago when all the K.D.U and Hekate crews were starting up.Didn’t get to know him well but he had a genuine spirit which both humbled and inspired a fucked up k-head like myself.Every time I saw him he had flyers in his hands. Respect
hi chiron! welcome to partyvibe..
I totally agree with what you are saying as I have seen it happen so many times in squats in my city – to the point where now only the desparate (usually those addicted to IV drug use and who live by burglaries) squat now (made worse by violent crack dealers who will take over a squat) and all the creative people just get jobs and rent houses (and often give up their creative stuff as work takes away their time and energy).
Another issue is that the whole process of squatting/free partying does require a certain amount of front/aggression, and a disregard for conventional laws/morals.
Even though its not of course real violence, it is the process of taking over someone elses space (even if unused) and using it for your own purposes usually against the owners will, its taking matters into your own hands.
This can create a wider “DIY justice” culture; whilst when taking a building its positive, there is always the danger in a group which is often dominated by males (many girls I know do not feel safe squatting unless as half of a couple because they are sometimes preyed upon by other squatters) that violence becomes an easy solution to conflict.
If opponents can simply be overpowered or driven away from the group there is no need for a consensus solution.
I also increasingly fear the “social anarchy” that some people claim to support is really merely a patriarchal society where the strongest man is in charge and everyone follows; but (particularly when a crisis situation occurs like a lack of resources or an external pressure such as cops/eviction etc) you often get a situation where everyone wants to lead but refuses to follow or even try to get middle ground
and thats where things go badly wrong..
