I got up early (8am! yikes!!!) and made my way to the local office supply store where I had to pick up a USB drive because my camera chip was full. I came back and dropped my photos and cleared the camera... finally, room to shoot freely.
Made a run to the library for blogging and then over to the cafe for a long black. The lovely barista, Nina, gave me a free gourmet deli sandwich also, win! =)
Came back to the squat to get ready for People's Kitchen... a cooked an apple crumble to go with the vegan feast. About 2 dozen people came by and we had a great meal and an impromptu juggling session with jugglers far better than I am.
Pierce juggled while riding a skateboard in a little circle in the bar multi -tasking at its finest.
After people left, I repacked my bag and went to bed.
Tuesday was another early day, Esher, Jack, Jase, Jess and I all piled in the little Hyundai, made stops for petrol and snacks; then drove the 10 hours South to Melbourne.
Got in around 10, We're staying in a 5 unit apartment that's been squatted. It was an old party hangout for local kids who trashed the place. Now, Melbourne drunk punks have opened it as a living space, repairing the damage that party kids did and barricading it against further intrusion from vandals and junkies.
Unfortunately the cops came by two days ago and told them they have to get out by friday. The cops were sympathetic and said that this group is obviously far better than the kids who come to trash the place and get wasted, but the owners have asked that anyone there be told to leave. The squatters are thinking about trying to contact the property owner and plead their case - that it's better to have people who are looking for a long term housing option in your building, fixing and protecting it from kids looking to get munted and smash things. who knows how it'll work out.
Today I'm out on the town in Melbourne... exploring and having fun.
- Fritz Misanthrope
- Hedonist. Adventurer, Artist, Photographer, Poet, Revolutionary.
Showing posts with label Punk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punk. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Squats
I've moved into a squatted house in the suburbs of Sydney. There is one person in particular who lives there, he found it and 'opened' it. He is a musician who has been squatting for a few years and is a central figure in the local movement. There are about 6 other local punks who would otherwise be homeless who stay at the place on various couches and matresses. The upstairs area is pretty clean, the downstairs, where most people stay, is a bit more chaotic.
Next door is another squatted house, this one inhabited by 6 other people, plus a few travelers crashing in free space. The house I'm in has a decidedly punk feel to it, where as the house next door is mostly hippies and activist types. (reminds me of Eugene...)
Decision making takes an 'autonomous direct action' approach... my favourite. There aren't house meetings, or planning comittes or any similar beaurocracy. When people see something that needs doing, they do it. Cleaning the house, washing dishes, repairing the physical structure, whatever. No one gives orders and things still get done.
Last night, we cooked a huge vegan feast and had the first night of a (hopefully) long running community event: 'People's Kitchen'. Homebrew on tap, Against Me blaring on the sound system, two dozen local radicals gathered around emmense pots of curry, dahl, soup, rice, salad and a delicious homemade banana cake topped with vegan banana ice cream. We talked politics and joked about differences in cultures.
Some of the squatters look at squatting in itself as a revolutionary political action. By choosing to live this lifestyle, without working or paying for things, they deny their labor power to an economic system they see as based in inequality and oppression. By contributing nothing and taking everything they can, they hope to bleed the beast of capitalism dry.
Others look at squatting as a means to an end, a way to live free in their daily lives, without the drain on their time, intelligence and creativity that working for wages inevitably produces. With their time and mental energy free, they can devote themselves to various projects that they hope will create a better world.
There is a strong DIY ethic, most of the long term squatters have gained skills through their lifestyle for everyday living: rewiring elctricity, plumbing, carpentry, gardening, cooking, making/mending clothes... all for themselves and their community. They wouldn't think of selling their time for something as trivial as a paycheck, they are after bigger game: liberation.
Next door is another squatted house, this one inhabited by 6 other people, plus a few travelers crashing in free space. The house I'm in has a decidedly punk feel to it, where as the house next door is mostly hippies and activist types. (reminds me of Eugene...)
Decision making takes an 'autonomous direct action' approach... my favourite. There aren't house meetings, or planning comittes or any similar beaurocracy. When people see something that needs doing, they do it. Cleaning the house, washing dishes, repairing the physical structure, whatever. No one gives orders and things still get done.
Last night, we cooked a huge vegan feast and had the first night of a (hopefully) long running community event: 'People's Kitchen'. Homebrew on tap, Against Me blaring on the sound system, two dozen local radicals gathered around emmense pots of curry, dahl, soup, rice, salad and a delicious homemade banana cake topped with vegan banana ice cream. We talked politics and joked about differences in cultures.
Some of the squatters look at squatting in itself as a revolutionary political action. By choosing to live this lifestyle, without working or paying for things, they deny their labor power to an economic system they see as based in inequality and oppression. By contributing nothing and taking everything they can, they hope to bleed the beast of capitalism dry.
Others look at squatting as a means to an end, a way to live free in their daily lives, without the drain on their time, intelligence and creativity that working for wages inevitably produces. With their time and mental energy free, they can devote themselves to various projects that they hope will create a better world.
There is a strong DIY ethic, most of the long term squatters have gained skills through their lifestyle for everyday living: rewiring elctricity, plumbing, carpentry, gardening, cooking, making/mending clothes... all for themselves and their community. They wouldn't think of selling their time for something as trivial as a paycheck, they are after bigger game: liberation.
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