Squats 'n' Cops
Object
News Sheet
Production date
1992
Object number
2015.17
Physical Description
Accounts of the Nevil Arms and Mile End Police Attacks on Squats
Associated Person
Walker, Martin (Designer)
Material
Paper
Dimension
Width: 210mm
Height: 297mm
Height: 297mm
On display?
No
Inscription
The point is that if you’re prepared to fight, if witnesses come forward, if a campaign is run to find witnesses and publicise acquittals, and most of all, if you sue the bastards when you win, they’ll think twice. BUT, if you plead guilty to get it over with, if the witness can’t be bothered, if we let it happen, then it will happen again.
The state likes its victims to lie down and take it. Don’t - or they’ll be back for more. Make them squirm in the witness box and then hit them back where it hurts - in the pocket.
FIGHT BACK
If you are wrongly arrested or assaulted by police in Hackney, contact:
HACKNEY COMMUNITY DEFENCE ASSOCIATION
THE COLIN ROACH CENTRE
10a BRADBURY STREET
DALSTON, LONDON, N16 7JN
TELEPHONE: 071 249 0193
Employment rights
Fighting racial harassment
Immigration
Policing
Squatting
Poll tax
Housing
Education
Trade union rights
Social security
ADVICE SURGERIES
Starting
TUESDAY 19TH JANUARY
AND
FIRST & THIRD TUESDAYS OF EACH MONTH
Thereafter
6.30 - 8.30 PM
At the
COLIN ROACH CENTRE
10a Bradbury St, Dalston, N16
SQUATS ‘n’ COPS
ACCOUNTS OF THE NEVIL AND MILE END POLICE ATTACKS ON SQUATS AND MORE!
NEVIL 9 COPS 0
Around Xmas 1991, the Nevil Arms, an old pub round the back of Stoke Newington police station, was squatted as a community centre. It provided a meeting place, held women and kids parties,“queer crusties” nights, squatters groups,etc.
On 23 February 1992, a party took place at the Nevil. It was hardly a riotous event, at least not around 10.30. This was when the cops showed up, just a couple of them, had a look around, and left. About 20 minutes later the cops returned en masse - and they didn’t bring a bottle. Having forced their way in uninvited and illegally, they were instructed by their leader Sgt Leroy Logan to clear the place. At around the same time it was pointed out to them that they had no right to be there - the law was quoted. The (obviously highly trained) officers responded by arresting people, smacking their heads against anything convenient, handcuffing them and dragging them off to the meat wagon. Having decided to clear the place, the police tried to get everyone out at once. When this lead to a total jam of people, including children, in the door-way, the cops pushed harder.
By the time the cops had brought their dogs along and neighbours watched in horror as these were encouraged to chase and snap at the departing party-goers. One particular plain clothes policeman went into a frenzy, practising the sort of martial arts skills he’d been taught in case he ever had to disarm a crazed gunman on whoever he stumbled, frightened, into his path.
This is what policing professionals call dispersing a crowd. When the crowd had been “dispersed”, a group of people went to Stokey nick to complain. On the way one of them was arrested for
Allegedly: spitting at a cop
Really: making a complaint.
This guy was the first to be tried, within fortnight he had been acquitted - largely because several witnesses got it together to see his solicitor or HCDA and make statements. Over the few months things went well, lots of witnesses came forward and the charges against two of the defendants were dropped altogether. The other 6 defendants had their charges reduced from affray, which carries a 3-year max prison sentence to less serious charges of threatening behaviour and assault police. Although this meant they were less likely go down it also meant that they lost their right to a jury trial. The prosecution often reduces charges to take cases away from the jury, after the police have initially tried to put the shits up you with a serious charge. This is one of the many reasons why you shouldn’t plead guilty straight away just to get it over with.
The state likes its victims to lie down and take it. Don’t - or they’ll be back for more. Make them squirm in the witness box and then hit them back where it hurts - in the pocket.
FIGHT BACK
If you are wrongly arrested or assaulted by police in Hackney, contact:
HACKNEY COMMUNITY DEFENCE ASSOCIATION
THE COLIN ROACH CENTRE
10a BRADBURY STREET
DALSTON, LONDON, N16 7JN
TELEPHONE: 071 249 0193
Employment rights
Fighting racial harassment
Immigration
Policing
Squatting
Poll tax
Housing
Education
Trade union rights
Social security
ADVICE SURGERIES
Starting
TUESDAY 19TH JANUARY
AND
FIRST & THIRD TUESDAYS OF EACH MONTH
Thereafter
6.30 - 8.30 PM
At the
COLIN ROACH CENTRE
10a Bradbury St, Dalston, N16
SQUATS ‘n’ COPS
ACCOUNTS OF THE NEVIL AND MILE END POLICE ATTACKS ON SQUATS AND MORE!
NEVIL 9 COPS 0
Around Xmas 1991, the Nevil Arms, an old pub round the back of Stoke Newington police station, was squatted as a community centre. It provided a meeting place, held women and kids parties,“queer crusties” nights, squatters groups,etc.
On 23 February 1992, a party took place at the Nevil. It was hardly a riotous event, at least not around 10.30. This was when the cops showed up, just a couple of them, had a look around, and left. About 20 minutes later the cops returned en masse - and they didn’t bring a bottle. Having forced their way in uninvited and illegally, they were instructed by their leader Sgt Leroy Logan to clear the place. At around the same time it was pointed out to them that they had no right to be there - the law was quoted. The (obviously highly trained) officers responded by arresting people, smacking their heads against anything convenient, handcuffing them and dragging them off to the meat wagon. Having decided to clear the place, the police tried to get everyone out at once. When this lead to a total jam of people, including children, in the door-way, the cops pushed harder.
By the time the cops had brought their dogs along and neighbours watched in horror as these were encouraged to chase and snap at the departing party-goers. One particular plain clothes policeman went into a frenzy, practising the sort of martial arts skills he’d been taught in case he ever had to disarm a crazed gunman on whoever he stumbled, frightened, into his path.
This is what policing professionals call dispersing a crowd. When the crowd had been “dispersed”, a group of people went to Stokey nick to complain. On the way one of them was arrested for
Allegedly: spitting at a cop
Really: making a complaint.
This guy was the first to be tried, within fortnight he had been acquitted - largely because several witnesses got it together to see his solicitor or HCDA and make statements. Over the few months things went well, lots of witnesses came forward and the charges against two of the defendants were dropped altogether. The other 6 defendants had their charges reduced from affray, which carries a 3-year max prison sentence to less serious charges of threatening behaviour and assault police. Although this meant they were less likely go down it also meant that they lost their right to a jury trial. The prosecution often reduces charges to take cases away from the jury, after the police have initially tried to put the shits up you with a serious charge. This is one of the many reasons why you shouldn’t plead guilty straight away just to get it over with.
