250 people prevent eviction in Nottingham

Alan Story of Left Unity Nottinghamshire reports

‘It really is terrorism.’ Tom Crawford, aged 63 and an ex-cancer patient, had just finished giving one more interview with an eager young freelance journo from the national press who was all very interested in asking the supposed key questions of the hour: “do you have grandchildren, Tom? And how many?”

I was dropping back to pay a ‘hang-in-there-Tom’ visit after the ‘excitement’ of the day before. That excitement was more than 250 people – neighbours, old friends and family, members of Anonymous, a few lefties from Left Unity and other activists, former ‘strangers’ from Bath to Newcastle, from Liverpool to London and even a bloke from Australia – filling up a tiny cul-du-sac in Carlton, Nottingham where Tom and his wife live.

With one voice, they had said “Tom’s home is our home” and a bailiff with an eviction order had stayed away on Wednesday. In fact, been forced to. The warrant had not been executed, reported the local newspaper, due to the bailiff’s ‘safety concerns.’

Of course, this is just capitalist fat speak. How can a bailiff be worried about ‘safety’ when he was about to make a couple in their 60s homeless? No, on a hot July day, determined people’s power had proved stronger than this bailiff.

So of course Tom is feeling buoyed up. It is not every day that more 250 people from across England show up to help you save your house, a house you had paid the endowment mortgage on for more than two decades ….and that a bailiff and a bank now want to take away from you.

But Tom is also looking rather stressed as he stands alone on his front porch. He knows the bailiff will go back to court again, get another warrant, and try again another day,

‘When?’ I ask. ‘Who knows?’ Tom replies and the stress shows again on his face.

And if the bailiff does not succeed, the next actor in the legal line-up to seize his home will be the Sheriff of Nottingham. How much has really changed? ‘We need a few Robin Hoods,’ says Tom with a smile. Yes, indeed.

Perhaps you don’t have a bow and arrow handy, but please do keep your powder dry and keep in touch with this FB page to know when you will be needed again.

Watch out, as well, for the planned victory party next week. Online discussions have already begun about how to build an eviction ‘rapid response unit’ in Nottingham to help others in the same situation.

Tom is running short of time and he has a lot on his mind. As I walk away from his house, I remember what Tom had said to me but five minutes ago. “It really is terrorism.” Yes, the terror of capitalism and private property and banks and bailiffs.

Just one last question, Tom.

“How many houses are repossessed every year across Nottinghamshire?”

“About 12,000. Something needs to be done.”

The day before, Tom and these 250 former strangers had showed us all at least one thing that needs to be done. Bravo!