Hulme squatters admit to drug abuse but insist they will stay in Hope Inn
MM Exclusive
By Barrie White
Squatters have admitted to MM that drugs are still being abused while they continue to occupy a pub in Hulme.
Two squatters, who gave their names as ‘Ed’ and ‘Al’, gave an, at times, incoherent and confused account of their occupation of the Hope Inn on Chester Road.
When asked whether they allow drugs to be consumed, Al said: “I’m going to be honest with you, it does get abused. But people are responsible in this house for themselves.”
The pub is owned by Lau Yuk, 52, who had planned to re-develop the pub before the group seized control through an already broken window.
Al confirmed this: “Someone said it had already been broken into so they thought they would break into it as well.”
Ed and Al were clear about the reasons for the occupation and how long they intended to stay.
Ed, wearing a tutu, said: “It’s a social community where we want everyone to take part.
He added: “All we want here is for people who come here who have problems and they sort it out and go out of here with smiles on their faces.”
He continued: “We plan to stay here as long as we can. Definitely at least a year.”
NO HOPE?: The Hope Inn, where the squatter refuse to leave
Currently, Greater Manchester Police are not in a position to remove the squatters as it is a civil matter.
However, if Mrs Yuk can make it happen, Al insisted the squatters will go quietly.
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She said: “We’d have to move on if the owner got a court order. We don’t want any violence.”
Ed said the local kids had accepted the squatters: “They thought I was well cool.”
He added: “I went the newsagents in tutu and kids asked me if I was gay and I said I’m not. I showed them the newspaper we were in and they were alright.”
But he evaded giving an answer when asked if the squatters had considered the impact of their action on local residents and Mrs Yuk.
Ed admitted that he had squatted in Manchester before and will do again.
He said: “There’s been quite a few places I’ve squatted in the past scene in Manchester.”
He added: “And again, if we do get kicked out of this place, we’ll be going to another place.”
Squatters in Hulme hit back at drugs scandal and emphasise community links
Piccadilly Pulse: Squatters – 17/04/2011
HAPPY DAYS: Al and Ed pose for a photo in the Hope Inn
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chill winston
seems like the facts are laid out quite clearly to me.
they are squatting and they admit to abusing drugs whether you like it or not, but then I imagine you are a squatter and are just upset they are giving you a bad name.
This is an article?
What the bloody hell am I reading here? First of all, you don't deserve the name Barrie White, only one man does, and he is not with us anymore. Second, this article is biased, one sided and seems to have been written by someone with a cashew for a brain. I guess someone is trying to impress Rupert Murdoch by twisting and skewing the facts to create some type of "controversy" ... keep trying Barrie White.
Hobbit
THIS ISN'T NEWS.
This is just pure scape-goating
THe real news is the ammount of people who will be forced to make drastic and unimaginable changes to their lifestyles (just like these people) due to the cuts made AND IMPLEMENTED by the SELFISH, GREEDY, IGNORANT AND DISTURBING few who call themselves 'our leaders' .
Lets not forget the people who also control the money supply of the worlds nations who work behind a smoke screen of propaganda and filtered mainstream news feeds.
THESE PEOPLE ARE THE REAL MINORITY
So please, stop the victimization of these people who are just trying to promote social change.
If you want a INTELLIGENT DEBATE then please feel free to add me on facebook.
Hobbit is my name.
1 LOVE
x
hmm
infact, you can clearly see on the by the picture posted in this article that the graf has been painted over... so please, if you have a point dont try and support it with bullshit.
hmm
the graf on the outside the of the building was nothing to do with with the squatters and was there previous to them moving in... and if you have passed the property while the squatters have been there you will have noticed it has been painted over with white paint by the squatters...
The owner of the building has applied for planning perminsion to turn the building into a block of flats so the interior walls which may or may not have been painted is irelevant to the owner as she intends to knock it down and renovate anyway.
The squatters have heard nothing but possitive reports from local residents who would prefer the building to be used to house and provide a possitive enviroment for the community, rather than leaving the building for the local heroin addicts to have somewere to shoot up in.
The unimaginable stress of the owner??? have you ever lived with the stress of being homeless. She clearly doesnt live in the property and therefore must live somewere else... having enough money to leave buildings empty in citys were these people have grown up and been left without a home. If you are a resident of hulme, your right wing attitudes are not welcome in an area that throughout history has strived for social change.
Jog On.
Property owner rights?
Which is why the squatters have graffitied all over the walls, inside and out. Absolutely disgusting and if anything this article portrays the squatters in a better than deserved light. Not enough focus on the owner of the property, who must be going through unimaginable stress due to the selfish acts of a minority who are certainly not supported by the local residents.
blah
When we found the empty property several windows had been broken, pipes had been tatted and used needles had been left on the floor.
we do care about the propertys, that is why we live in them and use them as social spaces.... i think the people who dont care about them are the money grabbing landlords who own several propertys and leave them to be abandoned. The hope inn is not a drug den, and this feeble attempt to make it look so makes nothing more than a poor report.
squatter
ok, Barrie White.
This is a clear manipulation on the words spoken by the two youngest and most inexperienced squatters in the building. We are trying our best to turn an abandoned space into a community project, involving local youths and anyone with any possitive ideas. Having spoken to both 'ed' and 'al' they feel very angry about your report and told me that you led them to believe you was a friend and supported what they were doing with the building, while we are trying to create something positive with an abandoned space, promoting autonamy and free thinking, outside of government. Several workshops teaching life skills such as paramedics showing first aid skills and artists teaching music and circus skills. There is also plans for opening part of the space as a free shop and inviting in the local community so the have access to free clothes, were they can take or donate.
Aside from this... your article is boring and isnt really 'news', i would find a different career path if i was you... or if you like being a slimy reporter that manipulates young working class members of our commuity, who are trying to be part of something possitive in a city badly affected by the cuts... carry on... 'NO HOPE'??
Pointless comments
If anything I think the reporter has done well to notice a topical story but find a new and interesting angle which shows another side of the situation that could actually help the owner get their property back.
I don't see how the headline is a 'red herring' as surely any persistent use of a drug that's not needed medically can be rightly classed as 'drug abuse' whether it's 'recreational' or not?
Also I would hardly say the headline is sensationalised - it just sums the story up. It's not exactly 'squatters start crack den'
I think this story could have
I think this story could have been more enlightening if we knew more about the financial situations of the squatters and the owner respectively. If the owner is really hard-up and you told us this then it would make us more sympathetic towards him. But the story makes you warm to the squatters, especially the 'cute' picture. They look like the type of harmless, ignorant kids who would be on Skins not robbing, nasty people.
Say what
Their cheek is almost admirable.
Comment
Surely the point is that the
Surely the point is that the police had no grounds to act as they are not breaking the law by squatting.... but they are admitting to breaking the law in other ways, and therefore now perhaps the police could act?
You may well find as many drugs in a middle class teens room in Didsbury, but they are doing it in their own home, their own property. Not someone else's...
The headline is a red herring
The headline is a red herring and just really misleading, perhaps irresponsibly so.It paints these kids as hardened crack addicts or something where as I really doubt much more than a little recreational drug use is going on. You'd probably find as much 'drug abuse' in the top floor bedroom of an upper middle class teenager in Didsbury.
There's a more interesting story here and it honestly didn't need the sensationalism.
I think the fact that they're illegally inhabiting the house is the issue here and the fact that the police are so disinterested. Sure, the law hamstrings them, but it's not like their rushing to get anything done are they?
Similarly the story seems to be lacking comment from the buildings owner. Are they unimportant here because one of the kids was happy to say they did drugs to a reporter? Or are they just not bothered? In which case, should we be?
squatters
I'm sick of seeing stuff like this. We give too many rights to people, we're far too inclined to protect people's freedom despite the fact that these peopl obviously don't care about the people whose property they are staying in.
Chuck 'em out!!
What a joke
shouldn't they be kicked out now?
or arrested?
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