A Voice For the Voiceless

The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.

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"Speaking with locals and living in a country is the best way to learn about the real lives of citizens, not just the stories in the mainstream media. I will be more critical of what I read as a result of this experience. I also feel even more grateful for my education, and I feel a stronger responsibility to assist others who do not have resources or access to opportunities in their communities."

Maria Skouras (New York University) volunteered in 2011 as a Peace Fellow for eHomemakers in Malaysia.

For more 2011 feedback click here.

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Partners > Europe > Dale Farm Housing... > Letter Writing Ca...

Letter Writing Campaign

This article by Ann Kobayashi for Peace News details how supporter can use letter writing to help the Travellers at Dale Farm.

DALE FARM TRAVELLER COMMUNITY – STOP EVICTION CAMPAIGN
 
 Dale Farm a former scrap yard between Wickford and Billericay in Essex, is the largest Traveller site in the UK. About 1/3 of the site is authorised, after redesignating the remainder as greenbelt, Basildon Borough Council has refused planning permission to the 90 families who own plots/yards. Compared with planning applications from “settled” residents Travellers` planning applications suffer a 60/70% refusal rate. In the complicated Homelessness application process, the Travellers have specified they are not asking for “bricks and mortar”, most have never lived in a “house” and dread the isolation and insecurity involved. They do not want to deprive genuinely homeless people of housing, they have homes but nowhere to put them legally because of the national shortage of Traveller sites.
 
The most recent pastoral visit to Dale Farm by the Catholic Bishop of Brentwood accompanied by the Anglican Bishop of Bradwell, and their public appeal to find an alternative to eviction, had Council Leader Tony Ball suggesting the Churches offer land to the Travellers. Not only do the Travellers not want charity or patronage, surely local authorities have a duty to respond to the housing needs of a marginalised minority group which just wants the right to continue living in extended family groups on their own yards where they can feel safe and supported.
 
Since the 4-day eviction action in September at Hovefields a smaller Traveller site near Wickford, even the very young Dale Farm children are asking when they are going to be put out. Secret negotiations between the Council and the Homes & Communities Agency which had offered land in the district as an alternative site for Dale Farm, seem to have stalled.   The Council has asked central government for additional funding of up to 10 millionGBP for the eviction action. Essex Police has separately asked the Home Secretary for extra funding for what will be a massive operation lasting at least 3 weeks.
 
Please write asking why Basildon Borough Council is planning to spend a huge amount of public money on evicting a well-established community knowing that there are no authorised temporary stopping places in all Essex, no vacancies on Council-run sites and no alternative land identified for the families to buy. Contact:
 
Cllr Tony Ball
Leader, Basildon Borough Council
Basildon Centre
St. Martin's Square, Basildon
SS14 1DL
tony.ball@members.basildon.gov.uk

Bala Mahendran
Chief Executive, Basildon Borough Council
Basildon Centre
St. Martin's Square, Basildon
SS14 1DL
bala.mahendran@basildon.gov.uk

Eric Pickles
Secretary of State for Communities
Zone 7/JP, Eland House
Bressenden Place, London
SW1E 5DU
gypsies@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Bailiffs are not used to scrutiny during evictions, the small presence of supporters at Hovefields did have some deterrent effect though the local paper called us “rent-a-mob outsiders”!   Even when the authorities show some decency evictions are a violent and bleak business. Once the 28-day quit or be evicted notices are served, we will set up Camp Constant on Dale Farm so supporters can work alongside the families to plan an effective response. So if written protest doesn`t work then can anyone who feels able to volunteer as a Human Rights Monitor, act in other support roles or wants more information, please contact Grattan Puxon at dale.farm@btinternet.com
 
Ann Kobayashi.
Wickford.
 
 

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