Battle for Stokes Croft Continued.

As you may have heard the Tescos eventually did open in April 2011. At first people picketed outside the store giving out information and talking to the public. This was very civilised and I had a good feeling about these guys, however; some unsavory people had moved into the Telepathic Heights building across the road driving out the nice people that I had come to know. Now i don't know the exact details but apparently one of them made a threat to blow up the Tesco building, a threat the local authorities took rather seriously.

I arrived on the scene an hour into the events and had to go round the block to get to my back gate on picton street. The whole roundabout on the Cheltenham road/Ashley road junction was blocked by lines of police. They had tried to evict Telepathic Heights but the public who were in the swing of a night out ignited!

People had tried to block themselves into the area, or more to the point stop the police from getting in by taking peoples bins and lining them in the road. The big thing to do was to set the bins on fire. This didnt stop the police the first time or any of the times after that but it made people feel strong in some way.

The fire brigade was quick to put them out after the police had cleared the area of people throwing bottles and bits of masonary.

The whole event spread to the st pauls area and at times the Telepathic Heights building was one of the most peacful places to be. Events did return to the area with people throwing things wildly at the police (and consequently other members of the public). People shouting 'Our Streets!' and claiming that this wouldn't be happening if the police weren't there, conveniently detaching themselves from responsibility over the moral choice to throw that brick or not. Eventualy the police did evacuate the area and when this happened I saw a man running down the street wildly ripping the council bins off of their fixings, the ego had won. Attention quickly turned to the Tesco building.

People laid into that place like there was no tomorow. The police returned and everyone ran and threw things. This happened a few times and I eventualy got bored of drawing because it was a mindless show of muscle on both sides.

The next morning and the area was being treated as a crime scene in part due to the fact that an officer almost died from having a block of masonary dropped on his head. International media was there and people were being interviewed. The local population seemed to disliked the events that took place that night.

The Tesco opened again a month later.

to be continued?

London TUC march for the alternatives.

On March the 23rd 2011 a mass rally organized by the Trades Union Congress happened in London in response to the governments proposed cuts to public sector jobs as a means of easing our way out the current recession. They aimed to get 1 million people to march through London but the estimated turn out was between 300,000-500,000. Representatives from many Unions attended and a rally was held in Hyde park with public speakers. On the whole it was well organized, civilized event but there was an underbelly radicals intent on causing mischief.

Using a wash for the first time, I started drawing from Westminster bridge. The number of people was overwhelming and I realised that a broader eye for composition will be a necessity to capture the event.

The march moves past parliment and heads along Whitehall

After reaching Trafalgar it heads towards Hyde park. Nelsons column becomes a resting place and people break off in other directions. The Uk uncut group and Anarchist groups are smashing shops on oxford street. Shops owned by the Arcadia group who's boss owes the uk billions of pounds of Tax. Also several banks are smashed. I missed the action! but a part of me doesn't want to document this as i consider it unproductive and degrades the view of the rally in the public eye, also i'm getting tired of drawing police helmets.

Every now and then you would catch the faint drumming of a samba band somewhere in the streets of London. What kind of a protest would it be without a samba band or two?

The march ends up in Hyde park where people are giving speeches.

I catch up with the events in Oxford Circus. This is the aftermath of the burning of a large effigy of a horse. I do not know why they did this or what it symbolised.

More fires are burned in Trafalgar Square. The scene is set to the sound of  Dub Step and Gabba techno. Mostly young people. Graffiti and anarchist signs are starting to appear all over the column and the drink is flowing. This is why protests don't work in England, this is seen as making a statement against the 'system'. The same system that grants us the liberty to make such statements in the first place. I gues taking part in the political process would be too boring as it wouldn't involve a party.

New website

Here's a link to my new website which contains the images from this blog and many more from other projects including oil paintings and charcoal landscapes. www.timnurse.co.uk

Student education cuts protest 5/12/10

 In response to the coalition government cuts, students arrange to protest against cuts to education spending and increased university tuition fees. A rally in College Green becomes chaotic as protesters run up Park Street followed police on horse back.































The students are kettled on the Triangle and wait peacefully, shouting the odd chant. A popular chant is about burning the politicians. Members of the public are rolling their eyes and raising their eye brows disapprovingly at this.

The Protesters are marched back down Park street. Various unions have come out with banners to show their support. One banner reads 'Bristol Health Services'.

Kettled again on College Green, some protesters managed to avoid being held captive. After an hour or 2 the officers start letting people out on the premise that they leave the area. Eventually it all comes to an end.
This image highlights a problem I seem to be having with getting the length of legs correct, in particular horse legs.

The battle of Stokes Croft

To start things off im going to have to do some back tracking so let me take you back to last year. Its March and the sun is shining in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol. A group of squatters are fortifying themselves in the building of a proposed new Tesco's store; preparing for an eviction. They accuse Tesco of saturating the area with outlets and will not stand to see another one open up.

I arrive at the scene to find scores of people watching as a cherry picker and bailiffs try to pick people off of the roof. But the squatters are putting up a fight. Using ladders and throwing foul smelling liquiuds they manage to fend them off.

There's a circle of police officers and  maybe 10 horses keeping people away. The whole of Cheltenham road from Jamaica street to the arches is blocked off, its a battle ground.

Bit by bit the defences are broken down, one by one the squatters are picked from the roof; coming back down to earth to the sound of cheers from the crowd. Its game over.
















to be continued...