...and what we can do to resist it
Gentrification is economic displacement, as well as cultural, social and political. What underpins gentrification is not just economic gain, but importantly government complicity: underfunding and giving power to local councils to allow private companies and businesses to buy the land in these areas and thus giving them control of how it is used and developed.
Collectively fighting back is something we’ve always done and can continue to do to resist gentrification. When we talk about resisting gentrification, rogue landlords and developers, working class people, people of colour, and LGBTQI+ people have always been at the forefront of that resistance.
Some examples that stick out to me are Nijjormanush’s Save Brick Lane campaign which was led by the Bengali community. This Save Brick Lane campaign is still ongoing and feels like a continuation of the organising tradition started by many of their parents and grandparents.
Another incredible anti-gentrification campaign is Save Latin Village. Latin Village occupies the Seven Sisters Indoor Market in Tottenham and is a vibrant hub of Latin American businesses and migrant communities. The beauty in this campaign for me came from their approach. Save Latin Village made huge efforts to eliminate elitism from their spaces and get all people involved.
An example of a winning campaign is People’s Empowerment Alliance for Custom House, otherwise known as PEACH. A group of families campaigned against major managed decline, disrepair and unreasonable rent rises. They not only won by being reabsorbed back into Newham Council, but they also secured a rent reduction of about 60% and repairs secured from Newham Council for the awful disrepair in the home and the estate.
...and what we can do to resist it