samedi 21 novembre 2009

# Take Back The Land

Max Rameau was invited to speak about his association yesterday at the Towards Post-Capitalist Spaces conference. Take Back The Land requisitions illegally some idle lands belonging to the city of Miami in order to provide accommodation for homeless people. The shanty town thus constituted elaborates its own rules of life in community and to maintain good relationships with the neighborhood. Max Rameau affirms that due to a "favorable" context (housing crisis), the ultimate priority for the fight should be the claim of a right to housing which is in contradiction with the current capitalistic laws of absolute profit.
My suggestion here would be (for once) a tactical argument. The fact that one needs an address (therefore a home) in order to vote seems to belong to a very violent segregation towards the poorest which is in total contradiction with the bases of democracy. I am claiming it is a tactical argument based on law since I guess people would prefer to have a home rather than the right to vote, but I feel it could be a way to emphasize the absurdity and the violence of the current situation...
Those lectures has been extremely interesting. One should compare Teddy Cruz approach with Max Rameau's since one is working to make things change in a legal and durable way, dialoguing with the institutions whereas the other is fighting violence with violence by "reclaiming the capitalist spaces" which should anyway be used for the community rather than waiting for a developer to build offices or residences on it.

1 commentaire:

Anonyme a dit…

It is certainly interesting for me to read that post. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything connected to this matter. I definitely want to read a bit more on that blog soon.