Just after 7am on Friday 29th May and 15 or more bailiffs, and a token two cops, work to suddenly smash into the GRASS social centre.

​Despite warnings that evictions were somewhat dodgy during a time of viral pandemic, the bailiffs seemed to enjoy breaking into the door, smashing a glass panel in it for no useful reason, and instantly undermining all the hard work that gone into the making of, and the community value of, the space.

“Thanks from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who helped us and sent their support yesterday. We are gonna discuss our current situation and decide how to continue the GRASS project in the future. In the mean time, I want to say how humble and thankful we are for the support we’ve had so far and the connections we’ve managed to create through all of this.“
– Love and solidarity, your friends at GRASS.

* They can kick us out (sometimes) but they can’t keep us down…

After we decided to cancel all our public events to respond to the virus, all of us at GRASS have started to become more and more involved in the local mutual aid network that has emerged to respond to the crisis. To reflect this, we have decided to turn GRASS into a Mutual Aid Centre that provides a hub for the community efforts already happening in the area.

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To start with, we have been storing different resources needed by the mutual aid network, such as leaflets for the outreach and bleach and gloves for doing safe food deliveries to those in risk. This is in addition to our already existing projects of a free clothes shop and mutual aid books. In the future, as the situation evolves, we will continue growing, with things like free bike repair and maybe, if necessary, storing the food ourselves to be delivered.

In any case, this is as much yours to decide as it is ours. Let us know how you think we could best be using the space to help the community. And above all, get involved in the local mutual aid network. In times like this we must remember that we cannot rely on the government to save us, as it will always prioritise the interests of the rich and the powerful.

Right now, all we have is each other. And we believe that’s all we need.

We now have a Free Shop!

Come and have a browse when we’re open – (12noon to 10pm)

More about free shops:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give-away_shop

We’re a new social centre in Islington, north London, a space for events related to social change and environmental awareness – info-talks, film nights, skill-shares etc. We also have tea and coffee and more for free! Come along to find out more and get involved! Ideas for events welcome