The local council are attempting to stunt the growth, education, opportunities and talents of everyone especially our young people and elders by wanting to close down Centerprise Trust Community and Arts Centre in Dalston.
Last year Hackney Council gave the 41-year old centre two weeks to cease operations and hand over the keys to the property.The Centre is still in danger of closure although the Council have recently agreed to mediation. The Trust’s clientele are mainly, minorities such as women, children and black and other ethnic minority communities. As the only book shop in Hackney dedicated to radical thought, there will be a democratic deficit should the Centre close, coupled with the loss of vital services to the most vulnerable in the community.
My family were born and raised in Hackney and I have spent all my life in and around Dalston. What used to be a cultural hub of black book shops, businesses and community events has become a place where we can only spend our money to boost the non black business owners quality of life while we are pushed out by rising rents and lack of opportunities and support. They did the same thing to the building on Ashwin Street. Closed down a centre that provided educational and job seeking support to the people that needed it most and replaced it with some hip and trendy and I use those words very loosely space for twats, coke sniffers, wannabes, pseudo artists who wanna drink coffee and sit at their laptops all day pretending to be cool.. I fucking hate what is happening and happened. I used to know the people in this area now I be lucky to even spot one friend. Closing this centre is just plain bullshit. The amount of late night ‘cafe/bars’ that are along this street now is mind baffling…along with the influx of non blacks feeling cool to be living here….my home is becoming strange lands to me and I am seriously contemplating moving to be near my peoples.. but then I would be defeated.
