Ą Abrupt Order to Leave
That was like a bolt out of the blue. On the 1st. November, 20 officials of the administration office of Eastern Park and its subordinate office of Ueno Park came over to the National Science Museum in the Park, to notify the coming eviction of the 24 homeless people, who have lived in the tents there. The reason of the eviction is, according to the authority, to cut dead trees round there and extend the side-walk besides their camp.
When a homeless comrade inquired, whether they may come back there and pitch tents again, and whether the alternative housing shall be provided during the construction, the answer just ordered the comrades repeatedly to fold tents till the end of the month and enter the Self-Support Center*, and rejected them to rebuild tents.
*(Sort of shelter for the homeless, who "has both capacity and willingness to work". One of the first facility in Japan will be soon opened nearby Ueno Park).
Ą Road Repairing for the Compulsory Eviction itself
So far, when some necessary constructions have been executed in the park, there were previous conferences between the park administrators and the homeless people, who had lived in the park. Some of the comrades living around the National Science Museum at present were actually excluded from the original camp on such occasions. But this time, the homeless comrades were not informed adequately about the construction plan beforehand, which, they say, required inevitably an eviction. And yet the recent notification was a gross one-sided requirement without any agreement of the people involved.
Moreover, only two months ago (28. Sept.), the administration office just asserted in fact that they neither have any construction planed to set work soon, nor intend to force the people in the tents to withdraw out of the park on the account of the establishment of the Self-Support Centre. Their sudden turning-around attitude proves that the purpose of this road repairing construction is the very compulsory eviction of the homeless people itself.
Ą Don't Abuse the Self-Support Centre as Justification for the Eviction!
The Government has recently started to establish Self-Support Centres in the biggest cities as the countermeasure against the serious problem around the homelessness. The policy suppose the roll of the centres as sorts of the entrance to obtain jobs and livelihood securities, and we have required the establishment of the centre consistently in that context. At any rate, the homeless people involved should still have the rights on their side to make a decision to use those facility, or not, considering the present situation, where the detail contents of the plan is not settled yet, let alone its practical effect. And the justification of evictions by the establishment of the centre is out of question, and never to be accepted. We regard this issue not only as the local one in Ueno Park, but also what is becoming the national one to be considered more widely.
The newly established Self-Support Centre in Ueno Park accepts only 20 people from the Taito ward, where the Park is located, and there is actually no vacancy left already. Regardless of this fact, telling the homeless to move out of the park and to enter the centre shows the lacking of deliberation, which neglects the right of the homeless to live and even somehow makes fun of them. That is what we can never tolerate!
Ą The Comrades in Ueno Rose Up!!
All of the homeless comrades living in the Ueno park have brought themselves together for fear, that the other places also might be soon evicted, and have finally made up their mind to cooperate with each others to fight against any form of evictions.
On the 8. November, approximately 100 comrades came together and negotiated with the welfare office of Taito ward. And the day after, more than 90 people intruded into the health and welfare department of the City Office, and obtained the following assurance from the office; 1) that the City Office as the supervisor will let the administrator of the Eastern Park confirm that the self-supported centre serves no excuse for evictions of the homeless people. 2)that they will confer with the welfare office of Tokyo prefecture in terms of the on-going situation in Ueno. 3) that they will report all the consequences to the homeless people involved on the 14. November.
ĄProtest against the administration office of Tokyo Eastern Park!!
The administration office of Tokyo Eastern Park, however, do not change their firm attitude to take a hard line of the construction and to operate the planned compulsory eviction. As mentioned above, if we permit such a conduct, it is possible that the tendency to evict the homeless would pervade into the whole country, justified by the establishment of Self-Support Centres. To hinder that, we need much more voices from all of you, requiring the administrator neither to evict, nor to abuse Self-Support Centres.
The state of things is pretty urgent. The comrade in Ueno Park and from the other places in Tokyo resist together against this situation. We ask you to stand by us from all side!!
Protests should be directed to:
the Office of Tokyo Eastern Park
Tel.: +0081-3-3821-6145 Fax. +0081-3-5685-0144