Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Following public backlash, Perry sought police assistance to evict squatters from Wandle Park in Croydon, escalating tensions over the site’s occupation.
Without giving the squatters at the Wandle Park café the advance notice that is often necessary to get an eviction, Metropolitan Police officers stepped in on them this morning.
After the action group Reclaim Croydon successfully reopened the café and provided a much-needed shelter for the homeless, serving drinks and refreshments from the council-owned building—something the £84,000-per-year Tory politician had failed to do for more than three years—it is believed that the police action was taken at the behest of a humiliated Mayor Jason Perry.
At around 11am today, Reclaim Croydon issued what amounted to a social media distress signal.
“Police are evicting Wandle Park café right now!” a notice on their Instagram account said.
According to one eye-witness, the people who had occupied what they’d called Reclaim Café “were forced to dump their possessions and tools onto the grass outside the now empty building, as officers, working with council officials, secured the disused building”.
With some of their art supplies and cooking utensils hastily placed onto “borrowed” grocery carts, the squatters trekked out down Waddon New Road.
A representative with Reclaim Croydon, who was disguised to avoid being listed on the government’s facial recognition database, said that the eviction notice was unlawful. The “crime” of providing free tea and coffee was the only reason it had been offered.
Additionally, the notice mentioned “anti-social behavior,” which Reclaim Croydon vehemently disputes.
The spokeswoman for Reclaim Croydon added that the organization had even discussed legalizing their use of the facility with council representatives, which casts today’s actions in an especially ominous and pessimistic light.
Reclaim Croydon is reported to have done some repairs to the building, which, although just 12 years old, is already experiencing roof problems and inadequate upkeep from the council, which is severely short on funds.
Since the initial COVID shutdown five years ago, the café and the park’s public amenities have been shuttered. Since then, Croydon has been unable to locate a company owner willing to purchase the property on the onerous terms that the local government has asked.
Reclaim Croydon stepped in and showed off the art of the possibility last month. The squatters’ organization organized a complex schedule of activities during the Bank Holiday weekend, which included a clown workshop, a circus spectacle, and a group meal.
If Mayor Perry had bothered to attend that event, he could have gained some important knowledge.
Perry initially pledged to reopen the café by 2023, as Inside Croydon reported earlier this week. However, that year and 2024 passed without a single can of soda or ice cream being offered from the park’s cafeteria, while the restrooms
Since then, other non-Croydon-based news organizations have followed up on our exclusive story. The council is “still trying to gain repossession via peaceful means,” according to reports.
However, this is the same council where Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense is the most senior legal official. Earlier this year, his staff appeared in court to evict Reclaim Croydon from a children’s home in Reedham, but the judge rejected their application because they were unable to demonstrate that the council was the rightful owner of the property.
The same group of anarchist squatters known as Reclaim Croydon occupied the empty offices of Brick by Brick on George Street in 2023 before being evicted when bailiffs broke down the doors.
It is said that the Town Hall called the local Old Bill to ask for help with an urgent intervention after stories mocking Perry’s incompetence seem to have been the last straw for an inept and increasingly untrustworthy mayor.
Without the customary legal courtesy of a warning from bailiffs, there are some concerns about whether the police action may have exceeded the bounds of the law.
“The cops just turned up with an eviction notice, but without prior warning,”
according to one source.
The Metropolitan Police and Croydon Council have been asked for comment.
One of Croydon’s oldest public open spaces is Wandle Park, which is tucked away in the Purley Way on the borough’s western edge, next to railroad and tram tracks. The café was constructed in 2013 as a component of the park’s multi-million-pound rehabilitation.
Defiant, Reclaim Croydon declared, “We’ll be back,” as they departed Wandle Park this morning.
In the meanwhile, anyone who has to use the restroom in the park will now have to go to the bushes, thanks to Mayor Jason Perry.
The locked-up café is where the flushable ones are located.
How did Mayor Perry’s actions influence the police eviction of the squatters?
Following his repeated attempts to reopen the café, Mayor Perry faced public humiliation, which prompted immediate intervention and ultimately led to the police expulsion of the Wandle Park squatters.
By successfully reopening the café, helping the homeless, and organizing community activities, the action group Reclaim Croydon exposed the council’s inaction and drew mockery from the media about Perry.
According to reports, Perry requested quick police participation from Town Hall in response to the growing criticism, eschewing the customary legal procedure that requires prior notice for evictions.
In order to counteract the political pressure and regain control of the property, police executed the eviction in support of a council operation after arriving with an eviction notice but without the customary warning.