According to wikipedia, a scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy when retreating from a position. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted.
Here in Tweebosbuurt, Vestia is not a military group which is burning lands or bombing houses. They are so-called social housing company evicting hundreds of people in order to destroy their houses, and when anyone finally agrees to move out, they systematically destroy their house to make sure that no one can live inside anymore.
Vestia is not only sealing the empty apartments or buildings with metal plates. They also go inside, they break the toilets, the kitchen, the water pipes system, the gas pipes, the all heating system. Very often, even the electric meter is gone, and the electric cables are just hanging loose, which is obviously very dangerous. We’re pretty sure that this is not something that STEDIN (the electricity company) do themselves, because they wouldn’t do it this way, it’s way too dangerous to leave theses electric cables just like this. They claim to do this for “safety reasons”, but that’s obviously a lie; it’s a way to stop inhabitants to occupy those empty spaces.
They also standby structural issues without taking action, like this water leak at Hilledijk that is running for over two weeks, and is today a real issue for the people still living there: gardens are underwater and the water level is soon going to threaten street-level apartments. At some point the neighbors had to call the police to force Vestia fixing the leak.
That’s how Vestia use scorched-earth policy. Even if they lose their court case. Even if they are not allowed anymore to get people evicted. Even if they are not anymore allowed to destroy this neighborhood. Even if their contract with the city is broken by the court. They’re still trying to make sure that Tweebosbuurt is not a livable place anymore, for anyone.
As squatters, we find ourselves in a situation where we need a consequent work amount to renovate these houses if we want to be able to live there. But we do that. Because it make sense. Because so many people around here need a house. Because it’s cold out there, and because the housing crises here is such a huge problem. It’s almost impossible for a lot of people among us to get a legal rental house now for various reasons. There is no other solution than the homeless shelters, and we all know that’s not a decent situation for anyone.
What Vestia is doing here, by destroying all these empty apartments, is serious. It puts a lot of people in danger, and it creates even more precarious situations for the inhabitants, or for anyone that would want to take direct actions against this housing crisis.
Here is a collection of photos that we’ve taken:
