A letter for the neighborhood

The purpose of this letter is for a more direct information to the neighborhood, as far as the functions and happenings of the occupation “Mayrh Gata” are concerned. We already count a year of occupation. We occupied the house in Aristeos and Poliorkhtou streets, on the 9^th of October, in order to make a place, which will be self-organized and anti-authoritative. Until then, the house was abandoned for three years, since the municipality of Thessaloniki alienated it to blast it for opening a road that would pass from there. The plan was abandoned so it was left empty and inutile.

We created this place in order to cover, with different conditions, a human need, which is communication. This communication can be real and true when it is free, without any mediators, and of course when every one has equal terms of participating in it. This need is more imperative nowadays where the consumerism of the lifestyle has diminished the public places or has replaced them with commercial stores and pubs. The vital space of humans is bound to their homes with their TV as their only company.

We also created this house in order to gather our creativity and will for resistance to the political and economical status and the culture it promotes. This status depresses the human nature with direct or indirect ways. We counter propose the rift with it, in a cultural, political and moral way and we create institutions that are placed in a revolutionary perspective.

The main characteristics of the house are:

a) Anti-authoritative: With this term we mean that not only we reject, but we fight any kind of action that consists of force of power from human to human or institution to human. So in our every day relations and our political/cultural actions we reject any kind of hierarchy, typical or not. We function as a group, where each person interacts with the other, with full respect of each other’s otherness. One of the basic purpose of this house is to give everyone the opportunity to be developed differently in a creative way.

Speaking of antiauthority and taking in mind the status of the Greek society, we are confronted with the issue of sexism, that is the different way the two sexes are respected. We oppose to any kind of such sense and we consider the equality of the two sexes as granted.

b) Self-organized: With this term we mean that we decide collectively, without any mediators, bosses or specialists, for things that matter us, which can be either theoretical or practical. We reject to voting as we believe that this way the minority and so the personality is depressed. The decisions are taken unanimously after conversation, where every opinion is treated with full respect. That means that we take the responsibility of our actions and decisions bilaterally.

c) Occupied: We chose to occupy a building, because we think is unconceivable to have abandoned building in our city, when lots of homeless men exists, or no place of free gathering exist, except in places where someone can only consume. Both the needs of roof and gatherness are primary human needs that can’t be commercialized.

More specific in Ano Poli, where the house is, there are lots of abandoned places that belong to the municipality or people. In the first case, many buildings have been alienated with the pretext of renovation and reutilization. But most of them are either in the same condition, or after they have been renovated –with astonishing budges- they have been left empty and unutilized.

So we are in favor of the occupations, either if they are for roof or used for political/cultural purposes.

d) Social: With this term we mean that the house is open to whomever wants to participate in our activities and functions, if he/she doesn’t offend with his/hers attitude the basic principals of the house.