Report on the outcome of the anti-eviction actions in Shibuya

First
of all, we would like to thank everyone―individuals and organizations―who has
taken the time to write, fax, and call the metropolitan Tokyo authorities and
express opposition to the eviction of homeless persons from the Children’s Hall
in Shibuya.

For the past month, Nojiren has spent literally every day
voicing our opposition to the construction of an enclosure around the premises
of the Children’s Hall. We’ve been asking the city to modify the facility’s
repair plans to allow space for persons with nowhere to go to sleep at night.
However, the metropolitan agency vested with the responsibility for the project
has refused to listen to our concerns. Although we succeeded in slightly
delaying the initial stages of construction, ultimately a fence was erected at
the entrance to the premises and the area has been fully cordoned off. Moreover,
the small space known as “Mitake Park” beside the Children’s Hall where Nojiren
intended to hold its alternate communal kitchen–and where evicted persons had
planned to pitch tents–was also partly blocked off by a barricade. The Shibuya
Ward government was specifically responsible for putting this later barricade in
place.

Public officials, guards, and Shibuya police arrived at the site
on November 1st in the early morning, along with roughly 40 uniformed and
plain-clothes city police officers brought in by bus. At such an early hour,
Nojiren and our allies were outnumbered and unable to stop the construction of
the fence.

At present, there is just barely enough space for the open-air
kitchen so we will make do and continue our weekly food preparations on the
premises. However, with the enclosure in place, we are sad to say that there is
no longer space for resting at the Children’s Hall. At the moment we are
searching for new, safe spaces in Shibuya where our evicted friends can rest.
Once things have settled, we shall to continue working with friends and allies
everywhere to defend the rights of homeless and marginalized women and men here
in Shibuya, in Japan, and around the world.