YouTube Trailer: Tent City Occupation

This week saw the release of the Tent City Occupation documentary trailer. The campaign to save a local sports ground and oppose the Ark Brent Academy in North-West London became the longest running protest against an academy school and delayed the project for more than five years.

Academy schools, the education legacy left behind by Tony Blair, are perceived by many as the route to full-blown privatisation of the UK state education system. Private sponsors take complete control of a school, including the education curriculum and work and pay conditions, but the tax-payer still funds the school.

Current Trailer: Tent City Occupation

The release of the trailer comes in the same week The Times newspaper exposed nearly a quarter of academy schools are failing to reach their targets on GCSE exam results despite the schooling system being in place for more than eight years. The government still maintain their 2008 stance, that every school failing to meet GCSE targets face two choices – close or become an academy.

 

Original YouTube Film: Tent City Eviction

 

As well as documenting the protests and direct action taken by the local teachers and residents known as the Wembley Park Action Group, Tent City Occupation catalogues the policy back-tracking and bizarre vision of local democracy by Brent Council.

The Hedge Fund School Men: Arpad Busson – Stanley Fink – Paul Marshall

The Brent Academy sponsor Ark is also put into the spotlight, exposing the dealings and political connections of the children’s charity directors and trustees.

All material on this blog – stills, video and print
(c) Jason N. Parkinson 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Please contact the AUTHOR for access to any material and the extensive five-year video archive.

jasonnparkinson@gmail.com

Stills, video, print (c) 2010 Jason N. Parkinson. All Rights Reserved.

Of London’s rough sleepers those with military backgrounds in Christmas 2007 was 13 percent, according to homeless charity Crisis. Chief Executive Leslie Morphy said for Christmas 2009 the numbers had dropped to five percent. The rough sleepers figures were expected to be around 3,500, but taking into account, squatters, hostels and sofa-surfers the true figure is somewhere in the region of 150,000.

Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation

During the investigation I had the privilege of interviewing Doctor Hugh Milroy, also known as Wing Commander Milroy, who is the Chief Executive of Veteran’s Aid, the only charity attempting to track down homeless veterans, get them off the streets, into hostels and a more stable environment.

Veteran’s Aid has been running for 78 years. As Dr. Milroy explained, they are not a welfare organisation but a wellbeing organisation, “veteran helping veteran” he said.

The VA runs a drop-in centre near Victoria station and the New Belvedere House hostel in Limehouse, east London.

Rick Brunwin is Chief Executive of the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation, the next step in London’s homeless veteran network. The Stoll foundation was was established during the First World War. Working closely with the VA they house 230 ex-homeless veterans and their families in permanent accommodation in Kensington, Westway and Chiswick.

The downside to all this is the support for veterans that end up on the streets is being hit by the recession. The Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation is being hit on its funding, some funders halfing their donations others pulling out completely. Veterans Aid Dr. Milroy explained veterans end up homeless for the same reasons as anyone else, “and the recession is biting” he said.

The feature report will be available to subscribers from APTN Horizons in the coming week.

All material on this blog – stills, video and print
(c) Jason N. Parkinson 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Please contact the AUTHOR for access to any material and the extensive five-year video archive.

jasonnparkinson@gmail.com