ABSTRACT
This tenant had been given notice [to quit] by the landlord as a try-out to see if he could get away with it and frighten the other tenants in the house into leaving. The same landlord also owns other property in the Square and he thought he was onto a good thing. He had to think again. We had 24 hours picket at the tenant’s door step – local people, Trade Unionists, Labour Councillors who represented our ward at the time – we had posters plastered all over the Square telling people that an eviction was intended, we informed the press, and the police obliged by sending a Black Maria, which drew no end of publicity. We won, and the tenant is still in possession of her flat and no other evictions have been attempted in the Square. This was the first of our fights and victories (Rose Gavin, Secretary of the Tolmers Square Tenants Association, speech c. 1960).
