A Personal 'Sleep Out' Report

Liverpool City Centre
Saturday 24th/Sunday 25th August 2013

Photos & Words by Redskye

If you had known, would you have considered going to the Liverpool City Centre sleep out? It was a protest against the Bedroom Tax and all the wider Welfare Benefit cuts. A friend of mine rang me around 10.30pm to ask if I was coming down, I was too fatigued, but felt motivated enough to meet up and say hello. I ended up staying all night until 9am and didn’t sleep at all! I beat my previous all-nighter of January 2012 where I stayed awake until 6am at the Occupy Liverpool camp. There were two gatherings – one voluntarily self-kettled next to the fountain, where all the tents were ever so safely erected behind a heavy iron chained perimeter, under the Iron Duke and Imperialist icon Wellington's heel. To add further to the ‘super safety’ there were four hired private security/stewards in bright orange hi-viz vests who must have cost over £500 for the night. Oh what we could do with that kind of money? Well there was a *FREE* 6 hour Peace and Ecology Festival in June that cost less...

Anyhow, I eventually found my friend at the base of Wellington's column, we spoke for a while and chatted to a guy from St Helens and befriended him, it was his first ever act of collective protest in his life, though he's been battling the system since he was a child. It seemed at around midnight that we were stopping certain people from sleeping in their tents with our infernally 'annoying' discussion and debate. They had obviously gathered over this bank holiday weekend to engage in a sleep-in and nobody was going to get in the way of their collective snOOze – and who were we to get in the way of a collective 'yawn' going to sleep.

So we three decided to head over to St George’s Hall with its open and free atmosphere. I haven't experienced this since Occupy Liverpool. Here, there was an unrestricted exchange of ideas, music, songs and biscuits. There were very few tents here, it was mostly sleeping bags on hard stone floors, a group of pensioners encircled on unfolded chairs at the top of the steps, some of the gatherers in their sleeping bags looked like caterpillars curled up, however most were NOT here for sleeping – but to protest!

Apart from the nearby menacingly large Union Jack, we had no ‘oompa loompas’ standing guard, no chains surrounded us and not a single cop walked by after midnight, just the Merseyside Police Matrix van breezing by over the road every ten minutes or so. We dealt with passing hecklers and occasional rowdy night-outers peacefully enough ourselves. Though we could improve our diplomacy, at least we didn't overreact, call for ‘oompa loompa’ back up or give the Matrix flat tops an excuse to come and dampen down the spirit of our protest.

Anyhow, the contrast couldn't have been clearer. Here on the steps of St George’s Hall, we debated freely, danced, sang, joked, listened, watched the moon over St John’s Beacon and the eventual sunrise over Lime Street railway station. We were offered a hob-knob or two, shared space with an ex-Labour (now independent) Liverpool councillor, listened to Liverpool's answer to Tenacious D whose portable PA's battery never threatened to run out of power at any time.

We socialised and connected to one another in our semi-conscious sleep deprived state of mind – though perhaps we had never been more wide awake than at this moment! We weren't 'ruled-over' or regulated in any manner at all, here there were a few teenagers (under 18) that stayed past 9pm into the next morning when we all left together. These teenagers contravened one of the rules of the official 'TMSO' enchained campsite which stated on Facebook "For safety reasons, we would advise no under-18s to stay at the event after 9pm". Our few teens and twenties fitted in fine on the steps of St.George's Hall. Noticeably absent were the young people from the Occupy Liverpool camp of 2011/12, perhaps they'd read the official rules? They'd have been most welcome with us though.

I stayed with my friend and the guy from St Helens for most of the night and later on we got to know Emma and her teenage daughter who were great company. There was a lot of joking, mild banter and, later on, serious in-depth chat was had. Later, we huddled together as it went cooler, I nearly burnt one of her cushions on a spotlight while trying to dim its light beam. With us was a homeless man, in his 50s maybe, sat alone with his thoughts and looking outwards from our reclined group. His was a face full of wrinkles from years of alcohol-induced dehydrated skin. He had exclaimed earlier "This is my home here!" and had nearly knocked over his full bottle of Smirnoff Ice (he'd breached another of the official 'TMSO' camp rules) though he was comfortable with us. I did ask him "Don't you want a home or a flat, a roof over your head mate?" to which he replied "No, I want a bird!" He asked for a ciggie and Emma offered him a freshly made roll up.

At one point in the early hours, a man in a black suit came up and shouted at us provocatively “I own all the housing here, it’s all mine”. He shouted and raved "Do any of you work in the private sector, even one of you?" He just wanted to heckle though a few of us tried to engage with him.

We regularly had a flock of seagulls (no not the 1980s Liverpool synth-pop band) circle overhead, I was amused when told by Emma and her teenage daughter “They're not ‘seagulls’ they're gulls that live by the sea!” The Matrix van continued to pass by every ten minutes, the officers glaring up in our direction, we occasionally waved back amusingly. However they were far enough away to ignore safely. I did wonder what they might have made of the single woman and man engaging in an amusing one-on-one self-defence class that had taken place at one point. It was, in truth, the only ‘seemingly’ aggressive event of the night with the woman looking quite scary as a self-defence demonstrator compared to the quiet sensitive man himself. There was also the Star Wars lightsabre battle at one point, comprising of five individuals, yes it was quite an entertaining and lively corner and the gulls that live by the sea were happy enough to fly overhead regularly and even harass a younger gull on the ground to encourage it to fly off. “Don’t feed the seagulls!”

As sunrise arrived we cleaned up the site and made our plans for buses and trains to depart homewards, we tried to find a pound for Miz, the self-defence instructor who'd lost her last fiver, so she could get the train home. We hugged one another – I was too tired at 9am for that sadly.

END REPORT... SNOOZE!!! SNORE!! ZONKED OUT!

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Sorry Comments Closed

Comment left by Miz on 30th August, 2013 at 18:32
hmm hmm....felt like BB was watching me that night, scores of photo's recordings and film emerged that i had no knowledge of its 'makin' till the next day! All well and good. This made me laugh

Comment left by a fountainer on 31st August, 2013 at 13:10
The reason there were two groups was because the organiser, who'd never done anything like this before, was taking advice and organised the use of the Unite building's facilities, toilets, hot water, etc.. It made sense to have the site nearer to this building. The second group decided to make their own camp because they objected to the ban on alcohol. It is obvious that those 'humerous' antics and some of the baiting of our 'kettled' group was fuelled by more than tea. Our group was every bit just as sleepless, communicative, fun and friendly, sharing food, stories and facebook names. The stewards were volunteered by Unite as were the facilities. I wonder what the 'free, open' group would have done for a toilet if the official TMSO group hadn't organised them? We shared scouse, cakes, biscuits but were obviously of little interest to the 'Smirnoff Ice' man as all we could offer was bottled water. A great night was had by all and the resounding feeling the following morning was 'what next??'.

Comment left by Dee on 31st August, 2013 at 13:29
I like to think of it as the right flank taken early by protesters against the bt, swiftly followed by the occupation of the left flank by fellow protesters, hopefully next time there will be enough of 'us' to meet in the middle.

Comment left by The Rainmaker on 31st August, 2013 at 23:08
Enjoy Our Debates, Redskye, To be Continued. Next Time We Meet, Great experience, Hope I Have Many More, XX

Comment left by kyle the cool hat and food guy on 31st August, 2013 at 23:26
i really enjoyed the night as it was my first protest and i met some awesome people im only 17 and im trying to find the people i chatted to that night so if we were talking please email me guppylove@live.co.uk

Comment left by Ste Higginson on 1st September, 2013 at 13:56
Just a few words in answer to TedSkye.One of the persistent problems you come across on Merseyside,specifically in radical politics,are the type of individuals like Tedskye, who carry with them the condescending arrogance of moral superiority:the review reflects that tone and manner, and is deeply misleading. I arrived at the Camp after 10.30 and was surprised at the site.To get an answer I simply approached the organiser who explained the situation.I had some reservations but due to the amount of slog put in and the decency of the people involved,I left it at that. So the snidey comments being made about one group or another, will not do.People were there out of genuine solidarity.And as for the 'lets have a laugh with the rough sleeper' and then use him as a 'figure of fun',absolutely appalling: TedSkye must be oblivious to the destructive effects of alcohol.I and many others enjoyed the night and the morning.The Organisers need to be thanked rather than griped at.

Comment left by Emma on 1st September, 2013 at 21:51
It was a good night with great company & plenty of interesting discussions. You've captured it well. It was a shame folks were separated into two 'camps' but for those who didn't have tents St Georges Hall offered some shelter from the chill & from the rain had it made an appearance. Was good meeting you, & everyone else. Be nice to stay in touch.

Comment left by Emma on 1st September, 2013 at 22:56
How you can twist sitting & chatting with a homeless guy into 'let's have a laugh with the homeless guy and then use him as a figure of fun' Ste Higginson is beyond me. I was there & resent the implications of your words.

Comment left by Son of a Bin Man on 2nd September, 2013 at 14:28
'lets have a laugh with the rough sleeper' I was flitting between the two camps, mainly litter collecting...I witnessed no such mocking!

Comment left by Mark on 2nd September, 2013 at 14:31
'I nearly burnt one of her cushions...' That sounds so euphemistic!

Comment left by Redskye on 2nd September, 2013 at 15:09
Well the dialogue is welcome. Keep it going! As the above person who took the time and effort to write (and carefully re-write) a personal -note that- *personal* report, it does naturally contain my personal biases, views and opinions. On the issue of alcohol, a close relative of mine died (committed slow suicide in truth) through alcoholism, so maybe I've got some understanding of what alcohol did not only to that relative, but also to me as the family carer. I try to develop an understanding of the political, social, economic, personal, psychological and emotional issues that drives many of our class into alcoholism as an escape. The homeless guy was never poked fun at, either during his time sat near me or in my report. That my report was written in a lighthearted way might lead someone to suggest that. I gave the man his voice in my report, which is why I quoted him, there was no thought to ridicule him and I considered carefully what I wrote. The point that's been made to me by people who work close with and have a genuine understanding and sympathy (like USL at St.Lukes) for the homeless was; the homeless rough sleepers don't have access to any toilets, they don't sleep in a tent or even a sleeping bag. Myself -if need be- I'd have used the 24/7 cafe, as it is equi-distant from where we were if UNITE's hadn't been made available. There are valid and constructive criticisms to be made of the whole event, so analyse and learn from them. I visited both camps and chose to sit on the steps as I had neither a sleeping bag nor a tent, I hadn't come intending to stay through the night. I believe another one is planned for October 12th, which will test our solidarity with the homeless and make our point even more clearer about the ongoing destruction of the British welfare system and increased reliance upon means tested charity. Anyhow I'm pleased to see we're having a debate. Perhaps we can learn something from one another and develop some further understanding?

Comment left by Redskye on 2nd September, 2013 at 15:21
Mark: The correct word I wanted to use is singe. However 'singe' in the past tense is 'singed'. So it would have been "I singed a cushion" suggesting that I sang to a cushion or some such crazy grammatical sounding nonsense.

Comment left by Callum Murray on 2nd September, 2013 at 17:28
I agree with points made by redskye on sept 2nd, but not his review. we were at camp,stayed all night.I am full time carer and was with friends ,2 of whom were in rehab 12 months ago,so 'dry' environment was good for us.

Comment left by Mark James on 3rd September, 2013 at 15:12
Singe her cushion sounds even smuttier! Here is article I mentioned regarding Tesco's abuse of taxpayers money... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8548653/Woman-in-court-for-taking-waste-food-from-Tesco-bins.html

Comment left by Emma, owner of the 'burned, singed smutty' cushion. on 4th September, 2013 at 0:16
Actually it was a camping pillow :) Folks need to reclaim communities. Or we will lose them completely. The BT is displacement, of funds & people. Removing not only financial support but the support of their families, friends, neighbours & communities around them. Sickness, hunger, suicide & homelessness is increasing considerably. The vulnerable are being bullied. Desperate people do desperate things. Poverty breeds crime/drug addiction/alcoholism within communities. Meanwhile pathological greed & megalomania continues. Communities need to be strong again. Good old Community spirit was alive & well at the Liverpool mass sleep out. Is a good thing to take away, that & meeting cool people.

Comment left by Redskye on 4th September, 2013 at 10:08
Re: Mark James, having looked at the above linked article online, I quote: "Hall, who works for a rival supermarket, denied theft but pleaded guilty yesterday to handling stolen goods." She was clearly very badly advised by her solicitor, jeez. She should never have pleaded to guilty to anything, no one was 'deprived of their property' to use legal terminology. She was/is guilty of no crime, this may have been designed as a public warning. If she was guilty of a crime then so would I be, having taking food not even close to use-by-date, including unripe green bananas, from Zionist supporting Tescos skip a few times. My experience of the legal system as a campaigner recently proves to me that working class people are often poorly advised by their so called 'defence', overwhelmingly composed of middle class professionals with more sympathy for their friends with wigs and the legal system than for their clients. She should have pushed it to the next level, she was not guilty of any crime morally or legally, let's make that clear here. How can food thrown away, made openly accessible (ie not locked up) be theft? She and friends recycled it, stopped it going into land fill and polluting our environment. No cash was exchanged in the process even! It's true what Marx said about capitalism, it really won't sort out the supply and demand chain, it over produces in one place while there is desperate need in another. At the end of the production phrase it has to destroy surplus product (food, housing, clothes, etc) rather than just give it away to those in desperate need, that is the case with everything produced by labour. Tesco and many other supermarkets every night clear their shelves to fill them with the next days products off the production line, rather than give it away for free or even a neglegible 10p per item, they probably consider that a lost sale and prefer to throw it away. The 'moral' crime committed was by 'Tesco' and them alone. See the following article: http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/issues/nerve22/in_praise_of_skipping.php There is more dignity and self respect in this process than degrading and humiliating ourselves through the ever-so desperate process of begging for a bag of food from a charity, church or social services. Thatcher talked about bringing back Victorian values and twenty years later we have 'Food Banks' and the 'Big Issue' neither tackling the fundemental issues of poverty, hunger and homelessness but providing indignity of Neo-Victorian values. In the 1980s a local Labour club in Liverpool 11 pronounced on its side "It's better to break the law than to break the poor". How more obvious could that be than taking discarded food before it is sent for landfill. We can't liberate ourselves using our oppressors ideology. Remember children as young as 10 were hung or transported for life in the early 19th merely for stealing a loaf of bread.

Comment left by attendee on 5th September, 2013 at 14:57
In response to the article and comments. This was a personal report, not a piece of serious journalism, don't believe it was attempting to be, but on the issue of differences: must we pretend they do not exist, must we highlight them?? Which would be more effective in pursuit of our common goals? And as for the vocal fracas being suggested to being fueled by 'Smirnoff ice' (is this a class connotative)- it was fueled by a deep-seated sense of frustration and resentment at what was felt to be hypocrisy at the attendance of a few individuals in the formal camp, It was merely ignited by alcohol. also no-one mocked or patronized or treated bad any homeless individual (even when one tried to steal the bag of a protester)lets make the next event bigger and better.

Comment left by julie hawman on 9th September, 2013 at 19:31
I was on the steps of saint Georges hall with my sister TERESA from 6pm with may be another 5 or 6 people we were asked to join the other camp but wanted people to see us not be hidden. it was a great night and to my knowledge there was only 1 young teenage girl with her mum there was no other youngsters also the only people who had been drinking were some who came later all the people who were there to protest on them steps never broke any of the rules that were stated on Facebook so I think it is unkind for some of the comments. That have been made against them. To me the people of liverpool stuck together that night to fight not only for themselves but for every person who has is and will be affected by bedroom tax