“Who burnt us out? People before profit.” “Fat cats get fatter – puts the kittens out in the cold.” “They burnt us out – don’t let them get away with it.”
On April 17th, 2004, incendiary devices went off at multiple points inside the 1936 Art Deco-style North Street Arcade (BelTel) and more than 20 businesses, including Good Vibrations record store, were burnt out. Suspects were interviewed (Guardian) but no charges were ever brought.
The third image is from October: new shutters have been graffitied with “New shutters wont hide the fact that you burnt out twenty businesses – shame on you.” Google Street View from 2008 shows graffiti reading, “Make my Christmas – jail the arsonists. Shame on you” with an anarchist symbol. In 2010, KVLR, DOC, and Filth sprayed the shutters (web). In 2012, ARNZ (of TMN) wrote on the shutters (Street View).
On the shutters blocking the arcade itself, KVLR and Friz (of SPOOM) jointly painted a piece for the 2011 Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and repainted it in 2012, again for the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. (See Visual History 11.)
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2004 Extramural Activity
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