Thursday 14 December marked six months since the tragic fire in Grenfell Tower. During the day there was a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral, which was followed in the evening by the monthly Silent Walk.
Members of the RCG attended the Silent Walk. Up to 2,000 people attended – survivors, families of the bereaved, community members and supporters, some holding green candles, others photos of the victims, giant green hearts and placards with various slogans. Outside Ladbroke Grove station fire fighters from Red Watch, North Kensington fire station lined the streets and were thanked by the crowd.
The walk ended under the Westway, but the event also marked the opening of a new community centre, known as The City, which has been established in a disused building under the Westway by a group of local community organisers who have also been instrumental in running ‘Acklam Village’.
Acklam Village is a building handed over by the council since Grenfell Fire, where essential support has been administered by and for the local community.
The local community leaders have been actively seeking to manage the area beneath the Westway motorway and have campaigned for a long time to maintain the ‘the Westway 23’, 23 acres of land under the Westway, as a community space. Over the past six months they have been very active giving voice and support to the local community in the wake of the Grenfell fire.
Members of the RCG attended the opening of The City, where members of the public were invited to view its many features and submit feedback on how the centre could be used. The professional and well-provisioned facilities include a café, yoga room, internet room, garden area, music room and performance spaces, all complete with donated and DIY furniture and modern equipment.
To celebrate the opening there were musical performances by Lowkey and other local musicians, with powerful political songs and moving tributes to those lost in the fire.
The centre clearly represents months of dedicated hard work on the part of the local community and shows what people are capable of creating when they organise together without waiting for the support or permission of local government. On Saturday 16 December West London Revolutionary Communist Group returned with a donation of herbal teas and fresh fruit for the kitchen.
