Ninth visit by the police

The fact that Declan and I are very much in an end game – as I reported in my previous blog on Saturday – was affirmed last night when we received our ninth visit from the police – this time by two police officers on horses. Police officers on horses – always in pairs – frequently pass by the porch we sleep in at night, but not until last night had they taken any interest in us. (Incidentally, the questioning took place from the pavement, with the two police officers on their horses and us standing in the porch.)

We should have a written page of prepared answers that Declan can just pull out and read because the questions seldom vary: where do we come from, how long have we been sleeping in the porch, has anything happened to us while sleeping, have we been visited by St Mungo’s, what about a job, what are our plans for the future.

The latter question is probably the most important one, since no doubt the police want to know if all the intimidation and harassment has us reconsidering our obstinate desire to make NAC happen – talk of the European Court of Human Rights and the submission of our application against the UK is not an answer they seem ready to accept. (Throughout the questioning – so long that one of the horses began moving impatiently – Declan kept his arms folded, which I thought rather appropriate.)

I like to think that Declan did extremely well in this question and answer session. I particularly liked the answer he gave as to why we can’t get a job: first, there are nights we only get two or three hours sleep and second, since we have been barred from the (Methodist-run) Whitechapel Mission by the minister’s wife due to concerns about our safety, we have no choice but to wash in the street and in toilets. How can anybody get a job (let alone keep one) in such circumstances?

The only time that Declan and I (involuntarily) laughed was when one of the police officers let it slip that he hoped we would get what we deserved – police are no paragon of civil liberties so we shouldn’t hold it against him.

When the police officers left, Declan told me he wouldn’t be surprised if one of these nights we find upon arriving back at the porch that a homeless has taken it over, despite that we have been sleeping in it since 3 November and now have five tickets issued to us by police with the porch address on each one – when that happens, the first thing we will do is take a trip to the local police station; see what they have to say about it.

Although by comparison it’s a little dull, yesterday also we were woken – a few minutes before we get up at 4.50am – by some well-dressed guy that lent over me and hit Declan in the thigh. And oh, this morning at 5.20am a (highly motivated) employee came into the office building through the porch door, only to leave ten minutes later as we were pulling out.