**The News Round will be a fortnightly event, keeping tabs on articles being posted in MainStream Media (MSM) sources, as well as independent channels (eg IMC, SchNEWS) about squatting, the new law (s.144) and possible new legislation (eg commercial). If you spot any articles of interest, please let us know by emailing: [info@squashcampaign.org](mailto:info@squashcampaign.org).**
**This is the second of 2 monthly round-ups to get us all up-to-date with what’s happened since the start of September – you can view last month’s one [here](). The fortnightly News Round will start at the start of November!**
##Issue 2: October 2012
###“Squatters move into former bank in Clifton [Bristol]”
Bristol squatters, moved out of many of their legendary buildings like Telepathic Heights, moved into an empty bank owned by Lloyds TSB in a posh suburb of Bristol. Police decide not to evict since the building is commercial and therefore a civil matter. A great story which made national news, and got some fairly sympathetic coverage of the homeless.
1] [This is Bristol](http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Squatters-bank-Clifton/story-17020741-detail/story.html)
2] [Daily Fail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211854/Lloyds-Banking-Group-Protesters-control-bank-worth-750k-affluent-suburb.html)
###“Police vs Brag”
New squatted social centre – [House of Brag](http://houseofbrag.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/police-vs-brag/) – in commercial premises in South London faced police and gangster harrassement and intimidation, even though squatting in commercial premises is still legal (or maybe because it is still legal). Get out there and support them. [21st October]
###Gremlin Alley
[Squatted bowling alley in South Wales]() that police and bailiffs [attempted to evict illegally](http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/10/500908.html) since it is a commercial premises and does not fall under s.144 of the new law; successfully resisted, well done. [4th October]
###“Law means squat”
On the [Inside Housing blog](http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/need-to-know/briefings/law-means-squat/6524029.article) [5th October], Adams attempted to argue that s.144 is ineffective since landlords need to rely on the police to enforce the new law and the police have not been keen on it to date. It’s worth noting the discussion below this rather ambivalent article, where a chap called Chris takes out a bone-head who thinks he’s Judge Dredd.
###“How the Conservatives ruined social housing”
And finally, it’s well worth reading [Stuart Hodkinson in the Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/how-the-conservatives-ruined-social-housing-8192726.html) [1st October], who wrote about the Coalition’s assault on social housing using Big Society and the Localism Act 2011. Some useful details on “affordable rent”, housing benefit and the victimisation of social tenants.