P spotted this the other day. It's been spray painted onto a building site, close to where we live. It is quite surprising, because you don't normally see graffiti in Wapping.
The current building was a completely dilapidated (and un-liveable) warehouse with smashed windows and dirt floors. It is being converted into swish apartments that are probably priced around £500k (even though no river views).
The interesting thing about Wapping is that there is such a mixture of people living here. All along Wapping High St you have the converted warehouses, and cobblestone streets. But just a couple of streets back it is the 'old' East End, with the council estates.
As in most places, working full-time means that you don't have alot of time to spend in the community and I think that really impacts on places like Wapping as it feels alittle like a segregation. Its not easy for people to meet eachother so that barriers can be broken down. I have joined the local council gym, at the George Orwell centre, and one of the things I like about going there is that I do get to meet people from all around Wapping.
I know what it is like to see your neighbourhood change around you and become 'gentrified'. I saw this in Brisbane, living in places like West End and New Farm. So I do sympathise. But at the same time, I suppose P and I are now the type of people this message is directed to. And we say back, 'We love it here and we are not going anywhere!!' In fact, P wants to get some chalk, and cross out 'Yuppies' and replace it with 'Chav's'..... but let's not go there.
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