Grenfell Britain
by Potent Whisper
What happened at Grenfell , that was an act of war
The murder of innocent people who died because they’re poor
Hundreds of death and you can bet that there’ll be more
So if you think that you survived it, I wouldn’t be so sure
Maybe you thought you knew what redevelop-meant
But if you believe that we develop, please develop sense
If you live in social housing you’ll be redeveloped next
And then we’ll all be redeveloped ‘til we’re redeveloped dead
Cos what happened at Grenfell, that wasn’t just “tragic”
It was a deliberate attack, cos it was managed
The people want justice, and trust me they’ll have it
And part of that is asking how and why this happened
So, to start, the fire alarms weren’t active
No second staircase for fire exit access
No sprinklers fitted when the renovation happened
No access for fire trucks
But there was the cladding…
The cladding wasn’t safe, but they chose it cos it’s cheaper
(only by £2, for every square meter)
That cladding was the reason that the building burnt so quick
But they still chose it, cos people’s lives aren’t worth shit.
So now we’ve established some of how it happened
It’s time to examine who approved that use of cladding
The cladding, at the start, came from Omnis Exterior
Who, when they sold it, will have known it was inferior
Harley Facades bought it and installed it for Rydon,
the lead contractor in the process that supplied them
Rydon worked directly for KCTMO, the TMO managed the tower for the Council
The Council owned the building – well – as far as we all know…
So I’d say the Council is one of those accountable
They’re accountable, cos people gave them warnings
All formal avenues to change had been exhausted
There’s proof that Grenfell Action Group offered them a multitude of warnings they’d sent to them for fucking YEARS before this
This is war, and it’s time to take your gloves off
If you want revenge there’s many names to get your tongues on
Very many companies and many hands with blood on
But we won’t let any of them devils pass the buck on
Let’s focus our attention on those companies I mentioned
Sit them down, surround them, and ask them these questions:
1. Did any of them raise any concerns, and if so who did they raise the concerns to?
2. Did any of them receive concerns, and if so how did they act on what they knew?
These are key questions in the investigation
And suspects need to evidence their answers, to the nation
They need to be able to back up every single explanation
And if they’re found guilty in this investigation
I don’t wanna see resignation or fines
They need to go to jail for a very long time
But, right now, while the victims grieve
Those whose representatives left them on the street
We’ve seen a huge community meet their immediate needs
And now they need housing, with instant guarantees
There’s 1400 empty homes in Kensington
While homeless people beg for them – that’s negligence
The government should buy them all, make them into Council stock
Then they should supply them all and keep them all at Council costs
We need local, social housing for the victims
Not in hotels, real places they can live in
Long term homes that are safe for kids and women
And then we need a Needs Fund to cover basic living
For clothing
For school uniforms to be replaced
For every single funeral, respecting every faith
For new official documents, licenses and passports
For food, for travel, for anything they ask for
And everything they need, like foster parents for the orphans
All workers need their jobs and pensions protected
Undocumented people also need to be supported
And students with exams need their circumstance respected
At the same time, we need to look at your housing
If you’re living on a block, your block is one of four thousand
Are you at risk too? Is your family next?
Well May ordered tests, and the tests said YES.
If you’re at risk right now, organise a rent strike
Don’t pay a penny ‘til your landlord protects your life
I’ll say that again, you need to organise a rent strike
Don’t pay a penny… don’t pay a penny
And don’t let them try to demolish your estate
They’ll use this to justify it, saying you’re not safe
They’ve been doing it for years, they did it to my mates
And Estate Regeneration isn’t what it says
They’ll smash down your home
You’ll get dashed out and cashed in
You’ll be on the street in a click, it happens that quick
You won’t be on fire but your life will be in ashes
So tell them they should refurb and don’t let them chat shit
So we’ve established some of what to do next
We’ll need a lot of money to take the next few steps
I can hear the Tories ask where we’ll get the funds from
Well, thanks for asking, I’ll tell you where it comes from
Amazon, Apple, Google, E.on, Ebay
They pay less tax than even you and me pay
Annually they avoid a billion in tax
So I say we take every pound of that
And then we make them pay their tax forever, the murderers
They’re one of the reasons that Grenfell happened
The government say there’s no money for our services
But there’s no money cos they never pay their taxes
It wasn’t just Grenfell that suffered mass victims
Every single day we’re seeing Grenfell killings
We suffer to corruption in a Grenfell system
This isn’t Great Britain, this is Grenfell Britain
The disabled are on fire
They’re burning the workers
The elderly are choking
Your teachers are in hearses
Students are on fire next to doctors and nurses
Your hospitals, even your fire station’s burning
You don’t need to be an expert to work out the remedy
Stop cutting funds and instead cut austerity
I’m definitely not an expert but it doesn’t seem hard
I can only speak for me, but I’d suggest these demands
All tower blocks need sprinklers fitted
With fire alarms, on integrated systems
Compulsory, yearly, fire risk assessments
(Cos at the moment, they only recommend them)
Inspections should be undertaken by the fire service
Not by the TMO, this is their downfall
All TMO’s should be instantly dissolved and accountability should return to the council
No more self certifying safety checks
(Anyone could do a week and take these tests)
There should be a second staircase, with instant application
And then we need to vote that homes be fit for habitation…
Then of course we need a change to housing regulations
Recommendations should be legal obligations
And the regs need to have retrospective application
Cos most social housing was built before them came in
Then reinstate legal aid, perhaps the worst injustice
They put a price on life, don’t let them put a price on justice
Their screams are burnt into our minds and their names into our hearts
The fire might be out, but a rage has been sparked
It’s a rage that will blaze on every street, with every march
There won’t be a day of peace until justice comes to pass
It wasn’t just Grenfell that suffered mass victims
Every single day we’re seeing Grenfell killings
We’re suffering corruption in a Grenfell system
This isn’t Great Britain, this is Grenfell Britain
Potent Whisper is a rapper, spoken word artist and community organiser. The Rhyming Guide to Grenfell Britain is available on Dog Section Press.
Photography: Tom Medwell.
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