Vereniging Poortgebouw vs. De Groene Groep
Eerste “Comparatie” Zitting
Rechtbank Wilhelminaplein - Grote Zaal
daarvoor: 9:00-9:30 Meet in PG Eetcafé

For the past year, the Vereniging Poortgebouw has been busy in a court case against the new private owner since 2001, de Groene Groep. Our rejection of the July 2004 cancellation of the rent (huuropzeggingsbrief) lead to the subpoena from the GG’s heavyweight lawyers The GG claims that their “urgent own need” (dringend eigen gebruik) for renovation into “luxurious” office space overweighs the 25 year function of the Poortgebouw as rented living space for our 30 person group.

With the professional help from our advice group and lawyer, we have responded to their (often superficial and uninformed) accusations and navigated our way through the labyrinth of juridical paper work to the point where it is finally time for the first meeting in court.

On Tuesday, August 30 9:50 AM, we invite you to the rechtbank on the Wilhelminaplein (a 5 minute walk from the Poortgebouw) to show the judge and the GG that that there is wide support for the Poortgebouw remaining a monument to the successes of self-organisation, collective living and artistic & cultural liveliness.

NOTE: This first, relatively informal meeting (comparatie) will not decide the future of the Poortgebouw – there will (likely) be NO FINAL VERDICT. According to our lawyer, the judge will compare the information submitted from the two parties and will question each party about the unclarities or differences of the arguments.

To be clear: This is not a protest or demo (not yet...) but solidarity is needed in numbers in the podium (and press). Too much “spectacle” might – at this point – lead only to an unhelpful confusion or distraction of the judge.

Related Info:

Poortgebouw: Why It May Be the Last Party (English/Dutch)
For the Vereniging Poortgebouw, a living group and the legal renters of this monumental port building in Rotterdam for the past two decades, a much anticipated moment is at hand. The new owners de Groene Groep, who bought the building for the mere price of a single family home in 2001 (± 350.000 euro), have announced the termination of the rent contract per February 2005. With the 25th anniversary of a unique social experiment approaching, the Poortgebouw is now threatened to be emptied out to make way for a redevelopment into commercial office space.

Dagvaarding/Subpoena Dossier (Dutch)
Huuropzeggingsbrief - Dagvaarding from GG - VPG Antwoord op de Dagvaarding - Conclusie van Repliek from GG - VPG Conclusie van Dupliek (zonder producties/bewijsstukken)

Poortgebouw Tocht naar Stadhuis (Dutch)
On Tuesday, April 5 at 9:00, members of the Vereniging Poortgebouw with friends and supporters marched from the PG to the Stadhuis to attend an open meeting of the “commissie Fysieke Infrastructuur en Verkeer”. We delivered the over 2000 online and analogue petition signatures and demanded an official statement of the Gemeente Rotterdam’s position and role in the sale of the Poortgebouw and the legal case with de Groene Groep. The Poortgebouw case was discussed for 30 minutes by the commission and we are invited back next Tuesday for some answers from Wethouder Pastors.

Verslag van de openbare vergaderingen (Dutch)
05 APR. & 12 APR.

Wethouder Pastor's Interview with TV Rijnmond April 12, 2005
Special thanks to the Groene Groep for transcribing this interview and submitting it as evidence in the court case! Marco Pastors (Leefbaar Rotterdam, disciple of Pim Fortuyn) is not only reknown for denouncing Islam but also renouncing the political responsibility in prostituting Rotterdam to private developers and speculants. The Groene Groep clearly votes for a “schoon, heel, en veilig!” Rotterdam àla Leefbaar Rotterdam.