Talk Hearts Daily News Thread

[Mikey]

Some folk need to have a day off with that shit

[CritchSmile]

Someone in the comments mentions Johnny Depp, who's had his name dragged through the mud for years due to false domestic abuse allegations.

[Christian Benorchgrevink]

Someone in the comments mentions Johnny Depp, who's had his name dragged through the mud for years due to false domestic abuse allegations.

If I remember right it was him who was on the receiving end too.

[Jeff Resnick]

If I remember right it was him who was on the receiving end too.

Dont be silly. As was told, on no uncertain terms by a worker from Women's Aid, 'men cant be victims of abuse, of any kind'.

[Groot]

Dont be silly. As was told, on no uncertain terms by a worker from Women's Aid, 'men cant be victims of abuse, of any kind'.

Yeah I can vouch that's utter bollocks!

[Jeff Resnick]

Yeah I can vouch that's utter bollocks!

As can I through personal and professional experience. It causes me considerable anger and upset.

[Nive la France]

Mate of mine (male) is just coming out of an abusive marriage. Not physical, but really severe mental abuse and gaslighting. Can happen to anyone; my mate's ex wouldn't say boo to a ghost, but the knots she tied him in man

[PHOODLE-OUt]

https://twitter.com/krishgm/status/12805...86533?s=21

[Mikey]

Dont be silly. As was told, on no uncertain terms by a worker from Women's Aid, 'men cant be victims of abuse, of any kind'.

[Jeff Resnick]

It's an attitude I've encountered too many times in that field unfortunately. It's horrible to deal with.

[Walter Sobchak]

Re the asylum seekers being housed in hostels, this is a good summary.

Hi there,

Last Thursday, our staff and volunteers were working on the ground, organising food, PPE and mobile phones for the asylum seekers who were moved after the Park Inn Tragedy on June 26 to the Hallmark Hotel in Glasgow. This happened barely six weeks following the death of a suicidal Syrian refugee, Adnan Elbi, on May 5 in the Mclays Hotel.

All were placed in hotels by the Mears Group, an outsourcing company working in Housing management & social care, employing 10,000 people. (In relation to the growing scandal in Glasgow, six Scottish MPs refused to meet with Mears CEO John Taylor on Friday 26 June 2020, citing “trust issues”.)

While there, two asylum seeking approached us. “Ahmed” said there were people struggling at a place called the Tartan Lodge, where Mears has placed them.

The next day, we visited the Tartan Lodge. One of our volunteers Umran Amin brought halal meals, chicken and rice, with some dessert.

There are 30 people from Iraq, Iran, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Vietnam and elsewhere being kept in the Tartan Lodge under the “care“ of Mears, They complained of being malnourished with food not fit for human consumption and left without any money or support.
The kitchen is off limits. The laundry is allowed once a week. You wash your clothes in sinks or under the bathroom shower. The rooms are not cleaned. Bedding has not been changed in 90 days. People complain of bedbugs.

The most mentioned problem was food. It's not enough, not the right kind, and unsuitable for different cultures. There are no plates. The food is brought in plastic take away containers. Your entire meal is that. You eat out of them. One couple asked for plates, and were given one plate between them. The lady that brings the food warms the containers in a microwave and gives the food to residents barely warm. People tell us they have to return the cartons, and these are reused and redistributed until they fall apart. “Nadeem” said that he splits his breakfast of plastic wrapped dry croissant and apple in case the food is so bad at lunch. Sometimes the lunch does not arrive until 2 or 3 pm. You wait and wait.
All bar none have complained about poorly cooked food problems and in some cases bed bugs . One young man was covered in bed bug bites Many are desperately worried about families back home. Amongst them:
1. A former UN worker of 18 years standing who had to flee for his life, and desperately worried for his family.
2. A civil servant from Sierra Leone forced to leave his country to save his life
3. a Highly articulate wealthy musician who became stranded here due to US sanctions on Iran which prevent him accessing his money.
4. a couple who have got refugee status and are the responsibility of the council to rehouse.
5. One man is deeply isolated. He spoke no English at all and no one speaks his.
Six people did not have functioning smart phones until our volunteers Eilidh, Lisa and Jake brought one.
Nasir” said that many people sleep in order to dissociate from what is happening around them. He said:
“We have complained to Migrant Help and Mears. They say they will look at it but nothing happens.”
Another man said:
“I complained about the food, and she said if you don't like it, you will be sent to a detention centre and then you will be deported”. .
In response, we arranged crisis support for those in greatest need, sourced mobile phones. We have deployed some amazing volunteers to take food, help clean flats and even deliver clean beds and furniture for those being moved into homes.
Yesterday, on Monday 6 July, we organised a press conference to highlight the living plight of people at the Tartan Lodge. We were due to start at 11 am. At 11.09 am, I received a text message from a young man from Sierra Leone saying: “The hotel people have closed the door”. At 11.17 am, another message saying “The guys are stopping us not to go out”. Then another saying “They closed the door”. Eventually, the men managed to get out. They told the assembled press what happened.
While the people of Glasgow once again pick up the pieces of Mears neglect and provide human support, the Mears Group picks up a lucrative £1.2B Asylum Housing contract.
It's CEO John Taylor has failed to attend a single interview or answer any of the concerns raised since Adnan Elbi died alone in his room at the Mclays Guest house or the treatment of refugees at Park Inn, the failure to carry out the most basic of vulnerability checks before moving people.

Ultimately though, this is not about food or bed bugs. It is about human beings being warehoused for profit by one company and the systematic abuse of their most basic human rights which leaves people functionally destitute, systematically isolated, and fearful of being punished for fear of their case being affected if they speak out about the shameful conditions they are forced to endure. People are terrified of being made destitute and being returned to dangerous countries. It is a matter of shame that up to the present time, this apartheid system operates for those who come to our country to seek refuge. It is time for the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council go do more to stop Mears and the Home Office in their tracks and challenge the abuses of the most vulnerable.
If you want to help, please support our Call to Action below and give a regular donation, however modest. .

Thank you for your support thus far.

Yours sincerely,

Robina Qureshi
Director, PAIH

[Walter Sobchak]

Mate of mine (male) is just coming out of an abusive marriage. Not physical, but really severe mental abuse and gaslighting. Can happen to anyone; my mate's ex wouldn't say boo to a ghost, but the knots she tied him in man

That's part of it - the face to everyone else which is turned off behind the scenes. It's absolutely horrific to see, and often the victim will push away those who try to offer help.

[Charlie Kelly]

That's grim reading Walt, sickening the way these people are treated for having the audacity to try and save their own lives : 

As for women domestic abusers, always riles me hearing folk brushing that shit off as not possible or not really abuse. Know first hand about that as well :

[Nive la France]

That's part of it - the face to everyone else which is turned off behind the scenes. It's absolutely horrific to see, and often the victim will push away those who try to offer help.

Absolutely. Nothing was ever wrong, and there was always an excuse for whatever was going on that meant he couldn't come and see us. It was clear as day to us that he wasn't happy but there's only so much you can do when they put up this impenetrable barrier. He's still feeling the psychological effects now, over two years later.

[Christian Benorchgrevink]

Walt how long has Mears had the contract? Are these hotels a temporary thing while their asylum applications are processed or do folk end up in them longer term. Absolute night and day from my experience at work when we had Syrian refugees come in

[Walter Sobchak]

Mears only recently took it over from SERCO, would say middle of last year. In theory the hostels should be a really short term place until proper accommodation sorted out.

With the Syrians You've mentioned, sounds like they were already recognised as refugees, so that's a different situation.

Normally once dispersed to which city they will be in, by home office, they would be put into a flat, usually a 1 or 2 bed, and usually shared. Not much single occupancy and that was often a bedsit.

I think Mears are blatantly cutting corners here to save cash under cover of the pandemic + lockdown. The reason is so bad is they (home office, in conjunction with Mears) have withDrawn the cash support of £36 a week and have obviously paid some paltry sum to these shit holes to provide food, and they have come up with that inedible crap.

[Christian Benorchgrevink]

Mears only recently took it over from SERCO, would say middle of last year. In theory the hostels should be a really short term place until proper accommodation sorted out.

With the Syrians You've mentioned, sounds like they were already recognised as refugees, so that's a different situation.

Normally once dispersed to which city they will be in, by home office, they would be put into a flat, usually a 1 or 2 bed, and usually shared. Not much single occupancy and that was often a bedsit.

I think Mears are blatantly cutting corners here to save cash under cover of the pandemic + lockdown. The reason is so bad is they (home office, in conjunction with Mears) have withDrawn the cash support of £36 a week and have obviously paid some paltry sum to these shit holes to provide food, and they have come up with that inedible crap.

Yeah with the Syrians we had more families where I work. They got put in our temporary accommodation so fully furnished with all white goods. That's why I was so surprised when I heard about them all being cooped up in hotels, hadn't considered the difference between asylum seekers and refugees

[Big Physical Acey]

Outsourcing companies are a fucking cancer on late capitalist society.

[PHOODLE-OUt]

https://twitter.com/kasabianhq/status/12...95041?s=21

[Shuto Makino]

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/e...ls-2904682

Complaints of institutional racism at Auggies.