Don’t Judge a Book by Its Colour: Chapter one
Chapter One
Save All Island Grill
The closing down of Levi’s ‘All Island Grill’ has caused upset in the Dalston community as it seems to epitomise the challenges local residents are witnessing in Gillett Square whilst it faces ongoing redevelopment projects and a seemingly unstoppable gentrification. The community feels the Council of Hackney is not properly honouring their promises after BLM, in which they stated they would ‘champion and campaign against the injustices faced by the Windrush generation’. We feel that the removal of Levi’s restaurant would be a part of the process already undertaken in Brixton, in which property developers benefit from the work that the Windrush generation has undertaken to transform areas and then they manage to strip away the DNA of the area in the process.
A Family Business
Levi - a family man with 11 children.
The Square has always been a culturally diverse space, since members of the the Windrush generation, such as Levi, worked tirelessly to transform the space into a place where ‘Black and African people feel at home’. Levi’s is just one of many wonderful family businesses on the square.
Levi, thankfully, does have strong legal backing, Legal Intelligence London (LIL) a local Dalston based law firm, were instructed in 2019 after his planning application to Hackney Council failed. Jon Feld & Lysa Harris at LIL were instrumental in staving off early attempts by the new landlords Eurocent (Brabury) Ltd to evict him. Levi is also advised by prominent Stamford Hill lawyer David Herskovic at Kostick, Hanan & Herskovic LLP.
Levi is a kind family man, whose restaurant has continuously helped and donated food to those hungry and in need in the community. His impact is clear, as almost 9,000 have already signed a petition in protest of the proposed closing. These events are only made possible with the hard work of all the local family businesses like All Island Grill supporting them and curating the right community environment.
“Don’t take away our role models”
Voices from the community
Robert Beckford, owner of the adjacent Dalston Jazz Bar interacting with and inspiring the younger generation.
“I am a single mum with a 10 year old daughter. As a mother, I’ve always wanted my daughter to be proud of her heritage — African, French, Irish and English. I have lived in Hackney for about 15 years. 6 years ago I moved to Dalston, an area undergoing a lot of regeneration. I live 10 minutes away from the All Island Grill , on Bradbury street, which is next to GIllett Square.
Levi sells affordable and very tasty food and, as a mum, it always makes me feel good not having to cook on Fridays and get delicious food at an affordable price. Levi has been a pillar of this community for a number of years, giving away food to people in need. Every time we’ve run a family project in Gillet Square, he has been very accommodating. He showed my daughter nothing but love and has always been very attentive, and I am proud to live in a place where my daughter is surrounded by strong black role models like Levi and the other businesses owners on Bradbury Street.” - N’dey Fatou, director and founder of Holistic Support
The closing down of Levi’s All Island Grill is just one example of how the process of gentrification strips out the DNA of a community, destroying businesses and communities forged by the Windrush generation whilst removing important role models and representation for the younger generations of Hackney.
Do You See What I See ?
In the following weeks, we, Dalston Round Table, will be interviewing businesses in and around Gillett Square. The projects purpose will be to exhibit and highlight the beauty and achievements of the local residents and businesses. By celebrating the heritage and local histories in Hackney, we will combat the rapid process that gentrification has on silencing and removing our voices.
https://www.change.org/p/save-all-island-grill-dalston-from-ethnic-cleansing