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Exodus Collective

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Exodus Collective (now known as Leviticus) are a community collective formed in the DIY culture tradition. They were first founded in 1992 in the Marsh Farm area of Luton, UK. Initially putting on local free parties, they soon became involved in housing, social exclusion and other community projects.[1]

Exodus History

Exodus as a sound system was formed on 5 June 1992 when the collective hosted a free party near woods in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, promoting it through word of mouth. A few days earlier, member of group DJ Hazad had reclaimed some speaker cabinets that had been thrown into a skip and enlisted a friend to fit them out. Raising funds through donations at this and a subsequent party, and reinvesting in equipment, by the time a third was held on New Years Eve, it was estimated to have been attended by a 10,000 people.[1] Founding member of the collective, Glenn Jenkins, became the most public face of the group as its spokesperson.

On 4 January 1993, the group supported fourteen homeless people who were squatting a long-empty property in Luton. Bucket collections were organised to help repair the building. Little over six weeks later, Police raided and evicted the property, and another property - the derelict St Margaret's Hospice was occupied.[1] Exodus turned the building into a Co-op and Community Space, which became known as Housing Action Zone (HAZ) Manor.[2] All occupiers would pay rent/their housing benefit into a pot, and decisions as to how the money was spent such as renovating the building, was reached by consensus.[1] HAZ Manor was eventually licensed to the occupiers by the Council.[2]

An early party venue was Longmeadow Farm, which was owned but left disused by the Department of Transport. From 1993, Exodus squatted the building and renovated it extensively, eventually being offered a lease. A working farm was built and it began to hold open days for local schools.[1] Despite the groups attempts to create alternative approaches to social problems and crime, they were regularly on the receiving end of police raids, injunctions and court appearances.[3]

Parties were held weekly by the collective, mostly at Dallow Road, Luton. The Woodside Industrial Estate, Dunstable would also became a regular meeting point for revellers awaiting for information as to the location of parties in the countryside, such as the Sandpit parties held in quarries near Clophill, Bedfordshire between 1997-1999. On other occasions, disused warehouses on the Industrial Estate would themselves become the venue for the raves.[4]

On 6 July 1995, the Marsh Farm Estate saw two nights of riots. Exodus Collective organised a party out of town on the Saturday (8 July), intending to defuse the tension. 1,500-2,000 people attended the rave and the local radio station is reported to have rung the Collective to tell them that whilst the event was held "there was not a rioter in sight on the Marsh Farm Estate".[2][5] In the aftermath of the 2011 England riots, Jenkins later commented in Red Pepper magazine: "From 1995 onwards we proved that youth diversion works better than police oppression. We stopped the Marsh Farm riot by putting on a dance just outside Luton. We wanted to divert the energy and say, c’mon, let’s dance, then let’s talk, and then let’s build".[6]

A 1996 MixMag article wrote of Exodus Collective: "Exodus is more than just a free party sound system – it’s a housing co-op, a city farm, a ray of light in the concrete no-man’s land of Luton. They’ve survived four police operations against them and are currently battling a murder charge, an arson attack and a tractor assault on their rave lorry. This isn’t just about dancing, it’s about an alternative way of life".[7]

In 1997, and for three years, Exodus held the Free The Spirit Festival at Longmeadow Farm. The last of these resulted in local councillors calling on the then Home Secretary Jack Straw to intervene.[8] They were also subject of a House of Commons petition to call on the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to support a decision to evict them from the Farm.[9]

In August 2000, they held their first licensed rave near Ridgemont, Bedfordshire.[10]

By 2001, there appeared to be strains emerging in the unity of the Collective. Jenkins was interviewed by homeless and squatter magazine Squall at the time, where he remarked: "The raves, the work on the farm... the whole programme. You have to understand that members of the collective are there on condition of loving these principles that we're on. And all of a sudden if those principles aren't there anymore then you can't put your work into it. You can't put your back into it because you would be building something you don't agree with. So anyway Exodus' activities came to a grinding halt and we had meeting after meeting after meeting. People shouting at each other and all of that kind of thing. It was like a divorce. We had our arguments. We had rare-ups. And when we realised we couldn't be a family again, then a fair section of the people couldn't stay there and removed themselves".[11]

Leviticus

Leviticus Collective was formed in March 2008. Borrowing from the Bob Marley track Exodus, the groups slogan is "Movement of Jah People". Leviticus describe themselves as: "The Leviticus (formerly Exodus) Collective are a Luton based Sound System and Social Movement who see 'Leaving Babylon' as re-building our community on the principles of oneness, sharing and co-operation, instead of those of greed, competition and hoarding which underpin the 'Babylon System'. So we re-claim disused lands and properties in our town to create our own tribal dances, free festivals, workplaces and homes...building an alternative ‘way of life’ right here in Luton".Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

As Leviticus, the collective continued to both host music and arts events, and engage in local community projects.

Leviticus have also been involved with the Marsh Farm Outreach community group,[12] of which Jenkins is Chair.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e McKay, George (1998), DiY Culture: Party & Protest in Nineties Britain, Pages 187-207, Verso, ISBN 1-8598-4260-7
  2. ^ a b c Wainwright, Hilary (2003) Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy, Pages 110-116, Verso, ISBN 1-8598-4689-0
  3. ^ "A New Deal Down on the Farm? (Report on the Exodus Collective and a radical housing estate)". Squall. Archived from the original on 26 June 2004. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 24 June 2004 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Exodus Rave goes on Despite Injunction". Luton Today. 5 January 2000.
  5. ^ Polly Toynbee (19 July 1995). "Nothing to do. No jobs. For the buzz. Dunno. Perhaps Luton's three hot nights of rioting defy reason". The Independent.
  6. ^ Donald Morrison (14 October 2011). "After the anger: how do we respond to the riots?". Red Pepper Magazine.
  7. ^ "The Exodus Collective and the Butterfly Effect". Conscious Resistance. 5 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Rave Sends Protesters Raving to Jack Straw". Bedford Today. 8 September 1999.
  9. ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 13 Dec 1999". Parliament.UK. 13 Dec 1999.
  10. ^ "Exodus All-Night Rave had Official Backing". Luton Today. 2 August 2000.
  11. ^ "What ever happened to the Exodus Collective (Interview with former spokesman Glenn Jenkins". Squall. Archived from the original on 26 June 2004. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "A Potted History of Marsh Farm and MF Outreach". Marsh Farm Outreach.
  13. ^ Alexandra Topping (12 March 2008). "Communalist revolution". The Guardian.

See also

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