Derk Sauer

Where the Rats Are King

Once, the Staatsliedenbuurt neighbourhood in Amsterdam was an autonomous state for squatters, punks and the original inhabitants who united in the 'Woongroep Staatsliedenbuurt'. The city council's authority had eroded to virtually nothing after years of failing housing policy. The neighbourhood took matters into its own hands, which became painfully apparent when Amsterdam's mayor Van Thijn was roughly kicked out of the area at the close of 1984.