IRREGULAR RHYTHM ASYLUM -blog

緊　急　抗　議　声　明

１１月１３日、警視庁渋谷警察署の警察官が、渋谷駅周辺や区立宮下公園の野宿者に対し、写真撮影、指紋採取を強行した。私たちは、渋谷署による野宿者への極めて差別的なプライバシー侵害、人権蹂躙行為について、怒りをもって抗議する。

　当日、午後２時頃、２名の制服渋谷署員が、宮下公園のテントを一軒、一軒回り、そこで居住する野宿者に「救急車に運ばれた時、名前がわからないと困るから」、「追い出しとは関係ないから」と話しかけ、氏名、本籍地などを聴取し、さらには写真を撮影、指紋を採取した。テントに居合わせた野宿者のほとんどが応じさせられた。同時間、渋谷駅前や国道２４６号沿い駅ガードの野宿者も渋谷署員により写真、指紋を取られた。渋谷署員は一応任意という体裁をとったというが、突然警察官に囲まれ、「協力」を求められればなかなか拒否はできず、強制に等しい。この間の政策的な治安管理強化の嵐の中で、日常的に警察官による職務質問や交番への連行で荷物や身体の捜索を強要されている野宿者にしてみればなおさらである。そもそも今回のような警察の情報収集活動は何の法的根拠もない。同じ理由で警察がアパートや持ち家など「家のある」人から写真、指紋を取ることはありえず、「家のない」野宿者だけを対象にした極めて差別的、恣意的なプライバシーの侵害である。絶対に許すことはできない。

　かつて野宿者を「犯罪予備軍」として警察による写真撮影、指紋採取が当たり前のように横行していた。しかし度重なる当事者や支援団体からの抗議とともに、重大な人権侵害にあたるとの社会的批判を浴び、職質や同行の強制は依然としてあるものの、写真撮影や指紋採取は目立ってなかったし、渋谷でもここ最近はなかった。この時期、渋谷において旧態依然とした人権蹂躙行為を強行したことは、野宿者＝「犯罪予備軍」とする警察権力の差別的治安対策が根強く踏襲されていることを示すとともに、この１年来、渋谷で吹き荒れている野宿者に対する追い出し・排除の動きと決して無関係ではあるまい。

　昨年１０月、渋谷駅国道２４６号沿いガード下の住民団体による追い出し策動、１２月、渋谷駅地下の東急電鉄による殺人的追い出し、今年７月、渋谷駅周辺の東急百貨店の東急百貨店による洞爺湖「Ｇ８サミット」警備に便乗した追い出し。さらには今回の攻撃の直前、今まで落ち着いていた渋谷駅地下で警備員による追い出しの強化。いずれも当事者たちは生きるために粘り強く攻防を続けている。

　そしてその最中の５月、宮下公園のスポーツ用品大手企業ナイキによる大規模改修計画が発覚した。ナイキが数億かけてスケートボード場やオープンカフェなどを新設し、渋谷区に施設命名権料を払って「ナイキ公園」に名称を変更するという計画。これが実現されると宮下でテントを張っている約３０名の野宿者の生存と生活の基盤が奪われ、１０年以上続けてきた渋谷の夏まつりや野宿者の命を守る越年闘争ができなくなる。さらに本来、公共の場所であるはずの公園を「商業スペース」に転換することによって、一服したり食事したりする憩いの場や、長年、運動団体が集会やデモをするために利用してきた表現の場が喪失してしまう。私たちは区長と一部区議のトップダウンによるこの計画を阻止するため、様々な立場から計画に反対する有志とともに、６月、「みんなの宮下公園をナイキ化計画から守る会」を結成。以降、７月、「Ｇ８サミット」北海道現地闘争と呼応するナイキ本社行動、８月、これで最後にしないための盛大な夏まつり、９月、１０月、２波にわたる宮下公園での集会、デモなどを取り組んできた。これまでの闘いにより、ナイキも渋谷区も確実に追い詰められている。

　今年６月の副都心線開通、４年後の東横線の地下化など渋谷駅を中心にした巨大な再開発計画が進められており、宮下公園の「ナイキ化」も含め、渋谷の野宿者に対する一連の追い出しは明らかに連動している。今回の渋谷署による攻撃もこれらの計画に「邪魔な」渋谷の野宿者に対する圧力に他ならない。計画によって巨利をむさぼろうとする東急やナイキといった一部の大企業とそのおこぼれを預かろうとする渋谷区長とその取り巻き区議会議員、そしてそれらの意図に忠実な番犬としての暴力装置である渋谷署、まさに民－官－警一体となって野宿者を追い出し、野垂れ死にを強制しているのだ。

　私たちは今回の渋谷署による野宿者の写真撮影、指紋採取攻撃に対して厳重に抗議するとともに、違法かつ不当に収集した野宿者の個人情報の破棄と真摯な謝罪を求める。また野宿者の生存と生活を守り抜くため、渋谷や全都、全国の仲間とともに闘い続ける。

２００８年１１月１５日

渋谷・野宿者の生活と居住権をかちとる自由連合（のじれん）
対都行動を闘う全都野宿労働者行動実行委員会（全都実）

連絡先　東京都渋谷区東１－２７－８　０３－３４０６－５２５


On November 13, officers from the Shibuya station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department made rounds of Shibuya station and Miyashita Park coercing homeless persons in the areas to provide fingerprints and be photographed. We make this statement in protest of the extremely blatant and discriminatory violations of the privacy and human rights of homeless persons in Shibuya by local police forces.

　At 2:00pm on November 13, two plain-clothes police officers went from tent to tent in Miyashita Park asking people for their names and their last registered address while saying, "We need to know who you are in case of a medical emergency" and "Do not worry, this has nothing to do with eviction." They then proceeded to take photographs and fingerprints of the individuals.

A majority of homeless persons staying in the tents went along with what was asked of them. During this same time, homeless persons in the Shibuya station area as well as those beneath the 246 National Highway ramps also report having their fingerprints and photographs taken. Though presented as "voluntary" by the officers involved, the exchanges were, in essence, coerced seeing that individuals targeted by the officers had difficulty in refusing officers' requests for "cooperation" when suddenly and directly approached.

In recent years, as public security measures have grown increasingly stringent, homeless persons have been repeatedly subjected to questioning, searches of their person and property, and forced escorts to police stations. No legal basis whatsoever exists for the Shibuya district force's move to collect information from homeless persons in the area. They would not be able to come to our homes posing questions and requesting photographs and fingerprints. As such, for them to target individuals "without homes" is an extremely selective and discriminatory violation of individual privacy. This is inexcusable.

In the past, homeless persons were seen by police officers as "criminals-to-be" and thus commonly subjected to fingerprinting and photographs. However, facing growing resistance against such treatment as voiced by homeless individuals and various NGOs, as well as public criticism for rights violations, they had not recently been visibly engaged in fingerprinting or photographing homeless individuals, even in the Shibuya area. The fact that district police have returned to past discriminatory tactics in recent weeks indicates a revisiting to former hard-line security measures that "profile" homeless individuals as potential criminals. Moreover, it is absurd to insist that this incident is unrelated to increasing evictions and property removals practiced against homeless persons in the Shibuya area over the past year.

In October of 2007, a citizen's group was pulling strings for evictions of persons from under National Highway 246 by Shibuya station, in December the Tokyu Corporation was responsible for evictions carried out by subway guards that resulted in one death, and in July of this year persons were forcibly removed from the Tokyu Department Store by overly-eager G8 Summit guards. In addition, prior to this month's incident, enhanced tactical use of evictions as a security measure within Shibuya subway stations has been noticeable, despite previous calm in subway corridors. Regardless, as it is a matter of survival, homeless persons in these areas continue to defend themselves from expulsion from Shibuya station.

Then, in the midst of all this, it was discovered this past May that the sports apparel and accessories maker, Nike Corporation, is backing a large-scale renovation of Miyashita Park. Nike's plan is to invest millions into building a skateboard park and open caf醇P and buy the naming rights to the public space so as to re-name it Nike Park. Should this plan be realized, over 30 homeless persons from the park would be left without a place to stay and Nojiren would no longer be able to hold the winter and summer events it has thrown in Miyashita Park for over 10 years. Furthermore, the park itself - a public space - would be transformed into a corporate space meaning that Shibuya residents and visitors would no longer have a place to sit back, relax, snack or chat outdoors and NGOs would no longer be able to use the open area for gatherings or demonstrations. The agreement with Nike was passed without ever being put up for a vote in the Shibuya ward council, and to protest the injustice of the top-down manner of making official arrangements, Nojiren formed "The Coalition to Protect Miyashita Park from Becoming Nike Park" in June. In July, we hosted a protest before Nike headquarters in time with demonstrations at the Hokkaido G8 Summit. In August we held a summer festival at the park aiming to see that it wouldn't be out last. In September and October we held gatherings and demonstrations. At this point, there is no question that both Nike and Shibuya Ward can sense that they are cornered.

Continuing evictions of homeless persons in the Shibuya regions are clearly being coordinated with the new addition of the Fukutoshin subway line in June of this year and extensive plans for development centering on Shibuya as the Toyoko line will be brought underground. The current harassment of homeless persons by Shibuya officers is nothing other than another way of applying pressure to persons "in the way" of city plans. Homeless persons in the area are being forcibly squeezed out by major corporations hungry for profit such as Tokyu and Nike, their lackeys in public office such as the ward chief, ineffectual ward council members, and the brute force backing the whole travesty - the police.

While we protest the aggressive fingerprinting and photographing of homeless persons by the Shibuya district police, we also seek a direct apology along with the destruction of the private information already illegally and unjustly collected. We will continue to fight to defend the livelihoods and lives of homeless persons alongside our friends in Shibuya, all of Japan, and the world.

November 15, 2008

Shibuya Free Association for the Right to Housing and Well-being of the Homeless (Nojiren)

Contact address: Higashi 1-27-8 Shibuya, Tokyo

Tel: 03-3406-5254