Homelessness and Housing

June 21 - 4pm
Allan Gardens
Free Meal - Entertainment

Turf Wars: Low Income Neighbourhoods vs. Upscale Redevelopment

From 2004 to 2007, Tickets Under the Safe Streets Act have Increased 288%

As the grotesque oversupply of housing for the rich creeps into poor areas of the city, a ruthless drive to push out homeless people gathers force. People are targeted by cops. Those forced to beg on the streets are hounded and their civil liberties disregarded. Services to the homeless are curtailed by the city. Hundreds of shelter beds are taken out of the hostel system and the places that remain become overcrowded dangerous hell holes. Under the City's Streets to Homes project, homeless people are dumped in tiny rooms with no resources and no support, in conditions that make the shelters look humane. The War on Homeless People has grown uglier and gained in speed.

Defy the process of upscale development - join a takeover of a city park for the homeless. Help OCAP ensure that the covert plot to drive the homeless from view is made a public issue.

Download Poster PDF (4 mb)

PHOTOS

• Graeme's Gallery

FLICKR:
• Lots of great shots on Spirited_Away's Flickr page
• A few nice photos on Mute's Photo Blog
• A bunch of photos up on Jovesky's Flickr page too

VIDEO

YOUTUBE:
• Some footage from the march heading to Queen's Park, with a little commentary thrown in
• Quick Clip from the march on September 26
• Interview with Anne from Health Providers Against Poverty
• An interview with another Anne, this one from Housing Action Now
• And another interview, with Michael of the Homelessness Action Group
• Speeches at Queen's Park
• Getting onto the lawn at Queen's Park
• Toronto Anti-Poverty Ad for September 26

NEWS MEDIA

• CITYNEWS: Hundreds Of Anti-Poverty Protestors Converge On Queen's Park (includes video)

• TORONTO STAR: Anti-poverty protesters make an election pitch
• SUN MEDIA: Day of Action rally draws crowds
• TORONTO STAR 2: Protests slow traffic

On June 28th, a small but militant group of Kingston Coalition Against Poverty (KCAP) and Belleville Against Social Injustice Collective (BASIC) members disrupted and delayed the proceedings of the evictions machine otherwise known as the Kingston Housing Tribunal.

The group stormed the Housing Tribunal carrying a big KCAP/OCF banner and signs such as '$10 Minimum Wage', 'This is an Eviction Factory', 'Housing for All', Stop the Evictions' and 'No Justice - No Peace'

On Wednesday March 8, two more Housing Tribunals were disrupted as part of the Raise the Rates Campaign. In Toronto, members of OCAP and special diet recipients disrupted the Toronto South tribunal at 79 St. Clair East before being moved out by police. This follows an action in February where OCAP shut down the North Toronto tribunal for a full day. In Guelph Ontario, a similar action was carried out (click 'read more' to read a report about that action).