Homelessness Action Week. Tent squat in the 900 block of Main Street!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2007
Empty Lots - Empty Promises - Homes Here Now!
Led by Dave Diewert, Streams of Justice community members have commenced a tent squat in the 900 block of Main Street._
Here we stand, on land the Creator has given as a gift for us to share, on historically unceded Coast Salish Territory, on City of Vancouver property, in solidarity with those who have no home, who lack adequate income and necessary support, who know only too well the reality of social exclusion.
In light of the immense wealth and abundant resources of our region, the ongoing reality of increasing homelessness and poverty in our city is completely unacceptable. The structural violence of social exclusion and growing economic inequality dehumanizes all of us and must be eliminated.
We are here to bear witness to this injustice and to issue a call to action that will heal the wounds of homelessness and poverty.
For the sake of the well-being of our city and every person who resides in it, and in fulfilment of our international obligations, we challenge our political leaders and our fellow citizens to ensure the provision of adequate income, affordable housing and necessary supports for all our brothers and sisters who currently suffer the deprivation of these basic human needs.
We believe that we have an inescapable moral obligation, before the Creator and our fellow human beings, to uphold the dignity of every individual and to seek well-being for all. A just distribution of our collective resources is a concrete way to fulfill this obligation and to live into our true humanity.
So here we stand, as a public protest against injustice and as a communal sign of hope. We invite all who desire justice and seek peace to join us in this action of solidarity, resistance and liberation.
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your fellow creatures?
Isa 58:6-7
Please come by and visit in support of this action. Our friends can be reached at 604-760-9741, and the squat is located at 950 Main. The intention is to remain on site for the duration of Homelessness Action Week.
Empty Lots - Empty Promises - Homes Here Now!
Dave, Rick, Kirsten and Dwayne take action, homes for all!.
This squat is at risk of being shut down by the city of vancouver. Police informed the squatters that they will be asked to leave today at 2pm. the group has decided not to vacate. they are asking for support. come down to the 900 block of main street in vancouver, for 2pm and show your support.
Update: the police came and went, but the demo is still in need of support! Pls support this peacful protest.
why squat in a parking lot when you can arrange a purchase from a hard money private lender? if you can you can purchase the land. terms of satisfying the conditions of the private lender it is easier to obtain a loan on an existing building stone buildings are generally considered the best ones to attempt to purchase as they are considered a hard asset by the banks and speaking of banks is there not in fact a bank across the street from the old cobalt hotel right outside the south entrance of china town if i am correct it used to be a bank of montreal and has been closed and boarded up for years it is made of stone and was probably built 100 years ago after you have secured financing from a private lender or perhaps you could approach the old bank itself or the current owner and see if you can make a private purchase from a private lender there are lots of them available on the net and on behalf of all the future residents those on any kind of guaranteed income ie social assistance or provincial or federal disability all these forms of income qualify for a private lender because they lend you the money regardless of your credit they lend on values determined on the value of the property and building if you can house say twenty people in an old stone bank in bunk beds built into small rooms with a communal bathroom and kitchen you can sign everyone up on a list and contact a lender then the provincial government will have to pitch on the rents at 375 per person if you form a community or a family you can legally run a cost sharing arrangement with revenue canada a seperate entity than that of the provincial government 375 times 20 is your revenue 7500 per month to service the interest on the private loan thats 90000 per year on a building that you could probably buy for the cost of the land alone. and get the old stone building for free. you could invite the mayor to pitch some of the costs after all it was the bank that left the community and not vice versa get the provincial government to pay the costs of shelter to the private lender while we all have a place to live and call home. and how can the mayor possibly say no after all that old bank did not even make itself wheelchair accessable for our friend and brother sam sullivan. we could change that as well sullivans media people could not say no even if they wanted to it is thee perfect photo op the old abandoned bank in the poorest postal code in north america everyone watching on tv will be all scratchin their collective voting heads and all thinkin the same thing at the same time where did that old bank go when the community needed them the most they just took all their money and left boarded up the windows sold the place and set up shop somewhere else where they can just suck up all that cash and move along to the next group of victims when these things happen and they do and they have and every one is wonderin who the hell is responsible we think and we know it is the politicians who have to take the hit for the corpoate skrewups cause the corporate insurers will not pay the mayor and his crew if they dont keep the collective poor under politicol control.
I went down today at 2pm, the video from today (with a full update) will up this week.
Currently, the police will not be evicting squatters at this time. This issue will be heard before the courts Friday. Special thanks to Pivot legal Society for getting a court injunction today. And yes, as concerned citizen pointed out, support is still needed-so go down and show your support.
I think that you've answered your own questions.
"Squatting" is just that: squatting; not needing to own, not needing to buy, not needing to use debt money, and not needing to go into debt. The squat also sounds like a protest.
- if you (meaning we) can purchase the land. Big if. And, why would we want to own/buy land? and pay property tax ad infinitem?
- terms of satisfying the conditions of the private lender. On whose terms? What are the terms?
- all the future residents those on any kind of guaranteed income ie social assistance or provincial or federal disability. Do you really believe that the paltry amount of assistance is so easy to acquire? And, doesn't social assistance terminate after a period of time? Gathering from some of your comments, I think that you are trying to bilk people out of their assistance money.
- speaking of banks and money lenders: where did that old bank go? they just took all our money? and left? and boarded up the windows? sold the place? and set up shop somewhere else? where they can just suck up all more debt money and move along to the next group of victims? And, this is who you are trying to get people to borrow money from?
money is just that money. if you are poor you have to borrow. if you stop using money you will stay poor. period. you give criticism without solution. 375 might be paltry but it still pays the bills. I will buy the bank with my money. and rent the rooms to people who want change. rather than more protests. professional protesters are really good at being the most fucking annoying people as they possibly can be. but do not know the first thing about how to make something that works for everyone. a squat is not a plan it is a waste of resources for everyone involved the city gets pissed off with all the garbage fights and bullshit the lawyers get paid and everyone at the squat is under stress good luck with your protest "i think" the church and state have both been there before try something workable instead of something nonfunctional.people do not need a squat. people do not need a protest.people do not need lawyers. people need shelter. shelter costs money. money requires work. making a shelter agreement with homeless people is work. the money i have is the money i have earned as well as the houses that i own. the government does not want to even be in the business of providing shelter. what makes any of the homeless think that gordon campell or any government agent gives a fuck about them? and I of all people know what shelter is worth I am an orphan.
maybe I will provide shelter and have free food. dinner and a room at the bank.
and I know what to call it metamorphasis. it will be a FOOD BANK. get it duh? bilk? you think?
The Squat Needs to Stay...until there is an aquate amount of housing being built and found right away. I was in our lawyer's office today when she told me that another lawyer from Vancouver had been in contact with here regarding Victoria's Tent City court case. I have told a fe people in Vancouver that our two onstitutional lawyers do have a law office in Vancouver as well as Victoria. Their name is Irene Faulkner and Cathy Bois-Parker. These two have done some work David Moss, David Eby and Jim Qualle. All these lawyers are currently in Vancouver and are very much aware of our court case. Our next court date is Oct 30 and 31. We need to stick together on this issue. Solidarity is for ever...I think?