Strathcona Neighbourhood Movement Speaks Out 
Tent city in Strathcona
Park.
The homeless forced out of federal land
near Crab Park, some of whom were charged with criminal contempt for
defying an injunction, have moved to Strathcona Park, where they have
set up a large tent city that continues to grow. The injunction and
police action against them have not solved the problem of their poverty
and homelessness. They still lack a means of subsistence and many still
lack assistance for the mental and physical problems they are suffering.
To the great credit of the residents of Strathcona, they did
not attack those who have occupied their beautiful park but singled out
the state, which refuses to address the real problem of poverty and
homelessness, for failing to provide real solutions. Many have voiced
their demand for homes for all and a new direction for the economy that
eliminates poverty and civil death, and are doing so in an organized
way. Strathcona residents have a long history of
militant defence of their rights and neighbourhood from imperialist
attacks. In the 1960s and '70s, the Strathcona Property Owners and
Tenants Association (SPOTA) challenged the City's redevelopment plans
in defence of the community. In 1971, the Militant Mothers of Raymur
organized a blockade of railway tracks to win their demand for an
overpass so children could safely cross the tracks to get to school.
The Community also organized to stop a proposed freeway from slicing
through their community and their homes. Faced with
the occupation of their park by people living in tents and the obvious
unhealthy conditions that arise from the lack of proper infrastructure
and amenities, they have remained calm and have organized to make their
voice and demands for real solutions heard through publications and
various forms of resistance. Strathcona Stands
for Safe Homes for All  The Strathcona
Neighbourhood Movement on its website safehomesforall.com writes:
"We are the residents of Strathcona on unceded Indigenous
land. We are a diverse and inclusive community of people who live in
owned homes, rented homes, care homes, co-op housing, social housing,
RVs and tents. We care for our neighbourhood, and we look out for each
other. In recent months, hundreds of our unhoused neighbours have been
repeatedly displaced into unsafe and unsupported park spaces. Our
community has also experienced a steady increase in personal crime,
property crime and public health hazards. We attribute these issues to
government inaction and neglect in the face of urgent public health and
housing crises. Our small neighbourhood is disproportionately impacted
by these crises, and we see our elected officials doing little to help
us. As the newest generation of Strathcona community activists, we will
not sit back and accept more discrimination and neglect. We stand on
the shoulders of SPOTA and the Militant Mothers of Raymur to demand our
governments take immediate action to ensure our collective health and
safety. "We Stand for Safe Homes for All."
They are calling on everyone to: 1. Sign,
Support and/or Share the Online Tax Resistance Petition, bit.ly/DeclareStrathResistance
for Strathcona property owners, and bit.ly/SupportStrathResistance
for Strathcona renters or residents who don't own property. For all and
anyone, including people who don't live there, to visit change.org/safestrathcona
for other ways to get involved. 2. Write regular
e-mails (send one every day or every few days) to one or all of the
politicians they list, asking them to take responsibility and immediate
action to address the urgent public health and housing crises in
Strathcona. 3. Protest with them at the first
neighbourhood protest event. Details will be sent to those who send
them their email address or phone number. 4. Make
Signs for the neighbourhood protests. Homemade signs that are big and
clear enough to show up on TV are needed. Tax
Resistance Campaign "Our Strathcona community is
vibrant, inclusive and compassionate. We draw strength and resiliency
from the diversity of our neighbours, who include Indigenous people,
multi-generational Chinese-Canadians, new Canadians, young families,
pensioners, artists, activists, and most recently unhoused residents of
Camp K-T. We care for each other, and we share a keen interest in
community health and safety. "In recent years, our
resiliency has been tested by a steady increase in personal crime,
property crime and public exposure to human and biohazardous waste.
These issues have worsened dramatically in recent weeks, to the point
that many of our most vulnerable neighbours -- including low-income
seniors and children -- feel too unsafe to use one of only two
neighbourhood parks available to them. "More than
ever, we fear for our collective health and safety. We recognize our
situation as a consequence of government inaction in the face of
obvious public health and housing crises. We have been abandoned by our
elected officials. "NOW THEREFORE, we, the
undersigned Strathcona homeowners, declare our intention to withhold
property tax payments to the City of Vancouver -- by way of deferral,
assessment appeal or other lawful means -- until such time as our
municipal, provincial and federal governments act together or
individually...." To read the full Strathcona
Homeowners' Declaration of Tax Resistance in Demand of Community
Safety, click
here.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 36 - September 26, 2020
Article Link:
Strathcona Neighbourhood Movement Speaks Out
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
