Homeless people’s $100K victory against Toronto
p2pnet news view Politics | Freedom:- A little more than eight years ago a, “violent crackdown” by the emergency taskforce unit in Toronto, Canada, resulted in charges being laid against anti-poverty activists Elan Ohayon, Alex Brown and Oriel Varga, organisers of the Allan Gardens Project.
The charges were later thrown out of court, but the three started a campaign which has just ended with the City of Toronto and Toronto Police being ordered to pay more than $100,000.
A court trial expected to last two weeks had been slated to start this month, but the money was awarded before it reached court.
The entire sum will now go toward grassroots housing initiatives throughout the city, says Homeless Nation.
The Allan Gardens Project, “was a peaceful protest that began in August 1999 after the police breakup of the OCAP [Ontario Coalition Against Poverty] Safe Park,” says the post, going on »»»
It included students, homeless and other community members calling for public housing. For over 120 consecutive Friday nights at Allan Gardens Park, protesters decried the continuing housing crisis in Toronto as well as police brutality and harassment of the homeless. The sleep outs lasted over two years until November 2001. [...] Now, eight years later, only days before the court date, the city and police have finally been forced to pay a settlement, all of which will go toward housing initiatives.
As a consequence of government inaction, homelessness continues to be a national disaster and there is an average of two deaths per week of homeless individuals in Toronto alone,”, says Varga, quoting the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee.
Homeless Nation – Allan Gardens protesters’ lawsuit against city and police, December 29, 2008
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December 29th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
and having been homeless once in my life i know how tese people feel. IT is an awful place to be in, and you really have to dig deep to get out. It was appaling that toronto police did what they did, and honestly it shows that they only look after the elitists and corporate interests.
See how quick they come to a bank in trouble versus your home.
as the very 1st south park epsidoe said on the cop car.
“to pester and annoy”
December 29th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
and that money should not come from tax payers it should come out of cops salaries so they really get the message
December 29th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Oh, of course, blame the police. I’ve got an idea. Go to one of the many, empty shelters in any major city in Canada. Get a bed to sleep in, only, be there before 5pm and don’t be drunk or stoned. Also don’t fight or be abusive to staff or you will be asked to leave. In short be civilized. And when you are not in the shelter keeping warm and out of the elements, staying clean and dry, you can either go to work at any one of the hundreds of jobs available in any city in Canada where employers cannot fill the need for counter service, cleaning staff, responsible merchandisers or clerks, or even better, line up for a free hand out from the government, just cooperate with the life skills and employment mentor programs that are required. But no, I suspect a choice (yes, that’s right, I said a choice) will be made to continue to abuse drugs and alcohol, not participate in any programs in exchange for money and shelter, force your opinions and lack of initiative on others while panhandling and intimidating us while we try and go about our own business of going to work and looking after our families and exercising our rights of economic freedom. Everything I have and all that I stand for I have worked very hard to acquire. You say the rights of these folks are violated? I have been on mission to Darfur, Afghanistan and Haiti. You want to see rights violations and human rights abuses? I will buy any of you the plane ticket. Go there and complain, I invite you. There is no reason for anyone to be homeless or without the support of our social safety net in Canada. It is a choice. One thing it is not is the fault of the police. Give your head a shake.
December 29th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I see more rambling from the idiot.
December 30th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Guys, listen to Craig. He’s an Canadian hero, and deserves to be listened to despite how outrageous and ridiculous his claims are.
Please Craig, go save a dog in a well or something.
December 30th, 2008 at 3:45 am
hahaha , good one Craig,
Perfect example you give: First the Industrial Complex goes into these countries, strips them of resources, human rights, kills off their farms and means of support, instills influx of cheap genetically engineered food [if any], and supports an authoritarian system that reaps most funds from population and starts killing off any descent, then calls for humanitarian aid.
Thanx for your wisdom … but let’s not be sarcastic since you probably didn’t know the other half of the situation.
I would suggest you take a closer look at the Toronto and all Canadian situations while keeping the above example in mind.
I’ll even tell you the real but usually hidden situation. A certain group of ideologists decided to take back their supposed rightful leadership of Earth. They infiltrated banks, military, politics, religions and many other areas of civilization. Slowly but persistently they have been using divide / conquer and above stated tactics to take over country after country. It’s where we get monopolies of EU, Global Corporations, centralized banking, SPP, WTO, IMF, loss of gold standard, big oil, big sugar, Monsanto [genetically engineered food], most Canadian Crown Land donated to UN, police and military states, suppressed free-energy devices, spy agencies, loss of privacy, scientology, attacks on P2P and anything else that may cause descent from.
This group started as alternate seekers of knowledge and came out as a Bavarian cult of what’s called Illuminati. They have infiltrated every known leadership organization on earth. If not then forced them to subjugate.
Too much of a mental leap for you? Can’t see the forest for the trees?
Then I suggest you use this biggest library on earth called the Internet and learn at your leisure. Also reference this info on the ground and with persons who have been studying this for many years, then come back and we’ll have a great chat.
BTW: do try to find out who and which secret societies many Toronto police belong to and where they get their marching orders from.
Good work OCAP
Enjoy.
December 30th, 2008 at 4:26 am
Jon, can you tell me why all of my posts longer than one paragraph are being dumped?
December 30th, 2008 at 4:33 am
@Craig homelessness is a choice? I hope that was sarcasm. Being from toronto and having volunteered at a homeless shelter I would have to say you are dead wrong. Please remove the conservative stick in your ass for just one second and hear me out. Many only abuse drugs and alcohol because of mental illness stemming from their difficult pasts. You may have done a duty for this country in 1 way or another im not sure if by mission you mean “missionary” mission or military/peace keeping mission but you need to take a long hard look at how fortunate you really are. Take a look at where and how you made that comment then think about who spent this Christmas outside. This isn’t Darfur or Afghanistan were talking about. This is Canada. Being one of the G8 countries we should be helping lead the fight against poverty. Though I dont believe its something that can necessarily be solved anytime soon.
December 30th, 2008 at 8:15 am
@ free1
“all of my posts longer than one paragraph are being dumped”
That’s obviously not so. But Akismet sometimes singles out comments for no apparent reason, which I always clear as soon as I see them.
Cheers!
December 30th, 2008 at 8:29 am
re: Jon
Obviously you have a issues since a number of my posts have been blocked as well.
Also please check your new email
December 30th, 2008 at 9:51 am
^^ I have no ‘issues’ and haven’t knowingly blocked any of your posts. At this point, the Akismet count is approaching 1 million spam messages blocked. Frankly, I don’t have time to go through all of them, although I try.
And the email account isn’t working, for some reason.
Cheers!
January 10th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I have lived on the street for 8 years because I did not want to abide by any rules, I liked to be a drunk, I liked the fact that I could make more money begging without working and yes I used any excuse I could to justify my parasitic existence. Yes I said parasitic, I contributed nothing to the community of Toronto, but naturally i expected all of my needs to be met by others, who actually worked for a living. I was offered help numerous times but i would just blame everybody and eveything around me wah wah wah. I finally realized I had become a total detriment to the community, so I did reach out for help via St. Mikes detox I went to a rehab, I obeyed the rules, I began to get clearheaded, I decided to go to a shelter in York Region Porter Place and I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Sress Disorder as well as alcoholism by a Psychiatrist provided by york region mental health and I have gotten help with these two diseases. I have been housed for the past four years in a town home in York Region I have a small income via O.D. S.P. which I manage to stretch out through the month, vry carefully. This only happened because I finally took responsibility for my own life , I stopped blaming and pointing fingers, With the aid of some very dedicated people I am decently housed I have real friends today and I live like any ordinary citizen, oh and the best part is I do not draw attention to myself from the police becuase I am no longer a drunk I do not beg people for money. I was also diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer ( totally due to lifestyle choice my responsibility) and for the past three years I am living on experimental drugs via Princess Margaret hospital. These drugs will not cure the cancer but slow it down. My suggestion to the homeless is stop the blame game, start taking responsibility for your own lives take the help that is offered to you, stop your parasitic lifestyles get to a rehab, if you need help, and if you have mental issues, get the help that is readily availeable. Despite the fact that the cancer will kill me I have, tremendous hope I have lived in a decent townhome for 4 years I have every reason to love the life I am living, and I am no longer trapped by my own destructive desires. I hope that Cronoss will read this and please do give this a read before responding with disrespect like you did to Craig. I am not anti homeless but I know first hand that homelessness is a choice ( except for the seriously mentally ill or severely disabled but in toronto there are numerous services available to help with both afflictions .There are group homes for the mentally disabled, where their meds are distributed as prescribed, and psychiatric appointments are kept. all in all there are solutions to this miasma available to those who choose to pull themselves up with the help of social workers, organizations and services. I wish all of you the best in acheiving a decent life , and I hope for much success in your efforts to improve your lives.
January 10th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
I have a question for Cronoss, why did you label Craig an idiot? Is it perhaps that he does not agree with your opinions? From the perspective of Craig, he only stated that he has been to parts of the world where a civilised discourse would be impossible. I am surprised that you dismissed him so readily, by your writing I believe you are an intelligent person Who is quite passionate about this topic. I do like that john zeees Comment Because like yourself He also is very Passionate on this topic citing his own life and the hard changes he made in his life in order to improve his own life. It’s a shame that he has cancer, but even in that matter he takes responsibility for himself. Now that is a refreshing opinion, which does inspire hope, do not worry I am not deifying him. but I am impressed that he wrote something different from the usual postings.
January 10th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
@ John Zeeee:
Thanks for sharing, John. You did me a power of good today.
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/33673
Cheers!
January 10th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
@ Frank and John:
Cronoss exceeded his vitriol limit and is no longer welcome on p2pnet.
Cheers!
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Homelessness is a big scam. Toronto operates shelters through agencies with powerful unions, like Dixon Hall. These outfits have a vested interest in perpetuating homelessness. Their shelters are essentially crack-houses, where people with bad habits get them reinforced, and even people without bad habits acquire them. The management is usually corrupt, ranging from relatively mild things like getting pregnant by their own clients, to involvement in narcotics. Shelters should be banned, period. Even the Salvation Army doesn’t use them any more, at least not in England. Only in Canada, perhaps. Where we’re still in the bad old days.
April 25th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Having read alot of literature about the specfic issues around homelessness, become homeless myself for the past 4 years due to illness, and worked as a “Social Worker” for 18 years, I came to the following conclusions:
1.) Homeless individuals are more then just Alcoholic,Drug addicted, Mentally Ill.
2.) The homeless are stimatized, and criminalzed by the system and general society.
3.) Housing the homeless has to be a prioty of society and government.
4.) Shelters, and drop-ins keep the homeless in limbo.
5.) Everyone is unique as per why they are homeless.
6.)We need to move away from the shelter system and create housing with freed up finances, treatment for those that require it and employment progams for those who can work.
7.)place staff of closed shelters in the capacity of housing and follow-up.
8.)Train Police,Politicains, government workers in order to change perspectives, stigmatization of the homeless.
9.)Raise the welfare rates.
10.)retrain those in the homeless population that can be employed and create employment for them, give those who are ill a way out by providing programs that they need and are not avasilable.
11.)Use a percentage of the homeless to work on solutions wiht the system where they have the knowledge and abilities to help with a radical change in how we approach the issue of homelessness.
12.)Hire these people after training in city jobs, government jobs, even if they have had conflict with the law due to illness. That is to say mental illness formed in the past individuals that are now well.
13.) Investagate shelters that are corrupt, and there are a number of those where donations are being stolen, and monies redirected from their budjets outside the institutions.
14.)Strenthen the Human rates laws associated with homeless persons being discriminated while attempting to acquire housing.
15.) Eliminate first and last in rents because it is a najor blocking mechanism for the homeless and working poor. WE don’t see Montreal asking for last months rent. Generally persons eligible for start-up have to use most of it for the last month rent and that prevents them from buying clothing or other items they may need to survive monthly.
16.)Develop a media connection through television to better answer questions about what works and what doesn’t and to answer questions from the public.
17.)Identify individuals in the system for too long, moving from shelter to shelter and house them first given the cost to keep them in the sytem. Follow them up in the community to prevent them from being homeless again.
18.) Require all agencies to undergo a financial audet and visits from the Toronto Shelter standards Review Officer.
19.)Attempt to reconnect the homeless with family where possible.
20.)Provide legal representation for those in need around family law or other arreas that are not covered by legal aide. There are individuals that have not done taxes or are owed monies in some instances.
In conclusion, I couild go on with suggestion given my professional and personal experience but will leave this for your reading.
April 25th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
The shelter system has became so large that it is blurring the housing needs of those who are invisible because they don’t ask for help and just ride it and move to another shelter.
Another issue is that there is a definite lack of staff training in some shelters around identifying those individuals that need urgent assistence with mental health issues.
The city, province and federal government need to address the size of shelters and bring down the populations large populations in them.
The days of 500 individuals in one shelter need to end because that is just not reaslistic. The number per shelter needs to be managable,around 50 per shelter and spread out in all neighbourhoods to involve the community as well around the problem. The public needs to stop avoiding the reality of homelessness and share their concerns and ideas to help change the social alienation of those less fortunate.
Thge type of homeless person has changed to include professionals that have lost there employment due to downsizing or closure of companies.
Violence in shelters is always present and there needs to be more emphasis on programs that address the problem head on aznd especially violence in those communities where the present shelters are located.
It is better to create alternatives to instituations and spend the money to change it now instead of waiting until it gets worse. A new approach more radical then “Street to Homes” needs to be developed through a committee comprised of the consumers, system representatives from various progressive agencies, not the large institutions such as Seaton House and The Salvation Army who are elephants of the past. These institutions are more security minded then progressive because their budgets are in large part dedictaed to a bureucracy that has lost its direction. They may not like to hear this but they have become the Macdonalds of the Shelter system. I have stayed there and really felt uncomfortable with all the violence and misery taking place in them with programs that keep people there to feed their employment and supposed program needs.
Other systems have been put in place to serve their population such as drop-ins where the downtrodden go to eat or watch T.V. and its not to say there not needed now but they should be eliminated if they are not helping in areas such as employtment or connections to mental health agencies.
There is alot of work talent in the shelters that cover more than just labour and there are few opportunities for those that need to regain the work force due to the present employment situation.
Another issue is that we have a large population of baby boommers, those in there forties as well and nothing in the community to address there needs especially in the west end.
A functioning person doesn’t need the services of a community based mental health agency,they need counselors who can assist with gearing them towards emnployment and we are not talking about immigrant services for employment we are talking about citizens who have worked most of there life right here.That is not to say we don’t need services for immigrants, it is to say that persons in there 40s, 50s, and 60s still want to work and
have skills.
April 27th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Housing is becoming more difficult to find these days because the cost of apartments are out of the reach of those on Social assistance that provides only $570.000 a month and most apartments are well above that, even bachelors.
Rooms for rent have an average price of $450.00 and up with those at lower prices usually not in very good condition.
Theres also the issue of individual being asked by landlords for financial specifics and when this is shared the landlord might just say he or she has to interview more persons before making a decision to rent, so lots of walls could come up in this area.
Subsidized housing is very difficult to acquire,especially Toronto Social Housing Connection that has a waiting list of about 70,000 people, so unless you are an abused women with a police report to prove it, or blind, or have acess through an agency that offers something else your going to wait a long time.
There are also issues within the subsidized housing area due to the Getto atmosphere of some of them and attitudes of some individuals working in them. It’s important to be clear that subsidized housing is benefical,but there is a need for more if the city wants to house those presently in shelters.
The city could free up some of there properties that are vacant or develop a partnerships with an agencies to headlease some houses for rent and that may be possible with their support.
There are solutions but cooperation and tenacity needs to be there to do so and the city has developed partnerships with apartment building corporations for their “Street to Homes” Project so why not Houses with 3 to 5 rooms in them with case managers provided by the partner agencies.
That leads to the idea that those that are recommened for this type of housing need to have the ability to live independently and are not so ill that they will not last for long in their housing.
Mental health housing is another story since many believe that there is a need for staff in the housing to provide support 24 hours a day.
If we look at other world societies and their approach to homelessness Denmark or Sweden are so devoted to the health and well being of their citizens that there is no shelter system, they are on top of the issue of poverty and have a comprehensive supportive system in place. Why are they able to do what we haven’t been doing, well I have a number of ideas around that and will address that next time. Good luck to all of you attempting to get out of the shelters or off the street and into your own space.