Snapshots of Hate!

A Chronology of the Growing Violence Against the Homeless
http://www.tdrc.net/Crowe-Newsletter_jun_06.htm

1999 - the province of Ontario introduces the Safe Streets Act, essentially criminalizing homeless and poor people who might be sleeping outside or panhandling for additional survival income. The law is currently being appealed by lawyer Peter Rosenthal on behalf of complainants, via the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and Mary Birdsell a lawyer with Justice for Children.

2000 – at least five homeless people were reported murdered on the streets of Toronto . A phenomenon usually associated with American cities, the murders coincided with heated and inflammatory public statements by media, police and politicians about the homeless situation.

2001 – officials did not make public a serious tuberculosis outbreak in the City of Toronto ’s emergency shelter system. The City allowed crowded and unsafe conditions to continue, with some of the shelters later exposed as not meeting basic United Nations Standards for Refugee camps.

2002 – over 100 people were evicted from Tent City on Toronto ’s waterfront. Coordinated by Toronto Police and Home Depot’s ‘hired gun’ security, the eviction occurred swiftly and without any warning. This was despite extensive efforts by a committee of leaders that included members of TDRC, Architects Alliance and former Toronto Mayor John Sewell to relocate the community to non-contaminated land.

Only months later, despite confusion over ownership and strong labour support with both money and the promise of the construction trades to renovate the building, the City of Toronto orchestrated a raid to evict the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty squat at a King Street building. This was known as the Pope Squat. Both activists and homeless people were evicted from a building that could have housed up to 20 people.

2003 – the City of Toronto restricts hours of winter warming centres for the homeless from 24 to 12 hours a day. Cots and food in the centre are restricted.

2004 – the Bathurst Street bridge eviction. City by-law officers raided this site and evicted about a dozen homeless youth. Similar raids on other outdoor sleeping squats continue to this day.

2004 – the government of British Columbia approves legislation cracking down on aggressive panhandling, which paves the way for an increase in police harassment.

2005 – against the deputations and the reasoning of many homeless advocates, City of Toronto officials quietly and quickly introduce a package of programs that Council immediately and enthusiastically embrace. I was shown a copy of the secret plan on the Friday afternoon before it went to committee on Monday. This package of programs included:

1) a new by-law which essentially criminalizes sleeping outside at any of the City’s squares, most prominently Nathan Phillips Square at Toronto City Hall .
2) a program called “Streets into Homes” that targets all its resources into moving people off the street and into housing (without adequate supports).
3) a Street Count, which I wrote about in my April newsletter.

2005 – Hunger March. A very broad coalition of 40 agencies and homeless people faced unprecedented police presence for a peaceful march on the issue of hunger. I’ve talked to police leadership, and they continue to insist it was an ‘OCAP’ march and therefore they needed heavy reinforcements including the use of police horses.

2006 – research by Sherrie Golden of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee uncovers that most street outreach services are no longer able to deliver sleeping bags, blankets or food to homeless people sleeping outside. Agencies have advised the TDRC that funding restrictions prevent them from delivering ‘survival supplies’ because it enables homeless people to remain outside.

2006 – City Councillor Jane Pitfield introduces motion J40 to City Council:

Protection of Individuals at Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square

Moved by: Councillor Pitfield
Seconded by: Councillor Stintz

\"WHEREAS Councillor Michael Thompson and his assistant were aggressively approached by a panhandler at Nathan Phillips Square on April 26, 2006, at approximately 6:10 pm; and
WHEREAS Councillor Thompson was assaulted; and
WHEREAS panhandling is increasingly becoming a problem throughout the City;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council:

(1) request the Chief Corporate Officer to report to the next meeting of
City Council, through the Administration Committee, on measures that can be implemented to discourage panhandling at Toronto City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square and other Civic Centres;
(2) request that the City Manager, in consultation with the Toronto
Police Service, determine ways to ensure the safety and security of
Toronto residents, businesses and tourists across the City and to
discourage panhandling and report the findings, through the Policy and
Finance Committee, to the next meeting of City Council; and
(3) request the City Solicitor, in consultation with the appropriate
staff, to report to next meeting of City Council, through the Policy and
Finance Committee, on the possibility of a \'quality-of-life\' by-law that
would include a provision that \'no person can impede any other person\'s
reasonable enjoyment of day-to-day activities through panhandling, such
report to also include a communications strategy to notify residents,
businesses, tourists and panhandlers of such a by-law, as well as an
enforcement strategy;

All of the above are not simple altruistic measures designed to help homeless people, as we keep hearing from city, provincial and other officials. They need to be seen in the broader context, as an intolerance of homelessness that is fuelled by ignorance and hate. (Cathy Crowe, Street Nurse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

http://www.streethealth.ca/html/home.htm
Street Health is an innovative, community-based health care organization providing services to address a wide range of physical, mental and emotional needs in those who are homeless, poor and socially marginalized. Support, education and advocacy are key components of our services. Although the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is intended to assist low-income people with disabilities, many disabled homeless people are unable to access this program.