| Toronto Pope Squat Raided, then retaken ! |
The Pope Squat in Toronto was raided on friday and the 25-odd occupants were forcibly evicted, on the grounds that the building was a fire hazard, and unsafe for human occupation. Even though Parkdale, the area of the city where the Pope Squat is, is riddled with tennement housing which notoriously contravene fire regulations that slum-lord owners neglect to alter. The eviction took place during the first snowfall of the year.
Three residents were arrested.
The following morning, a few hundred (very angry) retook the building at around 11:30 Am, and held it for about 4 hours. Numerous police arrived, along with much media, and after negotiations the building was relinquished, after it was agreed that a meeting would take place monday in which the changes needed to make the building ‘safe’ would be described, and further negotiations would take place. It remains to be seen whether the city is capable of bargaiing in good fith, however, given previous gross dishonesty on their part.
marque <marque [at] wiznet [dot] ca>
