[Squat!net]

With the Pope Squat – The ongoing occupation of an abandoned rooming house at 1510 King St. W. – the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty has done more than just give a handful of Toronto?s homeless new digs, if only temporarily. With this phenomenally successful occupation (success, of course being measured by days activists delay being tear-gassed by fed-up politicians, multiplied by the amount of media stories run by Big Media) OCAP?s direct action in Parkdale is slowly gaining momentum like few of the Coalition?s strategies before.

Remarkably 1510 King St. is the longest OCAP squat in the organization?s twelve-year history.

They chose Parkdale because as organizer Sarah Vance said, the neighborhood is notorious for derelict rooming houses that are cut adrift by the municipality, and only revisited to evict tenants when a buyer comes sniffing.

Such was the case with 1510 King St. in October 2000 when the City and 459105 Ontario Ltd. A Mississauga firm with title to the building booted everyone out. Almost two years later 1510 was empty and the City still has over $15,000 in liens against the firm and close to $40,000 is owed in back taxes.

OCAP?s success in Parkdale is due to the meticulous research conducted by the group prior to occupation. This preparation has exposed the indifference of ostensibly pro-housing authorities who prefer to yell about the dearth of affordable housing while ignoring – or not even being aware of – prime properties that sit empty.

For years OCAP?s disruptions haven?t made them many government friends. And the usual cast was out for the Pope Squat, dismissing the action as yet another pain-in-the-ass OCAP protest. Parkdale-High Park Chris Korwin-Kuczynski called OCAP ?a violent organization that tries to do things the wrong way? as he put the motion forward to council asking the province for ownership of the building so it could be turned into affordable housing.

Despite the group?s bad reputation, the only nastiness during the march to the Pope Squat from Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre on July 25 came from a police officer. The fresh-faced cadet used his mountain bike to cut off an OCAP supporter on a low rider. The girl was knocked down hard and the cop – – looking to impress his superiors – cycled away with a smug grin.

It?s pretty difficult not to side with OCAP?s Pope Squat, be you politically apathetic, or Parkdale new money, just waiting for a Starbucks at Queen and Sorauren.

Through the beautifully simple art of street protest and relentless investigation the Pope Squat demonstrates that municipal and provincial posturing about a new deal for Toronto is little more than hot air unless it?s supported with tangible action. And you can?t get more tangible than listening to the grateful tenants at 1510 as they mull about looking forward to not sleeping 15 to a room at the shelter.

And OCAP isn?t finished. In a July 29 letter to Mayor Lastman, OCAP said they are ?currently investigating the legal situations of other dormant properties in the neighborhood.? They also call upon Mayor Mel to ?do the same and enter negotiations regarding all properties in a similar situation.?

When and where the next squat opens up is unclear. But when it does, you can all but guarantee a bigger turnout for the march – by activists and politico-backed police alike.

Mick <mickblack47 [at] yahoo [dot] com>

Squatters clean, repair building Poverty activists won’t end protest until city takes over By Kerry Gillespie

A group of anti-poverty activists – long vilified by politicians and police for its attention-grabbing antics – is working overtime to turn the occupation of an abandoned Parkdale building into more than that. Using donated materials, supporters of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) are cleaning and repairing floors, walls, ceilings and everything in between in their bid to turn 1510 King St. W. into affordable housing. But the group hopes professionals, with government money, will soon take over.

Dubbed the Pope Squat, OCAP occupied the building while Pope John Paul II was in town two weeks ago, to draw attention to the city’s housing crisis. Yesterday, the squatters laid down the terms under which they would leave: The province must turn the building over to the city, so it can make good on its promise to use it for affordable housing; and four people who have been living in the building since July 25 must be found homes. But the councillor for the area has other ideas. “The longer they stay, the bigger risk they take that there won’t be any social housing there at all,” said Chris Korwin-Kuczynski (Ward 14, Parkdale-High Park).

He is determined not to let occupation of abandoned buildings become a trend – OCAP has already identified 35 others in his Parkdale ward. That’s why he crafted the motion, overwhelmingly approved by council last week, to ask the province for ownership of the building to turn it into affordable housing only if the anti-poverty group leaves immediately.

“If they think they’ll leave it and we’ll double cross them, that is not the case,” Korwin-Kuczynski said.

But he warned if they stay and are eventually forced out by the police, and the building still falls into city hands, it won’t be used for affordable housing. “We’ll sell it.

“You have to make a stand,” he explained. “This can’t become a trend; anarchy can’t decide the future of anything.” As far as Toronto police are concerned, the squatters can stay until the building’s owner asks for them to be thrown out under the Trespass to Property Act.

“Until the owner comes forward and says, `I don’t want them there’ … there’s nothing we can do,” said Sergeant Robb Knapper. The owner appears to be the province, according to Brendan Crawley of the attorney-general’s office.

The building was defaulted to the crown when the owner disappeared and didn’t pay his mortgages or debts.

But there are “numerous issues that muddy the title of the property,” Crawley added. And until those are dealt with – including the numerous mortgages and liens on the property – the province isn’t prepared to comment on what it will do with the property.

“We’re working to clarify this as quickly as we can,” he said. If it is converted to affordable housing, the building could hold up to 26 people.

“This is the perfect opportunity for (Premier Ernie) Eves and his cabinet to show that they are somehow different from the Mike Harris government (that) did all this social destruction,” said NDP housing critic Michael Prue, during OCAP’s news conference yesterday at Queen’s Park.

“The purpose of this is to call on Mr. Eves to react, to do something, to show that he is different from Mr. Harris, to show that he cares about the plight of the homeless in Toronto. It is a simple act.”

When asked whether letting OCAP win this showdown would encourage activists to take over more buildings, Prue said the confusion over ownership makes this building different.

“You’re not going to see hundreds of buildings being occupied,” he said. But OCAP spokesperson Sue Collis admitted the group is planning future occupations.

“We’re in the process of identifying other buildings,” she said. In the Parkdale neighbourhood alone, OCAP has identified 35 abandoned buildings.

Collis said they are doing title searches to see if any are government owned and therefore potential sites for future occupations.

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Pope Squat Friday report, August 2nd, 2002

On Friday evening, 7:00 pm, various union locals and supporters rallied at Masaryk Cowan park before beginning a march to 1510 King street.

Approximately 150-200 people showed up for the march and many different unions were represented by the colourful display of union flags. Of the unions that came out to support the action, I noticed the flags of the Auto Workers, Steel Workers, Elementary School Teachers, Catholic Teachers, Secondary Teachers, and CUPE. There was even a Public Service Alliance Canada (PSAC) member in support. And the Toronto and York Region Labour Council was well represented by John Cartwright, Helen Kennedy, Margaret McPhail, Carolyn Egan and others.

Steve Watson (CAW) addressed the crowd and lead the group down Queen street and then to King. As we marched down the street many people waved and honked their horns in support as bicycle cops and two squad cars escorted the group.

When the group arrived, the large group of squatters, volunteers, and OCAP supporters greeted the union contingent and joined them at the front of the building. With the aid of a megaphone, Steve Watson and John Cartwright addressed the enthusiastic audience, and Sue Collis (OCAP) updated the crowd about the status of the building and the current state of affairs. The crowd in front of the building was big enough that it spilled onto the road.

To symbolically christen the site, Alex (CUPE) and Jim (CAW) hammered the new “1510” address plaque onto the front of the building; this was greeted with a resounding cheer from the crowd.

After the official addresses, union folks chatted with squatters and walked around the building to check out the scene in the backyard. As people interacted, there was a realness to the solidarity and understanding that community and union were showing each other. As the sun began to set, many of the marchers headed home and a couple of films were shown in the backyard. It should be noted that union locals did not just bring moral support, but they also came bearing gifts as many necessary supplies were brought and donated to the location.

Since the initial occupation, which was a little over a week ago, the backyard has been transformed into a tented common area where food, water, and various supplies are stored. The couches are now all arranged under the tarps so that it kind of feels like you are in a summer beer tent, or a theatre, because the couches are arranged in rows facing the projection screen that adorns the back of the building. And at the very back of the area, the CAW porta-potty resides. Overall, it kind of feels like a cross between a campground and a community centre.

In terms of improvements made to the building, Chris said that the backdoor frame was fixed yesterday, and that the door itself was hung today by a volunteer carpenter. As well, the old back steps were torn down and rebuilt anew. This now permits safe access and ventilation from the rear of the 2nd floor, and it also facilitated the thorough final cleaning and vacuuming of the 2nd floor. The overall mold and air contamination is now greatly reduced. All that remains is the debris on the 1st floor which continues to be closed off.

A plumber also came to assess the plumbing situation. It seems the pipes are in good shape and can easily be serviced; some sections need to be replaced and other pipes can be capped. However, what stymied the plumbing group was “how to turn on the water?”. It seems the water pipe switch found on the 1st floor did not seem to do anything, so this either means the water is turned off to the house from the line coming in from the street, or, that the actual water main in the basement has yet to be properly identified. This is a an important issue to be resolved in the coming days since water is essential to the continued renovation and occupation of the building.

In the near future, there is also a proposed plan to properly fix up one room or one unit –much like a model home. The proposed unit is to have new linoleum tiling, new dry-wall, and new fixtures so as to demonstrate to the city/province that a proper renovation can realistically be achieved.

Overall, it was a great week. With Buzz Hargrove publicly appearing at 1510 King to support and financially endorse the action on Wednesday and with the week ending with a great show of support from a broad coalition of unions it really feels like things are happening. It is almost unbelievable!

Oh…. my friend told me a wry little saying this week. She said: “Housing cures Homelessness.”

With humour and solidarity, union out,

mike

Mick <mickblack47 [at] yahoo [dot] com>