[mobglob-discuss] Empty buildings in David Miller's 'hood squatted

[Graeme Bacque]

http://homelessnation.org/node/3070?PHPSESSID=88aa68da97863fdc8b39451aa933814c

Following the November 9 march on the Pope Squat (1510 King St. W. )
hundreds of people boarded chartered buses to the ritzy neighborhood
where Toronto Mayor David Miller hangs his hat.

Just northeast of High Park is a group of large houses which have been
slated for demolition to make way for (you guessed it!) more condos. In
an area of one entire city block there is only a single house which
still has people living in it. Fifteen neighboring buildings are sitting
empty!

The cops made every effort to stall us, forcing us to crawl along well
below the speed limit by driving their cars slowly just in front of the
buses.

We hit the ground running when the drivers let us off in the north end
of High Park, pouring onto Bloor St. at a fast march which turned to an
all-out dash when we reached the side street where the houses were
located. People scrambled onto the porch of one house and down the
driveway leading around the back as the cops fought to clear the porch
and front lawn. Three people emerged on the roof with a banner and
megaphone as the crowd loudly berated the police.

The crowd circled the block several times over the next couple of hours,
with some people finding their way to the rear of the buildings by way
of a neighboring green space. When it was discovered that the cops had
neglected to post guards at a second house, people poured onto the porch
and quickly found their way inside. The cops clambered through the
bushes and (in one case) even jumped from the neighboring porch in their
haste to clear people from the house. As this was going on, at least ten
people emerged from a second-storey window onto the porch roof!

 From what we learned, these houses were in great shape and even still
had some of the basic amenities such as furniture and dishes. Dozens of
people could have been offered a place to live almost immediately.
Instead, at the behest of greedy developers homeless people and
supporters found themselves being brutalized by cops in the name of
protecting 'private property' - never mind that the 'property' in
question was not being used for anything.

Before leaving the area the group marched west through the side streets,
stopping outside Mayor Miller's home (there was no one there) before
dispersing into the subway. Despite the rough handling by the cops,
everyone from inside the buildings exited safely and there were no arrests.

David Miller was elected three years ago on a promise (among other
things) to build more social housing in Toronto. Not only has this not
happened, but he has allowed this large cluster of houses to stand empty
literally in his own backyard. One speaker at the earlier rally at
Parkdale Activity & Recreation Centre had mentioned that memorials had
just been held for five PARC members who had passed away prematurely
within just the past few weeks - all as the direct result of poverty
and/or homelessness. Miller and the rest of that useless lot at City
Hall are directly complicit in these deaths.