[van-announce] The Anti-Poverty Committee: End The 3 Week Wait

[Mike Krebs]

The Anti-Poverty Committee: End The 3 Week Wait

On August 7th 2002, the Anti-Poverty Committee called a demonstration and 
march against the devastating changes to welfare that have been made by the 
BC Liberal government.

A hundred and fifty people rallied at the Burrard Skytrain Station at 1pm. 
Rita Wong from Direct Action Against Refugee Exploitation opened the demo 
and spoke about how the recent cuts to social assistance are affecting 
people who have fled their home countries to Canada for sanctuary and 
instead find themselves targeted. David Cunningham from the Anti-Poverty 
Committee then revved the anxious crowd up to take the streets and march to 
the Regional Executive Welfare office. The crowd was confidant far beyond 
its numbers, easily dominating the street and attracting awed expressions 
from the pedestrians in the downtown financial district as we chanted, 
"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT, WELFARE IS A RIGHT!" and "MURRAY COELL, BIG BUSINESS 
CLOWN, WE WILL SHUT THE PROVINCE DOWN!"  We arrived at the office to face a 
line of bike cops in front of the double glass doors that led to the lobby 
of the building with the Executive Welfare office nestled on its sixth 
floor. The people at the front pushed their signs in the faces of the police 
and beat on the glass doors while others in the crowd put stickers with the 
demands on them on the glass and the marble columns. Right at that moment a 
banner reading "DEFEAT THIS GOVERNMENT!" dropped from the balcony above the 
crowd and two women dressed in "workout clothes" who had been hiding in the 
fitness world upstairs cheered with the rest of the demonstrators below 
them. The crowd beat on the windows and chanted, "LET US IN! LET US IN!" The 
police looked stunned and did nothing. A group of six demonstrators raced 
around to the back of the building and snuck into the lobby to force one of 
the doors open into the line of police outside. The officials in the office 
and the police conceded to a meeting with two delegates if the protesters 
who had infiltrated the building would agree to leave. The crowd celebrated 
and demanded that the media be allowed to film the meeting but the officials 
refused, terrified at the idea of their stupid comments being caught on 
film. This meeting with bureaucrats yielded little to no gains, with no 
commitments regarding the APC demands.
The APC demands:

1) END THE 3 WEEK WAIT - feed the hungry, house the homeless, care for the 
sick. We also call for and end to discrimination against refugees and the 
quota system that determines eligibility.

2) END THE FORCED FAMILY MAINTENANCE PROGRAM - support and respect women 
fleeing abuse.

3) PROVIDE ADEQUATE CHILDCARE - for single parents and children receiving 
and applying for welfare.

These demands are not unrealistic. These demands are not impossible. These 
demands are based on a simple principle that no person should go hungry, be 
homeless or be endangered. These demands were issued by the APC as part of 
our campaign against the BC Liberal government. They have been endorsed by a 
growing number of unions as well as women, senior, anti-poverty and student 
groups across the province.
This demonstration was a success because of the level of solidarity that was 
expressed by the endorsement of the demands: these are connections and bases 
of unity that we are proud to be part of and anxious to develop into a 
continued and powerful unified front against this government. The action was 
a success because of the militant confidence of the people in the 
demonstration; we brought demands with us, and together, we made them heard 
and refused to back down until they were. We will continue to step up our 
defense to these attacks and mobilize an uncompromising fightback against 
this government. The BC Liberals picked the fight and united, the people of 
this province will win it.

Demands Endorsed By:

BC Government Employees Union; Hospital Employees Union BC; Canadian Union 
of Public Employees BC; Working Group on Poverty; End Legislated Poverty; 
Seniors Network of BC; Prepare the General Strike Committee; North Shore 
Action Coalition; Pivot Legal Society; Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users; 
Kamloops Society for Health and Income Options; Simon Fraser Students 
Society; Nanaimo Womens Resources Society; North Shore Womens Centre; 
Franciscan Sisters of Atonement; Benita Bunjun, Naomi North, Meera Shah, 
Vancouver Status of Women; Federated Anti-Poverty Groups of BC; Moms on the 
Drive; Long Haul Newspaper; Canadian Palestinian Network; Women Against 
Violence Against Women.  M. Stainsby, C. Jacob, External and College 
Relations Coordinators for Douglas College Students Union; Tenants Rights 
Action Coalition; Alberni Social Justice Group; People's Opposition; Mike 
Lebowitz, Professor Emeritus, Economics, SFU; Queers United Against 
Capitalism; Ethical Environmental Consulting; Sound Resistance; Palestine 
Solidarity Group; Creative Resistance; Gallery Gachet; (and dozens of 
important individuals).




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