Decision Pending

Blessings:

You may have to wait awhile. Though they ended the hearings a full day early, the only decision the judge was able to make, was that she was going to take up to 8 months for her to reach a decision as to whether or not it should be against the law to sleep.

Charter Challenge Begins

Remembering the Headlines

Back when the story was breaking, the media saught to downplay and criminalize the poor instead of reporting the TRUTH about the constant victimization by police and city officials. The TOP STORY, as it reads here, is about how 4 Canadians died "Fighting for Freedom" in another country, while right below it we can see how citizens of THEIR OWN country are being murdered and violated by corrupt policy and snobbery that is so well blended into today's culture, even when placed on the front page it goes undetected for what it is.

Instead of charges being brought against these same city officials and police for their savage "Crimes against Humanity", the poor and homeless are instead being FORCED to DEFEND their "Right To Sleep". Not only does this go unnoticed by the rest of the citizens of this country and the world, the Higher levels of government that have noticed have not saught JUSTICE for the people involved, have instead saught to prevent their case from even being heard. Upon failing that, have still successfully delayed the proceedings for a number of years, greatly reducing the number of witnessness against them. Considering their is a documented body count of at LEAST 2 people a week, that adds up to quite a few since the tent city began in Oct. 2005.

You do the math !!!

I became an enemy of this country, it's leaders and FAKE support systems when that country and those leaders, by their actions and inactions, became an enemy of GOD & LAW. Your silence to this only strengthens the abusers...the line has already been drawn in the sand by them...look closely as to which side of it you are standing on, by whom you are supporting. Don't sit by or stand for this...there is still time to STAND AGAINST IT, but even that is running out.

This evening's dinner at "OUR PLACE" consited of a cold hamburger patty and an ice-cream scoop of cold rice. It's a good thing they got all that EXTRA money for a NEW building with a NEW, BIGGER kitchen and TWO cooks for nutritious, onsite meals.

(maybe now we can afford to conduct a study on how to turn on one of those new ovens, or maybe they just thought it was too hot outside to have cooked hamburgers, but I shouldn't complain because at least they were thawed out and I wouldn't want to appear UNGRATEFUL.)

On the NEWS front:

If you put "Charter Challenge" in the search engine over at A-Channel, it returns "0 Results"...Hmmm, how interesting considering it represents such a monumental step forward for human rights issues, for ALL Canadians and indeed, ALL visitors from EVERY other country of the world.

CHEK NEWS doesn't have an internal search engine that I could easily find, nor do they have any coverage on the Charter Challenge...Hmmm.

CBC's search results for Charter Challenge yields a number of results, none of which have to do with a person's RIGHT TO SLEEP...Hmmm.

The same thing can be said about CTV's search results concerning the CURRENT CHARTER CHALLENGE...Similar "Hmmm" as before.

A Poetic Wolf

I pulled this piece from my latest editing project to present on it's own. A little piece of the bigger picture. Years ago in Victoria, British Columbia, the homeless had an advocate named Ron Lund, who opened a space to the poor and homeless they called "Spiral Island", a space that was quickly shut down by the city and police despite the overwhelming and dire need for such facilities.

2007 Victoria Reviewed

Submitted by richard on Sat, 2008-01-05.

Another year has passed and the situations facing homeless people on the streets of Victoria remain horrific.
109 people died while living homeless on the streets of Victoria in 2007, this statistic is based on the number of funeral services held at ‘Our Place’ which is the primary drop-in center in downtown Victoria. On average, 2 homeless people died every week in Victoria in 2007, up slightly from 106 deaths in 2006.

In February 2007 the ‘Homeless Needs Survey’ counted 1242 people as homeless or unstably housed and at risk of becoming homeless. In December the ‘Mayor’s Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of Mental Illness, Addiction and Homelessness’ announced that 1550 people were considered to be homeless on the streets of Victoria. These two research projects cost taxpayers approximately $500,000 and used up thousands of volunteer hours. The conclusions are documented in two massive documents that simply state that homeless people need homes. They call for action but to date none has been forthcoming from any level of government.

In October the Victoria Steering Committee on Homelessness launched a website to help inform the public about ways to help the homeless through action: www.ourwayhome.ca
In October the Vancouver Island Health Authority attempted to close Laurel House, a drop in center for people living with mental illness, but faced fierce opposition from members, a house occupation, and outrage from the general public. Closure was suspended for six months. Many of these people are on the brink of street life. VIHA cut down 30 endangered Arbutus trees in order to prevent homeless people sleeping under them, and were fined by the City of Victoria for destroying the endangered trees. The Needle Exchange, run with funding from VIHA, was evicted from its downtown location.

The City of Victoria and the Attorney General of British Columbia have worked hard throughout the year to keep a constitutional issue from being heard by a BC Supreme Court Judge. The question is whether the public has the right to sleep outside on publicly owned land when there is no other place to sleep due to a lack of affordable housing or emergency shelter. The point being that jailing people for sleeping when there is no other place to sleep is against the human rights and freedoms as defined by the Canadian Constitution. The City of Victoria has not responded to a Judge who wants a firm definition of the word 'abode' in the context of its use in a city bylaw which prohibits sleeping outdoors, or for that matter sitting, standing, lying, and squatting on public space.

The mayor has ordered police to post signs stating “No Loitering, Camping, Soliciting, or Trespassing” at stores all over the downtown core. Legally, these signs take the onus off the property owner or store manager to formerly launch a complaint and allow police to act on their own to remove people from private property. Using the ‘chattel’ bylaw Mayor Allan Lowe and the Council of Victoria have mandated that the City Police force take backpacks away from street people. Any belongs that are set down on sidewalks or streets are confiscated and a fine must be paid to reclaim the item. Hundreds of homeless people have had backpacks, blankets, foam, tarps, and other items taken away.
In April, with a great deal of media spin, Premier Gordon Campbell announced that the province of BC spent $80 million towards low income housing, protecting 996 affordable housing units by buying 15 buildings in Vancouver, Victoria and Burnaby. However, these units were all occupies and no new housing was made available for homeless people. $250 million has been set aside to building affordable housing but no housing construction has begun and the money has not seen the light of day.

In May Premier Gordon Campbell increased his own salary by 54% with an increase of $89,000 on top of what he already makes. All MLA’s increase their wage by %29 although the minority NDP, unable to stop the bill from passing, donated their wage increase to charity.
Victoria’s apartment vacancy rate is 0.5%, one of the lowest in Canada. The minimum rent for a bachelor suite is $500 per month, if you can find it and more likely around $650. 2 bedroom apartments are a minimum of $1000. Welfare in British Columbia is one of the lowest in the country at $235 for support of a single person with $375 maximum for shelter. The highest rate of income assistance is for a 2 parent family with children at $401.06 support and a maximum rent of $820.

British Columbia has the highest poverty rate in Canada.

Right to Fight for Rights

Another update from our brother, David Arthur Johnston

in Victoria, British Columbia.
describing how the Government is attempting, yet again

to prevent the TRUTH from being told,

and JUSTICE from being served.

The Most Important Event In Canadian History

(A.K.A. Here Come The Tent-Cities)
-
JANUARY 9th and 10th, 2008, the Provincial Government of BC is
bringing us to a BC Supreme Court judge to attempt a discontinuance of the 'Right to Sleep' Charter Challenge that is due to begin JANUARY 28th and is set for a five day trial.

Success of the Charter Challenge, the striking of the Corporation of the City of Victoria's 'anti-camping' and chattel bylaws, would mean that the people's right to facilitate survival would preclude any restriction if done conscientiously. Meaning we could set up tents with an attitude of minimal damage, anywhere we saw fit, ultimately not limited to any 'private property'. Making those who would restrict their 'property' having to make it physically inaccessible (12 foot high razor wire fences around the parks) or to simply trust in the good nature of people.

I trust the first tent-cities will begin on government land, as, generally speaking, people would like to impose as little as possible on the sensibilities of those who've long held property 'bought' from the 'crown'. Being a Constitutional issue, every municipality in Canada would have to adhere. In time there will be multiple tent-cities - some for families, some more 'front line' (where many angels will get their training).

The beginning of the tent-cities mark the end of capitalism, most notably when a mass of people understand that they no longer 'have' to pay rent, bringing economic collapse.

This is for real, folks... If the court says we must pay to live it means that they're fascists and we're slaves. It means, knowing better, there would be no way to maintain sanity AND ignore the responsibility of rather being dead than corrupt.

Patience be with us all.

David Arthur Johnston
Victoria, BC, Canada
Hatrackman@Gmail.com

Home page- http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman
Journal of the Occupation of St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, BC, Canada)-
http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman/welcome.htm
Crimes of Necessity- http://www.loveandfearlessness.com/ (from
filmmaker Andrew Ainsley. Very comprehensive.)