A-Infos (en) Canada, Toronto, OCAP Funding Appeal

[ocap@tao.ca]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
        http://ainfos.ca/index24.html
 ________________________________________________

 PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY
 
     2002 placed huge strains on OCAP's resources.  We had to fight to
 defend dozens of members and supporters in the courts in the face of
 intensified (and unsuccessful) efforts to criminalize and destroy our
 organization.
 
     It has never been our intention, however, to let them divert us from
 the struggle we are engaged in and, this last year saw our fight back
 taken to new levels.  Every day, we opposed evictions, challenged the
 denial of social benefits, resisted deportations and fought back against
 other abuses thrown at people in the war on the poor.  We also took the
 fight for housing to a new level with the months' long "Pope Squat" that
 shook up the Tories and pointed the way forward for the upcoming year. 
     
As we go into 2003, we face some very major challenges.  Three of our
members, Stefan Pilipa, John Clarke and Gaetan Heroux face a three month
Jury Trial that starts in January.  They have been singled out as
'leaders' of a 'planned riot' on June 15, 2000 at the Ontario
Legislature. Prison terms of up to five years are hanging over them.  (We
know these OCAP members are not guilty because June 15 was a police riot
and the cops don't take their orders from us). We will approach this trial
not just as a legal battle but as a political campaign and will mobilize
to defeat this latest round in the criminalization of resistance.
 
     During this next year, we intend to deepen our work in poor
 neighbourhoods and to organize struggles for housing that will be on a
 much bigger scale than that of the Pope Squat.  Coast to coast housing
 takeovers are being worked for with OCAP spearheading a major
 mobilization in Toronto.
 
     We are moving forward with all these struggles with a bank account
 that is down to next to nothing.  Now, we know that we are going to have
 to carry on our work with resources that are but a tiny fraction of what
 the other side spends on trying to silence us but, if you could help us
 keep the phone hooked up and the rent paid, that would be nice.  We
 urgently need a round of financial support to take us into the New Year.
 Please rush any and all donations to:-
 
 OCAP,
 517 College Street, unit 234,
 Toronto, ON
 M6G 4A2

 Make checks and money orders out to: Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
 
 If you would like to receive an OCAP calendar (cost $12 with postage)
 please let us know this when you write and be sure to include a return
 address.
 
 Thanks,
 OCAP


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com




*******
                       ********
       ****** The A-Infos News Service ******
      News about and of interest to anarchists
                       ******
  COMMANDS: lists@ainfos.ca
  REPLIES: a-infos-d@ainfos.ca
  HELP: a-infos-org@ainfos.ca
  WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/
  INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org

-To receive a-infos in one language only mail lists@ainfos.ca the message:
                unsubscribe a-infos
                subscribe a-infos-X
 where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language code)