A-Infos (en) Canada, Toronto, AUDIO FROM TODAY'S OCAP PRESS CONFERENCE NOW ONLINE!

[Worker <a-infos-en@ainfos.ca>]

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In the lead up to the Squat action which OCAP is planning this
coming Saturday, Nov 8th, OCAP today held a press conference to
speak out against police intimidation of community organizing
against the housing crisis.
PRESS CONFERENCE OCAP Office 10 Britain St. (south of Queen, west of Sherbourne)
11am Wednesday November 5, 2003
Speakers:
- Bob Kellerman, Defense Attorney and member of the Law Union of Canada
- Martin Long, President of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario
- Anna Willats, Committee to Stop Targetted Policing
- Cathy Crowe, Street Nurse and member of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
- Kelly O'Sullivan, President of CUPE local 4308 and frontline support worker

For over ten years, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty has organized
with poor and homeless people in the east-end of downtown Toronto to fight
regressive government policy and the criminalization of poverty.  As a
result, OCAP itself has been criminalized, as the Toronto police attempt
to stifle the legitimate protest and outrage of poor communities under
attack.

On Saturday November 8th, OCAP and allies will take the fight for housing
to the streets once again, opening an abandoned building for homeless
people on the eve of winter, days before the municipal elections.

The Toronto police have a long record of taking political sides in the
battle over this eastend neighbourhood.  Recent anti-poverty
demonstrations have been met with the largest police mobilizations the
city ever sees.  Homeless, poor people and activists have been targeted,
assaulted, and arrested. In the lead up to this action, homeless people
have been intimidated and harrassed by police in attempts to keep people
off the streets.  It has been reported that the cops are saying to people
at Queen and Sherbourne that 'all streets in the neighbourhood will be
shut down' and shelters and drop-ins are being asked by police to close
their doors for the afternoon.

We refuse to be intimidated by police while this neighbourhood is under
attack.  The housing crisis in this city is not a police matter, but a
social problem to be addressed by the politicians, or in the face of their
failure, by the community.

On November 5th, OCAP allies will speak out against police intimidation of
community organizing and political inaction on the housing crisis.  On
November 8th, OCAP and our allies will challenge both on the streets.


The complete audio from the press conference with statements
from:
- Bob Kellerman, Defense Attorney and member of the Law Union of Canada
- Martin Long, President of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario
- Anna Willats, Committee to Stop Targetted Policing
- Cathy Crowe, Street Nurse and member of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
- Kelly O'Sullivan, President of CUPE local 4308 and frontline support worker

is available at: http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=8052

In solidarity,


Tom.





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