Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions
An open letter to:
Mayor John Tory
Mary-Anne Bedard, General Manager of Shelter, Support & Housing Administration
Janie Romoff, General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation Department
Dear Mayor Tory and public servants,
Showing Up For Racial Justice Toronto (SURJ TO) supports the rights of encampment residents to safely exist in Toronto. We are witnessing with horror the City of Toronto’s treatment of encampment residents. We write in solidarity with encampment residents and demand: an immediate moratorium on encampment clearings, the repeal of City by-laws that make it illegal to camp, immediately provide encampment residents with fire safety and survival gear, and make available public washrooms and shower facilities that are regularly cleaned and maintained.
SURJ TO is a local chapter of 90+ and a broader support network of thousands. SURJ TO moves white people and communities into action in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour-led racial justice movements. We organize as part of a broader, multi-racial majority to end white supremacy and racial and economic injustice.
These encampments are the result of a decades-long housing crisis caused by public policy that encouraged the financialization of housing while cutting investments in affordable housing and Rent-Geared-to-Income options in the downtown core. The City’s winter plan provides space for 560 people, but advocates and outreach workers note that there are over 1000 people sleeping on the streets, and with the current ‘eviction blitz’ happening across Toronto, that number is going to grow. The shelter system is full and has been for years. Our members work in housing and shelters and see this first-hand. We know that residents calling central intake every night are not able to get beds. See this CBC report: City has far fewer homeless shelter beds than it claims it has, street pastor says. Because of this, people will be forced to sleep outside even if encampments are cleared, but without the security of the communities that have been created over the past many months. This is not a “plan,” this is an attempt to push the consequences of bad policy out of sight.
Displacing people from their homes during a pandemic is a serious public health concern. The CDC recommends that cities not clear encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic because “clearing encampments can cause people to disperse and break connections with essential service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread." On top of this, encampment residents should not be put in a position to risk getting COVID-19 in a congregate shelter setting like the Better Living Centre respite. It is egregious that the City disregards these recommendations. In doing so, you are putting the health of unhoused people and Torontonians at large at risk. The solution is clear: allow people to stay in encampments at this time, and take immediate steps to consult with encampment residents about the best and safest ways forward.
SURJ TO knows that racism and settler colonialism are violent systems to Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities, and are interlocked with other systems, such as capitalism. In 2018, the City of Toronto’s own Street Needs Assessment study reported that 38 percent of people living outside were Indigenous, and 31 percent were Black. Ongoing criminalization and use of police force against encampment residents must end. The forced relocation of encampment residents - particularly through police and bylaw raids - is part of ongoing racial and colonial violence.
The work that the Encampment Support Network has done as unpaid labour, and continues to do, is vital for the survival of people living in encampments. This is work that should be done by the City -- instead, the City viciously blocks efforts by Toronto citizens to support their neighbours, such as threatening carpenter Khaleel Seivwright with legal action for creating Tiny Shelters. There is no logic in this; it is malicious. The City should celebrate when neighbours assist each other, especially during a global pandemic, when helping each other is even more integral to our collective well-being.
We are calling on those that support this statement to do the following:
Contact city officials (Mayor, city councillors, public servants) with a statement of solidarity of your own.
Tweet, Post, and tag public officials and city councillors on social media demanding a moratorium on encampment evictions with hashtags #NoEncampmentEvictions and #TOpoli
Donate to the Encampment Support Network and follow them on social media:
Patreon: esntorontoInstagram: @esn.to.4real
Twitter: @ESN_TODonate to the continued construction of Toronto Tiny Shelters.
Sincerely,
SURJ Toronto