October 2, 2002

 

Features

 

Lord of the Squat

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the other press

 

Photos & Story
Brent Morley
OP Contributor

Who's got the conch? The man with the mega-
phone has the conch. The squatters at the old
Woodward's building in the Downtown East Side
attempted a non-violent takeover which began
Saturday September 14 and ended in the early
hours of September 21. Initially, there seemed to
be little support from the public until September
19, when the organizers of the event, primarily the
anti-poverty committee and a group of local
activists, staged a rally on the corner of Hastings
and Abbott. The rally succeeded in drawing
larger numbers of people to the protest. Members
of many local trade unions were present, waving
flags and chanting in favour of the protesters. It
was a very open environment. People of all race,
religion, and creedwere invited to step up to the
podium and speak their mind on the issue of
affordable housing for the poor. NDP party mem-
ber Jennie Kwon was present and gave a moving
speech on the current state of affairs due to the
Liberal government.

A turning point came at approximately
5:00p.m. when the police stated that they would
begin removing people by force if they did not
vacate the premises. This began a procession of
people climbing ladders up to the second floor of
the building where the squatters had made a home
for themselves. Well-wishers in the crowd pur-
chased food products and other supplies from the
local Army and Navy, which were donated to the
cause. The Police presence, consisting of thirty to
forty uniformed officers, stood by, watched and
filmed the procession of people going up to the
second floor.

Five o'clock came and went with no police inter-
vention. After a head-count, it was estimated that
150 people were occupying the second floor of the
building and spirits were high.

The occupants of the second floor then formed

© page 14

a circle complete with a chairperson, where a pas-
sionate debate was in progress. The debate contin-
ued until the early hours of the morning, dis-
cussing such issues as the current low-income
housing crisis, aboriginal rights, the war in Iraq,
and even genetically modified foods. The debate
ended around 2:00a.m., as the squatters retired for
the night, and the well-wishers departed. About
50 people stayed the night.

Friday September 20 began late as most people
rolled out of bed around 10:00a.m. Most people
headed back to the building for a bit of breakfast
in the office, which had been turned into a
makeshift kitchen. A punk rock girl named Skye
had taken control and conscripted help in prepar-
ing food for the hungry squatters and homeless.
Breakfast consisted of a hearty stew with bread.
There was plenty of stew and seconds and thirds
were quite welcome.

Around noon, anyone who had anywhere to go
had departed with promises of returning. Those
who had nowhere to go remained and kept a close
watch for cops and security. There was a general
feeling of disbelief that the cops hadn't raided yet.

The squatters who had been there since the
beginning were starting to feel at ease. They had a
roof over their head, food in their belly, and a gen-
eral feeling of comfort that they were not accus-
tomed to.

This was the Woodwards building, an aban-
doned department store with minimal utilities,
which was referred to as home. The rest of the day
passed by uneventfully. Every few seconds there
was the uplifting sound of horns honking in sup-
port as cars drove by on Hastings.

People came and went. Anyone who climbed the
ladders to the second floor was welcomed. By sim-
ply climbing the ladder a statement was being
made, either that one supported the protest itself,

or one was curious to know exactly what was
going on. Either way, it was a positive action.

Regardless of the circumstances that lead a per-
son into homelessness or the rigours of low
income, these people were people and deserved to
be treated with dignity and respect. Providing sup-
port for the less fortunate is the duty of the fortu-
nate.

Around 8:00p.m. dinner was being served. Skye
remained in the kitchen, serving her hearty stew.
Most of the people who left had returned and
emotions were still fairly positive.

People milled about, introductions were made,
and relationships forged. We were one people
looking forward in unity to achieving a common
goal. “United we stand, divided we fall,” was the
catch phrase of the day.

Around 10:00p.m. the debate began again. It
started as a congenial and lively discussion. As
time passed the discussion turned into an
impromptu formation of an emergency govern-
ment. Protesters were divided on some issues.
There were hardliners that wanted to keep the
building, “By any means necessary,” and there
were passive members who wished to stay as long
as possible, but not resist if the police intervened.

An aboriginal collective member, named Teresa,
began accusing people of crimes of racism.
Members of the group began giving testimonials.
The man with the megaphone conch stepped in
and made a motion against racism. The group
accepted the motion, a chorus of acknowledge-
ment resounded throughout the building. A cas-
cade of countless motions followed.

All manner of motions were made. Everything
from having different public relations people rep-
resenting different groups within the squat, to the
motion of a potluck dinner on Sunday.
Committees and sub-committees were being