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posted by Joseph Jones in on Feb 7, 2011 - View profile

Vancouver

Rally to Reclaim Housing

DTES–Citywide Solidarity Rally


12:00pm
Saturday February 12 2011

Address: 58 West Hastings Street
Cost: Free
DTES-Citywide Solidarity Rally to Support 10 Sites Campaign and the Upcoming Olympic Village Tent City

Time: Sat February 12th 2011, noon
Location: Meet at 58 West Hastings, Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, Coast Salish Territory

Organized by: VanAct. Endorsed by: Downtown Eastside Neighourhood Council & Streams of Justice
Family Friendly – Free Food and Smokes Provided

*Support the 10-Sites Campaign to secure 10 sites in the DTES for resident-controlled social housing before the municipal elections of 2011

*Support the reclamation of housing at the Olympic Village by protesting the Olympic Village sell-off on Feb 12, and spreading the word about the upcoming Olympic Village Tent City, Feb 26 2011

All over the city residents are being pushed out of their neighborhoods, whether it be the West End, Mount Pleasant, or Chinatown/Downtown Eastside. People are being forced into poverty as Vancouver becomes one of the most unaffordable places in the world. Others are being pushed out the bottom and onto the streets. Homelessness in Vancouver has tripled in less than a decade while the City responds by hiring more police and criminalizing the poor.

The rising costs of housing, the lack of social housing, accelerated gentrification, and years of aggressive cuts to public service have created a crisis in Vancouver and across British Columbia. At the same time, the affordable housing component of the Athletes Village has been reduced from a planned 66% to less than 10%. The units promised to the poor and working poor remain empty and unsellable, but the city refuses to allow anyone but the richest to call them home. At the same time, Downtown Eastside properties are under intense speculation from uncontrolled development and the city has not taken action to buy property for member-run social housing. Condos are outpacing social housing development in the DTES at a rate of 3:1 between 2005 and 2011 and no social housing is planned for the DTES after 2013.

On February 12 2011, the one-year anniversary of the Olympics, the City is relaunching its condo sales campaign at the Olympic Village, selling-out promised social housing. The Feb 12 rally will protest the social housing sell-off, and the upcoming Feb 26 tent city is a direct action to reclaim the site. Meanwhile, the City has been actively gentrifying the Downtown Eastside. The 10 Sites Campaign will fight to secure land and for much need social housing in the neighbourhood. Together there is a revitalized front in the struggle for housing.

Fight back for housing, justice is within reach!

Organizer:housingrally2011@gmail.com

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Comments

Thu, 02/10/2011 - 15:00 — dsherring (not verified)

i'd love to support this, but

i'd love to support this, but its NOT family friendly if you are handing out cigarettes! This is truly an important cause, but handing out free smokes? get it together guys.

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