Emergency Meeting at 1510 King Street West, Saturday, November 2, 10.00 AM

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS NOTICE ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE!

TO ALL ALLIES IN THE FIGHT FOR HOUSING:

The powers that be in Toronto are tightening a noose around the Pope Squat.

* Last Friday, on the pretext of responding to an altercation, masses of cops (including ETF) launched a huge raid on the building. Doors of peoples' rooms were broken down and the building ransacked.

* This week, the water to the place has been turned off. City officials originally demanded payment of a debt going back over years but negotiations are underway.

* The Fire Marshall has now placed security guards in the building round the clock to conduct a 'fire watch'. He made clear that this measure had to be accepted or the residents would all be immediately evicted. He informs us that certain modifications are required to bring the place up to acceptable standards but, as of writing this notice, refuses to provide us with the list on the grounds that we don't own the property!

The Pope Squat has provided shelter to dozens of homeless people since July 25. Huge amounts of work have been done to renovate the place and people have poured hours of effort into turning their own rooms into places they can call home. This is all despite a complete refusal by any level of government to offer one shred of support or assistance.

The Pope Squat is not just a place of shelter, though. It is also an act of resistance. The greed and irrationality of boarding up buildings while people sleep and die on the streets is challenged by its existence and there are those who hate it for that reason.

The Pope Squat residents and OCAP are determined to preserve and protect this vital gain and to see it turned into a self managed social housing project. Please come out and support this struggle on Saturday.

For more information, call the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty at (416) 925-6939.