By Mike Archer. The homeless men and women who were unable to find shelter after their forced exodus from Jubilee Park two days before Christmas are now the target of further harassment at the hands of the City of Abbotsford and its police force.
Photo by Win Wachsmann
Seemingly oblivious to the accusations they may be singling out a particular kind of homeless person to persecute, or that they may be going a bit far in their war on the homeless, the City of Abbotsford narrowed its focus of harassment this week to the small but growing number of homeless men and women who suffer from drug/alcohol addictions and/or mental illness who weren’t able to find shelter after being evicted from Jubilee Park.
Over Christmas a number of protesters have slowly congregated at the Teepee on the side of the road across from the new Mennonite Central Committee building on Gladys Avenue.
The group is made up of men and women who were either unable to find shelter before Christmas or some who, once they were talked into moving to the Salvation Army on the promise of receiving their personal belongings later, discovered their property had been left behind. When they went to retrieve it they were kept out of the park by the Abbotsford Police.
Forced by the City of Abbotsford to open its emergency shelter facilities, the Salvation Army, which agreed to the use of chicken feces against the same men and women last summer, accepted a limited number of the protesters but, with the Sally Ann’s refusal to help those suffering from mental illness, drug addiction and/or alcohol dependence, those familiar with the Abbotsford Homeless Crisis knew it was a short term solution at best.
The occupants of the Teepee, who were not told where to go when they were forced out of Jubilee Park last week, moved to a place which is close to toilet facilities and food at the Sally Ann and sufficiently out of sight, they thought, to keep them from being harassed. Their new home is on a spot near the railway tracks, well known to police and City officials, which has been used for years, without any apparent problem, to feed the homeless.
Until now.
The City of Abbotsford, apparently not happy with their choice of location, is now threatening the occupants of the Teepee with eviction and arrest unless they, once again, move by January 2nd.
The City has not issued eviction notices to any of the other homeless camps along Gladys Avenue or throughout the City, most of which have been there since the City attacked the homeless with chicken feces last summer, nor have the occupants of the Teepee been given any indication whether or not not they should be moving themselves 100 feet; 200 feet; 400 feet or all the way back to Jubilee Park.
Afraid that, if they were to join any of the other, apparently acceptable camps, they might bring down the wrath of the City and its police on their homeless friends who have, as yet been left alone for a few months, the occupants of the Teepee are worried about their safety.
Editors Note: Two days before Christmas, based on assertions made before a BC Supreme Court Justice stating that Abbotsford has more than enough shelter space for its homeless population, the City argued that the demand of small children and their parents to congregate and frolic in Jubilee Park outweighed the rights of homeless men and women who, in Abbotsford, are regularly denied access to housing, services, shelter and healthcare in a City which only helps citizens who do not suffer from drug addiction, alcohol dependence or mental illness.
Since the forced exodus from Jubilee there does not appear to have been any substantial increase in the number of citizens lining up to use the swings or the picnic table (which the City removed long ago) at Jubilee Park. Today Media has visited the new site of the Teepee on Gladys Avenue and, to date, has noticed no lineups of citizens demanding to play or frolic in the raspberry bushes by the railway tracks.
It seems nobody at the City or the Abbotsford Police Department bothered to figure out what they would do after those men and women which the City forced the Sally Ann to accept either wore out their welcome or no longer needed emergency shelter.
Apparently the sum total of the City of Abbotsford’s plan involved getting the hard-to-house off the streets for a couple of days, ridding the city of national media and then …
That’s right. They actually thought the problem would go away when the media trucks went back to Vancouver.
As so many have asked for so long … Now What?
.
Lynn Perrin Says: Would like to read the transcript of the Supreme Court of BC hearing that allowed the evictions. At time small words are the most important in law.
From Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.archer.771/activity/707506355940885?comment_id=7262717&offset=0&total_comments=1¬if_t=open_graph_action_comment
You are really going to try to play this out to the end aren’t you?
First off
It wasn’t a “forced exodus” as you try to claim. In fact it was a Court ordered end to an illegal occupation of a city park and neighboring property. A property that your members squatted on and denied the use from anyone else including that of a children’s playground.
Secondly. |
You had every opportunity to remove your belongings in a timely fashion, you chose not to. You were denied entry after and only after you vacated the property. Leaving behind that of which you chose to leave behind. there were numerous volunteers present willing to assist you to do so. Disrespect? What right do you have to claim any respect for the condition you left the park in. Human excrement, used needles, garbage strewn all over… tell me what respect did you give anyone?
Don’t try to play the “Whoa – is – me” card here. We are the ones cleaning up after you.
There is no denying the park was an illegal occupation in so far as it’s setup as a homeless campsite
It started out as a temporary protest to draw attention to their desire to
be granted an approved permanent campsite in the city.
It was a “forced exodus,” because the city went to court to have them
“ordered” or “forced” off the property.
‘Your’ is a word putting blame on all individuals squatting in the park, yet not all left garbage and needles behind or defecated in the park..there were in one location in the camp.
Does that mean everyone disposed their needles safely..no and not
everyone did not leave their needles in the park.
Not one homeless person has control over the actions of another, so do not paint them all with the same brush.
Yes, a police officer informed me that they had a couple of extra days to
retrieve their belongings.
One must remember, however, these people moved their items out in
the snow and rain, everything was wet, they were cold and moved to
another location and had to set up their tents, again.
They were probably exhausted from the entire process and the
weather added to the problem of having to move their stuff and
Salvation Army moved belongings for those going to
the shelter not to another outdoor location.
pets are not permitted at the Salvation Army and understandably so.. those homeless with pets chose to remain outdoors.
The entire process was hardly amicable and convenient or easy and
you say ‘we were cleaning up after you.” Does that mean the city
hired you to do the cleanup with pay or are you referring to the cleanup
paid by all taxpayers?
If the city had dealt with the homeless problem years ago, the homeless would not have been in Jubilee Park and you can thank
past City Hall Council members for their lack of attention to finding
a solution to this costly homeless shuffle.