UPDATE: Occupy Nelson to rally for housing on Friday at City Hall
By Nelson Daily Staff
Occupy Nelson will assert homelessness one of its key priorities at the Housing For All: Voices From The Street rally Friday.
The rally is in response to a meeting with Mayor John Dooley, members of City council, ANKORS and the Nelson Committee on Homelessness, where Occupy Nelson proposed the creation of a safe-space for the homeless to camp out this winter, with the preferred site being the City Campground.
On Tuesday Mayor Dooley and Council offered excuses, said Occupy Nelson member Brett Rhyno, claiming people in the area wouldn’t like it.
Liability was the main concern. Rhyno said council’s decision leaves an estimated 75-80 homeless people in Nelson out in the cold.
“The City is sitting on a campground which is currently empty, which has a sheltered area, washrooms and electricity,” he said. “It would also be a central spot where services and homelessness supports could be concentrated and made more accessible.”
He said council appeared more concerned about the grass than the health and well-being of homeless people.
In response, Occupy Nelson is calling for the houseless, precariously housed, and allies to gather Friday, Nov. 25 at City Hall at 1 p.m. to show City council that residents of Nelson want them to take immediate action to help the homeless this winter.
“Everybody has the right to be warm with shelter and should not have to live outside in a country as rich as ours,” said Chris Keats, a homeless veteran from Occupy Nelson.
“It’s almost impossible to get a place with the $375 shelter allowance you get from social assistance. And then landlord’s discriminate against you for being poor and homeless so the marginalized stay marginalized.”
Members of the Nelson Committee on Homelessness will be joining the Occupy camp Thursday night to show their solidarity.
From Wednesday
The camp of Occupy Nelson protestors will keep on with their vigilance outside of City Hall after they said an offer Tuesday from City council did not meet the needs of the city’s homeless.
The homelessness issue in Nelson is such that even the little amount of aid Occupy has provided has become part of people’s lives, said Occupy Nelson member Brett Rhyno in a statement Wednesday.
“We cannot in good conscious remove our protest camp without a tenable solution that provides those in need with a safe space for the upcoming winter months,” he said.
Rhyno said Occupy Nelson found the City’s offer of space for a kiosk and use of the power during business hours, in exchange for the removal of their tents and structures, to be generous, they had to decline.
“We feel that the nature of the protest camp would change if such a space were available,” he said.
After complying with all requests issued by the fire department on the weekend, organizers at Occupy Nelson were hopeful the City would grant their request to access public electricity. However, the City countered with a proposal that involved dismantling the camp.
Rhyno said in spite of the dismantling under duress of various Occupy camps around the country, Occupy Nelson will continue on.
“It feels occupation serves an important political point in a time of worsening financial and environmental crisis,” he said. “It is an appropriate response to the problems facing our society.”
From Tuesday
An arrangement proposed Tuesday between Occupy Nelson and the City calls for the group’s tents and structures to come off of City Hall grounds.
In a meeting Tuesday morning at City Hall between several Occupy members, Nelson Committee on Homelessness and City officials — including Mayor John Dooley, Couns. Donna Macdonald and Deb Kozak, and City manager Kevin Cormack — the City agreed to provide electricity and space for an information kiosk for the Occupy Nelson group for eight hours per day, from Monday to Friday night.
However, in return, the Occupy Nelson group will have to agree to remove their camp from the City Hall grounds — the City citing public health and safety conditions.
Occupy Nelson representatives will take the proposal back for discussion and give the City their answer, said Coun. Deb Kozak, who attended the meeting on behalf of the City.
“We hope to hear from them tomorrow,” she said Tuesday night.
A few members of Occupy Nelson attended the public presentation portion of City council’s committee of the whole meeting Monday night and asked for council to provide electricity to the site. Council listened, but did not provide comment at the meeting.
On Monday Occupy Nelson members received notice the Nelson fire chief would be satisfied if they treated the bottom six feet of their teepee.
“He was even so helpful as to let us know what product to use and where to get it — which we did yesterday,” said Brett Rhyno, an Occupy Nelson group member.
The group is still undecided whether they will accept the City’s offer.
From Monday
After a potential fiery situation with the Nelson Fire Department never came to pass Saturday night, the Occupy Nelson group looks to douse the flames of the teepee controversy.
What was shaping up to be a confrontation between fire officials and the Occupy Nelson protestors in front of City Hall never came to pass on Saturday.
Things went “pretty smooth” Saturday night, said Occupy Nelson member Brett Rhyno.
“On Sunday, the fire inspector noted that we were still in the teepee but no action was taken,” he said. “We are hoping that the issue can be resolved if the fire department allows us more time to verify that it has already been treated.”
Fire officials are claiming that the teepee was not fire-safe. However, the teepee belongs to the Sinixt community and was have been treated using indigenous methods several times over the course of its lifetime, said Jordy, who has been with Occupy Nelson since the occupation began over a month ago.
Rhyno said the group has issued a request to City council for access to electricity, and they will attend the council meeting Monday night (7 p.m.) to follow up.
“We are also meeting with members of council, the mayor, and representatives from various community groups tomorrow to discuss options for helping the homeless over the winter,” said Rhyno.
The option for opening City Campground for the winter is part of the agenda.
From Sunday
Things could come to a head with the Occupy Nelson camp and City officials this week.
Despite several requests being accommodated by the Occupy Nelson camp from the Nelson Fire Rescue — to take down their kitchen structure, remove tarps from tents and not allow the use of any fuel for heating or cooking — a further request has forced the protestors into a difficult spot.
The protestors are saying the fire marshal “has instructed us that we cannot occupy our teepee after 6 pm (Saturday). They claim that it is not fire-safe. Occupy Nelson disagrees with this assessment,” they said in a press release Saturday.
The teepee belongs to the Sinixt community and, as such, would have been treated using indigenous methods several times over the course of its lifetime.
Also, under the current situation, Occupy Nelson is prohibited from having any fuel-burning heat source in the teepee, even though that is what has been used in a teepee for thousands of years.
“I am an indigenous person and I have the right to sleep in a teepee,” said Jordy, who has been with Occupy Nelson since the occupation began over a month ago. “If they want to arrest me for exercising my right, then we can and will take this to court.”
The increased scrutiny which Occupy Nelson is facing coincides with similar pressures being placed on Occupy camps across the country. Camps in London, Ont., and Halifax, NS were forcibly evicted last week, Occupy Vancouver has been given an eviction notice for Monday, and Occupy Montreal has been issued similar orders to take down wooden structures.
“In Nelson, we have emphasized cooperation and being inclusive. However, we do not see telling us that we cannot occupy our teepee as a reasonable request,” said Occupier Brett Rhyno in a press release.
“In our opinion, the teepee is a safe structure and there is no reason to not occupy it. As the weather gets colder we will need to assert our right to stay warm.”
Rhyno said he did not know what the consequences of the situation will be, but arrests were always a possibility.
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