It Looks Like Toronto’s Anti-Gentrification Battle Is Heating Up… (Feat. Sigrid Kneve & OCAP)

Sigrid Kneve of OCAP on Occupy Toronto Livestream...

Sigrid Kneve of OCAP on Occupy Toronto Livestream…

George Street is one of the most depressed parts of Toronto. Situated to the east of downtown, it’s the home to a number of shelters and rows of abandoned houses. Drug addicts roam the streets, with dealers waiting on the sidewalk to fulfil their addictions. It’s a lot like the worst parts of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Besides the dealers, there are a couple other groups who benefit from the squalor. First there are the unionised employees who get well-paid jobs in the shelters that are conveniently close to the city centre. George Street has also been home to a number of squats that have housed some of the most dangerous and militant anarchists in Toronto. So, when the city announced they were planning to gentrify the neighbourhood, it was inevitable this would be followed with some serious conflict.

Last week Swamp Line 9 arrestee, and Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) member, Sigrid Kneve showed a sign the anarchists have been handing out to protest the changes. The sign says “defend George Street” and features a machine gun. Scary stuff, and incredibly irresponsible of her to be sharing it…

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