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| Collectif travaillant sur l'Amérique Latine et contre la ZLÉA |
From gentrification to repression
This past August 6th, driven by the urgency of the situation, we have occupied the vacant lot by the St. Laurent metro station. The goal was to expose the repression against all those who dont fit in the plan of the new and improved downtown area. Since, announcements of initiatives and preparatory work to transform Montreals downtown have accelerated at a scary pace.
If all factors involved in gentrification (the establishment of a wealthier population in a traditionally working-class neighbourhood) and in revitalisation (the process of making the downtown area more attractive to all types of outside populations) are currently noticeable in the Ville-Marie sector, UQAM is far from having nothing to do with those transformations. On the deceptive pretence of needing an enormous amount of space for its development, the "popular" University pilfers, negotiates and puts pressure so that no building around the campus slips out of its hands. Moreover, the negative impacts are increasingly being felt. UQAM's social involvement in the downtown area decreases year after year. And with its numerous land and building purchases (like the worst real-estate speculators), UQAM forces innovative projects quite essential for poor people (such as the cooperative L'X) to move. While sharing the downtown area with its friends (from showbusiness giants such as SPECTRA and L'ADISQ, and other real-estate and commercial promoters), UQAM shuts down streets and sidewalks with its security service that loves ruling the roost, whether outside or within the walls of this venerable institution.
Less and less room for the marginals
Unsurprisingly, tickets are written and intimidation is ongoing in the streets and parks downtown and in Centre-sud. Indeed, once again this year, we see police kicking street people and sex workers out, thanks to the closing down of once "public" spaces. Viger Square, where we could still feel a certain level of tolerance not so long ago, now seems to be a space devoted to everything
except to marginalized people. In a plan of revitalisation for the Out Games of 2006, the City has announced that this mostly concrete Square will be turned into a green space and numerous activities will be put on, notably cultural events. Trying to discourage street people from enjoying Viger Square, the City is thinking about installing permanent fences all around the site. This absolutely ludicrous idea reminds us of the complete shut down of the Blocks last August. The Blocks is a vacant lot located at the corner of de Bullion and Ste. Catherine Streets where two fences were literally superimposed to prevent street people from sleeping there.
In short, it seems that there's less street youth or homeless travellers downtown. And all of them find themselves converging in the same places (Really? Makes sense since there is less and less safe spots)
until yet another public space is fenced in. It's a real chance that those chasing after sex workers and street people (our dearest police, elected officials and promoters of all kinds) haven't understood yet that the downtown is everybody's; they don't own it! People come back or others arrive
Their repression will not defeat us! As we wrote in our last issue of this newspaper, it is particularly revolting that certain assholes, under the disinterested eye of the majority, take the idea of a "fight against poverty" and start war
against the poor! |
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