Stop the War on the Poor in Kitchener!
The International League of Peoples’ Struggle in Canada condemns the City of Kitchener for enforcing and collaborating with the capitalists interests instead of the protecting the interests of the people in Kitchener.
Nadine is a small business owner in the downtown area of Kitchener. She received an illegal notice of eviction from the City of Kitchener demanding that she close her doors within 5 hours of receiving the notice. Her store 4 duke street convenience provides essential support and services for the large homeless and street population in the area.
The area of Kitchener is also the target of the Downtown Business Association (BIA) for gentrification. Gentrification is a process where poor neighbourhoods are targeted by land developer as cheap properties that can be bought, and then re-sold or rented at a high profit. The way to increase the value of the property is by getting rid of the poor people who live in the area or on the property. This process is happening in the major cities of Canada, and Kitchener is particularly important for this because Toronto is unliveable for single low-income people. Kitchener is very desirable to developers
and capitalists for this reason.
The sad reality is that Nadine let the homeless people use the phone, the internet, and let people stay in the restaurant without buying anything because she felt it was her duty to help in the housing crisis going on.
She even kept her restaurant open until 4 am to let people stay warm.
She recently opened her doors until 6 am and laid out blankets and sleeping bags on the floor for people because it was very cold outside and the emergency shelter out-of-the-cold hadn’t opened yet.
How is this good Samaritan being rewarded for her contribution to society and for providing these social services free of charge, no strings attached, to her fellow human? She was served with an eviction notice.
This eviction notice is rumored to have come from the neighbouring Ramen restaurant, that wants the homeless to leave so that they can make more money.
The City of Kitchener has chosen corruption and serving the minority again by allowing the eviction notice to go through, instead of compensating and recognizing Nadine for her relief efforts.
Gentrification is part of the War on the Poor in Canada and all over the world. The International League of Peoples Struggle condemns this attempt to displace the poor and downtrodden illegally as part of the social cleansing.
Canada is unable to provide a productive and dignified life for the working poor, so the poor need to fight for it!
The ILPS stands with Nadine and the Alan Ryan People’s Defense Brigade in their fight for justice and the rights of the Urban Poor for a life of dignity.