Protester arrested at rally for homeless
By NASREEN GULAMHUSEIN
What started out Friday morning as a peaceful rally to raise awareness about the lack of affordable housing in Halifax ended with police arresting one demonstrator on Spring Garden Road.
"The police just threatened to arrest me, only me, for mischief if our march stops in the intersection," said Anna Hunter, a member of the Halifax Coalition Against Poverty, as she marched down Barrington Street toward the Department of Community Services offices on Spring Garden Road.
The rally began at 8 a.m. in Victoria Park with a free breakfast and speeches from HCAP and Community Action on Homelessness members. Ms. Hunter announced that federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers would be meeting Friday at White Point Beach to discuss affordable housing.
"(White Point) is the most luxurious, elite resort in the province of Nova Scotia," she yelled to the crowd. "We are here to say that while they spend thousands of tax dollars on meals and meetings that people are dying on the street, people are freezing on the street, people are living without homes. And that is no longer acceptable."
Ms. Hunter led the rally from Victoria Park through the downtown area. Fifty people followed her chanting, "Housing is a right! We will not give up the fight!" They pushed more than 20 shopping carts labelled with signs that read 'Houses turn dreams into futures' and 'Are shopping carts the governments new housing strategy?'
Two police cars paced the rally as it made its way through city streets, and another 10 police officers kept the marchers to one side of streets, pushing protesters back if they crossed the line.
When the rally reached the Department of Community Service offices, marchers stopped and refused to move. Traffic, including cars, trucks and three buses, was backed up for 15 minutes. At this point, Halifax police arrested Ms. Hunter.
"She was grabbed and handcuffed. Then she went limp and they (the police) carried her off," said human rights activist, Aaron Doncaster.
"What you see is the cops criminalizing the poor by arresting a well-known organizer like Anna Hunter and arresting her arbitrarily."
Blair Bayers, a freelance actor and supporter of HCAP, said he feels the working poor are stuck.
"The minimum wage is at such a rate where people really can't afford to live and pay their bills."
Ari Rosen and Stacy Sparks understand how that feels.
"For about three months I was officially homeless and there was no real recourse for myself or my boyfriend," Ms. Sparks said.
She and Mr. Rosen applied for social assistance after being locked out of their apartment by their landlord with no warning.
They had to fend for themselves.
"I've never imagined myself in this situation. I've always lived very comfortably," she said.
Mr. Rosen said he hopes there are more awareness events.
"I've known poverty to exist all over but this city is extremely, extremely rich in poverty," he said.
Ardath Whynacht, executive director of the Nova Scotia Public Research Interest Group, felt motivated by the diversity of the group as she marched.
"(It) is a collection of people from the community. Students, people who are living in poverty, professionals. I think it's a pretty good indicator of how broad the anti-poverty movement is here now in Halifax."
another good read is
naomi klein's article from the nation, about how the poor are being excluded from the return to new orleans.
