OCAP’s Gaetan Heroux spoke to the gathered crowd after the community meal. Heroux contends the city can expropriate these properties from landlords who have abandoned them and revamp them for social housing. They have done this before at 88-90 Carlton Street.

Heroux said, “In 1997, the city was allowing a developer to leave this property empty (88-90 Carlton) while our people died on the streets. We decided to squat a building; to expropriate something.”

As a result of their campaign 88-90 Carlton became social housing.

We marched south down George Street to Sherbourne pausing in front of Seaton House, a men’s shelter which is at risk. Heroux told us that building and services are under threat due to funding cuts. Another issue facing Seaton is the row of buildings beside it that have been left empty for years. There is a push for ’revitalizing’ the street, meaning condo development and speculators and the ever-present police.

Marching onto Jarvis we headed to Sherbourne and again went south. When we came to the empty field beside 230 Sherbourne St. a small group ran to the fence and quickly opened the gate using bolt cutters and most of the marchers entered.

A tent was erected and a generator, amp and microphone appeared. A banner was dropped off of the side of the house at reading, “Housing Now! Taking It Back! Housing, Shelter, Safe Space Now”. A Warrior/Unity flag and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy flag were held up by people on the roof of the building.

OCAP had done their research on the property they want expropriated and what it should be called, “Drina’s House.”

Drina Joubert, a 41 year old homeless woman, was found Dec. 17, 1985 frozen to death behind the house. Drina’s House is currently an abandoned rooming house built in 1871, as a mansion for wealthy furrier William Dineen. It was first recorded as a rooming house for reservists in 1914. It’s has been empty since 2008 and is a heritage site, which is why it is still there when two buildings beside it have been destroyed.

OCAP is demanding this building be expropriated and converted into social housing as was done at 88-90 Carlton.

To OCAP members and allies leaving this building empty is scandalous. Zoe Dodd, a long-time harm-reduction worker and member of the Toronto Drug Users Union, told the crowd that the, “ongoing gentrification of the neighbourhood is traumatizing already traumatized residents, but we are fighting back, to end the social and systemic structures that are keeping us down.”

Police presence was low until 5:30 p.m. when two officers in a patrol car tried to pull into the lot through the now unlocked gate. The crowd didn’t move and the police eventually backed up and parked on the other side of the street. Officers came up and spoke to the police liaison. After a few tense minutes police pushed their way into the field and negotiations began on how long they would be allowed to stay. Word came they would be allowed to stay til 9:30 p.m.

A short film, “Voices from Toronto’s Downtown East”, was shown. There was music; an acoustic guitar set, recorded tunes and Test Their Logic performed for the crowd.  At 9:30 p.m. people were escorted off the property. The crowd moved their protest to city hall.

As morning came, members of OCAP served breakfast to those present and then tried to serve their petition to expropriate 230 Sherbourne St. After repeatedly being refused entry to city hall, and some scuffles with security and police, they were finally allowed to deliver their petition for Drina’s House. It’s clear that members of OCAP are committed to this campaign.

The poor of the Downtown East aren’t going away without a fight.

Abandoned buildings on George St. sit empty while the Seaton House shelter there is at capacity. Photo: Karen Nickel/The Dialog