Day 2 #HamOnt. Like organizers said, everyone deserves to be housed. Everyone. In case anyone doubts that members of Council are encouraging police to act, please know that this is a tried and true tactic that gets used all the time. The Mayor is the Chair of the police board. https://twitter.com/DefundHPS/status/1331221519817728001

Members of City Council were behind the heartless methods used to evict houseless people in the cold and rain from the Ferguson encampment. They continue to be the driving force behind aggressive actions to keep "moving people along". Along to where? The lake?

When folks peacefully painted #DefundThePolice on Main Street, it was members of City Council and the senior leadership team who pushed for the hasty removal of the street art and the closure of all 5 lanes of traffic.

For anyone who thinks that this is anything less than a conservative municipal government who cannot bear to be criticized, look at their reaction to any of the scandals since the 2018 election. Council has the power to address this crisis and show solidarity with @DefundHPS.

I urge every single one of them to show up and have a physically distant chat with these folks, do what they can with the City's resources, and then join @DefundHPS in solidarity to fight alongside Hamiltonians to get commitments from the Provincial and Federal governments.

We have the money, we have the resources, we have the space, and we have the expertise to put housing first. Now, our governments need the courage and the will to get on with it. I see these brave young folks doing the work. Where are our leaders? This is their work, too.