{"id":17802,"date":"2022-01-06T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T14:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invisiblepeople.tv\/?p=17802"},"modified":"2023-07-24T15:50:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T19:50:13","slug":"toronto-pushes-to-criminalize-homeless-people-and-their-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invisiblepeople.tv\/toronto-pushes-to-criminalize-homeless-people-and-their-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Pushes to Criminalize Homeless People and Their Supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Experts have described Toronto’s housing market as being at “crisis level.” Over the past decade, locals have witnessed the squeeze as mortgage and rental prices soared. The supply of affordable homes could not keep up with the demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the aftermath of the international health crisis known as COVID-19, with the housing and homeless crises intertwining, the public is witnessing a jaw-dropping surge in the number of homeless encampments popping up in the Toronto region of Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to\u00a0<\/span>CP24<\/span><\/a>, an “overwhelming” number of homeless encampments have been erected recently, lining the grassy patches of city parks and making visible the previously “invisible” problem of homelessness.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to the cries of thousands of neighbors in need, Toronto advocates began organizing at the encampments mentioned above. At first, the kindness of volunteer groups like the\u00a0<\/span>Encampment Support Network<\/span><\/a>\u00a0led the way, supplying a cornucopia of essentials like food, water, and safety equipment. One advocate even went so far as to build insulated makeshift shelters<\/a>, a gesture that was met with outrage from local law enforcement officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what was the city’s response to this issue, as human beings were thrust into the desolate state of homelessness by the thousands, forced to watch the world move from the shadows looming over their tents? As you might have guessed, the city responded with violent encampment sweeps, forced relocations, and arrests.<\/h4>\n

In a Swift Move to Relocate Visible Symbols of Poverty, Police Began Forcing Residents and Advocates Out<\/h3>\n

“Canadians that are watching this now, you should be ashamed of your country, especially your politicians. I don’t know what level of government that’s supposed to be building geared-to-income housing, but COVID has brought this to light,” one encampment resident urged in an interview with\u00a0<\/span>Global News<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past few months, multiple encampments have been “cleared” to the tune of police brutality and arrests. With only a short time to pack, occupants of encampments were only permitted to bring two bags of their belongings with them. Onlookers watched with heavy hearts as police then barricaded city parks, lining the perimeters with massive orange fences, standing guard in lime green shirts emblazoned with the word “Security.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Encampment residents continued to insist that these clearings did not make them feel secure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Violence in Toronto Shelters has Tripled Since the Pandemic<\/h3>\n

While law enforcement has attempted to shed a gilded light of optimism on the subject by blandly stating they are moving many encampment residents “inside,” they are leaving out a vital detail. Encampment residents who can relocate must then navigate a shifty, violent shelter stay that statistically is unlikely to end in permanent housing. On the contrary, it’s quite likely to end in brutality or even death.<\/span><\/p>\n

Global News<\/span><\/a>\u00a0recently referred to Toronto’s shelter system as an “explosion of fury and violence and blood.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Statistics reveal that the statement is accurate. Indeed,\u00a0<\/span>violence in Toronto’s shelter system has increased threefold,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0reflecting thousands of annual occurrences.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2020, Toronto shelters exhibited an average of 270 violent incidents per month, which equates to over 11,600 incidents per year. That estimate really brings perspective considering the fact that Toronto’s homeless population is currently estimated to be about 10,000 individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

This can only mean that people in the shelter system are experiencing acts of violence more than once per year on average, or the homeless estimate is a drastic undercount. Either way, encampment residents who are “relocated indoors” run the risk of experiencing:<\/span><\/p>\n