PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE. THANK YOU!

CHAI (Calgary Housing Action Initiative) presents:

A PROTEST AGAINST SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Peaceful Protest Against Public Behaviour Bylaw Unfairly Targeting the Less Fortunate

Having done too little to create affordable housing and new shelters to accommodate the homeless, the City is now about to fine them (up to $10,000) and jail them (up to 6 months) just for existing: for loitering (including panhandling), urinating on public property (no public washrooms outside establishments) and putting their feet up on benches (sleeping outside), when they are given NOWHERE TO GO! PLEASE come help us tell Council how unfair this is before they ratify Bylaw 54M2006 on Monday November 20!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 2006
12 NOON, STEPS OF CITY HALL
BRING placards flags noisemakers drums guitars voices HOPE!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE. THANK YOU!

CHAI (Calgary Housing Action Initiative) presents:

A PROTEST AGAINST SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Peaceful Protest Against Public Behaviour Bylaw Unfairly Targeting the Less Fortunate

Having done too little to create affordable housing and new shelters to accommodate the homeless, the City is now about to fine them (up to $10,000) and jail them (up to 6 months) just for existing: for loitering (including panhandling), urinating on public property (no public washrooms outside establishments) and putting their feet up on benches (sleeping outside), when they are given NOWHERE TO GO! PLEASE come help us tell Council how unfair this is before they ratify Bylaw 54M2006 on Monday November 20!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 2006
12 NOON, STEPS OF CITY HALL
BRING placards flags noisemakers drums guitars voices HOPE!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE. THANK YOU!

CHAI (Calgary Housing Action Initiative) presents:

A PROTEST AGAINST SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Peaceful Protest Against Public Behaviour Bylaw Unfairly Targeting the Less Fortunate

Having done too little to create affordable housing and new shelters to accommodate the homeless, the City is now about to fine them (up to $10,000) and jail them (up to 6 months) just for existing: for loitering (including panhandling), urinating on public property (no public washrooms outside establishments) and putting their feet up on benches (sleeping outside), when they are given NOWHERE TO GO! PLEASE come help us tell Council how unfair this is before they ratify Bylaw 54M2006 on Monday November 20!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 2006
12 NOON, STEPS OF CITY HALL
BRING placards flags noisemakers drums guitars voices HOPE!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE. THANK YOU!

CHAI (Calgary Housing Action Initiative) presents:

A PROTEST AGAINST SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Peaceful Protest Against Public Behaviour Bylaw Unfairly Targeting the Less Fortunate

Having done too little to create affordable housing and new shelters to accommodate the homeless, the City is now about to fine them (up to $10,000) and jail them (up to 6 months) just for existing: for loitering (including panhandling), urinating on public property (no public washrooms outside establishments) and putting their feet up on benches (sleeping outside), when they are given NOWHERE TO GO! PLEASE come help us tell Council how unfair this is before they ratify Bylaw 54M2006 on Monday November 20!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 2006
12 NOON, STEPS OF CITY HALL
BRING placards flags noisemakers drums guitars voices HOPE!

Hello fellow members of CHAI and guests,

The following is a letter I sent to Grant Neufeld, administrator of CHAI, about the Public Behaviour Bylaw. The Bylaw 54M2006 is set to be ratified in a third reading at Council as soon as Monday, November 20 2006. The letter states my position on the issue, which is a position I hope is shared by many other members of CHAI and requires that CHAI take immediate action to organize a protest and petition. A rough action plan is included. Grant has added the issue to the agenda for tonight's CHAI meeting, 7 p.m. at Knox United Church. Please come as it will be discussed, and petition forms will be available. Thank you for reading.

Hi Grant,

Sorry for the late nature of this request. This morning on CTV news I saw that they are planning to carry through with the final ratification of the new 'manners' Bylaws. It is clear that these unfairly target the homeless: among some of the new laws, it will now be illegal if you are caught urinating in public, loitering, or putting your feet up on benches or city structures.

Some have pointed out to Council that when you are homeless, it is difficult or impossible to find establishments that will allow you to use their washrooms. The suggestion was made to build more public washrooms downtown, but Council responded that they felt these would doubtless be used for illegal activities such as shooting up.

Do to the overcrowding of homeless shelters, and the fact that Council has done too little in trying to secure new shelters before the winter cold, many homeless people are forced to sleep on benches or near public structures in parks where they can lay their heads or get out of the wind. In Victoria they have this law, and cops on beat patrol are constantly forcing sleeping homeless to wake up move along which is bad enough (though they do not fine them).

_Many of these people likely became homeless because they could not find affordable housing._

This is where CHAI comes in. We know it's reprehensible for the City and Council to ensure these people have nowhere to go, and then try to fine those people that don't have any money to pay. This will be a huge detriment to those who are attempting to get on their feet and survive. It's despicable. And we also know that there are few that will speak out against it, or who are organized enough to prepare a protest.

This is why I feel CHAI should take the following 5 actions:

1. CHAI and its members should speak out strongly in the media as much as possible against these bylaws before they are ratified on November 20th, stressing how cruel it is for those who have caused so many to become homeless to incur such punishments upon those now helpless.

2. We should write letters and send emails to Council, carbon copied to media sources and MPs. A form email such as that used previously could sent to all CHAI members through this email list and everyone would be asked to both personalize it and forward it to Council / media / MPs, and also forward it to everyone they know asking that they do the same in support.

3. We should start a petition, with all of our members who are willing collecting names

4. We should organize a placard protest in Olympic Plaza or directly in front of City Hall for the 18th perhaps, the Saturday before their Council meeting. Or, if some would be willing, we could meet on the Friday beginning at 4 or so when many of us would be able to get there, and when the Council might still be there to hear us. More names can be collected from the petition that day, and the petition delivered to every member of Council first thing in the morning on the 20th.

5. Posters and handbills should be made and distributed as soon as possible to tell everyone about the petition and the protest

If you feel the way I do, I hope that you will bring these items up tonight. With your permission, I will bring a number of petition forms to the meeting tonight to give out to those willing to collect signatures, and to collect the signatures of those at the meeting. I can also create a poster and copy it for CHAI members. I could create the email form letter proposed, unless there is someone else at CHAI who knows more about the bylaws that I do, which I suspect may be the case. I hope that I will hear from you soon so that I can make these preparations if you are on my wavelength.

Council is meant to represent the City. Let's show the City that its citizens have a conscience, and require Council to have one too!

Thank you,

Laurie

Edited by CalgaryMultiarts on Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 4:34 PM.