Defund police demonstrators leave city hall, announce encampment support network

Demonstrators who have been calling for police to be defunded,so the money can be invested in free housing instead, are leaving city hall aftertwo weeks of protests butsaythey'll be back.

The group announced Monday it'slaunching an encampment support network,which will provide supports for people living rough, act as observers when tents are taken down by officials and will follow up with homeless people.

Before they left, demonstrators and their supporters wallpapered the front doors of city hall in purple, pink, yellow and green"eviction notices" outlining their demands.

They also set up a tent in the middle of Main Street West, blocking traffic with a banner calling for "FREE HOUSING NOW."

The group willcontinuepushing for policy changes at all levels of government, said organizer Rowa Mohamed.

"The approach is going to be changing," she said, quickly adding that doesn't mean demonstrators will be staying away.

"We will be returning whenever it is relevant for us to return to remind city hall that we are still here and we are still building pressure."

The demonstrators have been a near-constant presence outside the buildingsince Nov. 23 when they set up tents in the forecourt and said they would not leave until their demands were met.

The group is calling for the Hamilton police budget to be cut by 50 per cent.

They're also calling for a request from the servicefor a budget increase tobe denied, and that theamount police areasking for, along with any surplus in thebudget,be invested instead infree housing.

Mohamed said the group's demands have not changed.

"We started that conversation here locally, but I don't think it stops here. We understand that funding and housing is complex," she said.

"We also understand that funding goes to police on every single [government] level and we can reallocate that on every level to go back to free housing."

Mayor Fred Eisenbergerpreviously said cutting the police budget by 50 per centis "not a rational notion."

The city saysit has invested hundreds of millions of dollars intoaffordable housing over the past six years and that there iscurrently room for any homeless person in Hamilton who needs a place to stay.

Tents torn down, protesters ticketed

The weeks-long demonstration saw some ofthe demonstrators ticketed for violating the province'sCOVID-19 rules and theirtents torn down by bylaw officers on Nov. 30.

Members of the group also dropped off a coffin outside Eisenberger's house, complete withnaloxonekits sitting on a bed of flowers. Police are investigating.

Eighteen of the demonstrators were arrested and fined $65 on Dec. 2 after refusing to leave city halluntil the mayor agreed to meet with them publicly to address their concerns.

Eisenberger saidhe had offered to meet with two representatives of the groupinsidecity hall, but the demonstrators said they wanted the meeting to happen outside, rather than in private.

That meeting still has not happened, but the group feels it accomplished what it set out to, said Mohamed.

"There wasn't a meeting with Fred. But Fred definitely heard us," she said.

"More importantly than Fred hearing us, I feel like other people in other levels of government have heard us and come down to speak to us."

Sahra Soudi, another organizer of the demonstration, said the support the group saw from community members during the protestshows people care about homelessness and want to see action.

"We'll continue to fight," said Soudi, adding the demand for funding to go from police to housing marks a change from calls to simply defund.

"Now we're providing alternatives and solutions."