On Saturday Nov. 24th Poverty Makes us sick, with support from Alliance Against Poverty and The Spot Collective held a rally and march to highlight how the Liberal cuts to Community Start Up and Maintance program further encourgages violence against wimmin. Lead by wimmin and trans folx this rally aimed to highlight the violence marginalized wimmin face as a result of austerity implemented by the state. Nov. 25th being the international day of Violence against wimmin.
The Rally started with stacey speaking about how community start up has helped her in the past and how the cuts will definatly have a violent affect on her. Britt from The Spot Collective spoke about needing community start up when she was pregnant and the devestating effects it would have had on her if this program was not there. S. from AAP spoke about how the attacks on social programs are a direct attack on wimmin who because the reality is that marginalized wimmin and single mothers feel the brunt of austerity.
A member of Anti Colonialist Working Group then spoke about the violence that British state is perpetrating on Republican wimmin and families in the occupied six counties. The case of Marian Price, who has spent almost 600 days in isolation, half of that time in a mens jail, is a perfect example of how the colonialist British state is the perpetratot of violence against wimmin who refuse the colonialist yoke.
After speeches people took to the streets chanting solgans against the cuts and john Milloy, minister of Social Services aka minister of misery.
The March then proceeded to the new “terrorist proof’ courthouse downtown Kitchener where someone from the Justice for Ashley Smith Campaighn talked about the Murder of Ashley Smith through the use of isolation at Grand Valley institute, where screws sat back and did nothing while she hung herself under there watchful eyes. As well this speaker also Spoke about the sexual assualt committed by guards on inmate at The GVI and how the court is a symbol and tool of perpetrating violence against wimmin.
The March then proceeded to the police station where protestors occupied the lobby, kept ringing the “liberty Bell” and chanted slogans against the police being used as a tool to implement austerity and a force to brutalize indigenous people, marginalized communities and poor people.
The police kept trying to remove people whith little succuess until they started to forcefully remove people and threaten mass arrest. Outside, where police was on horses veronica and stacey talked about the need to resist and how the police was being used to silence legitimate dissent. one anti poverty activist then spoke about an intimidating phone call that was recieved very late at night by police with the purpose of intimidation.
Two detectives then got in the face of one activist demanding that he go inside to talk about how protestors traumatized people at a previous action (a bunch of bullshit) the two detectives got into his face but other people backed him up and did not allow the detectives to implement there policy of intimidation and politically targetting. After they left they returned to ask if i would like to tealk to them to which the answer is obvious…..NO.
As the cuts are implemeted and poor people are under attack more and more people will resist. Today was just one example of how poor and marginalized communities will no longer suffer in silence.
