Protesters that have been camping out in tents in front of Hamilton City Hall are being told they must remove the tents by the end of the weekend.
In a release issued late Thursday afternoon, the city said bylaw officers have been working with the ‘Defund the Police Hamilton Coalition’ — who have been camped out since noon Monday — to try to prevent the protest from breaking COVID-19 gathering limits.
“It is only the tents and structures that are being ordered for removal,” wrote a city spokesperson. “Individuals are permitted to remain on-site, provided they do not exceed the 25-person outdoor gathering limit.”
While the notice said the tents and other structures must be removed from the forecourt “immediately,” the city also said it will work with demonstrators to have those items removed by Sunday at 11:59 p.m., which it said gives them “reasonable time for dismantling and removal.”
Mayor Fred Eisenberger warned about the imminent removal of the tents during a COVID-19 media briefing on Thursday morning.
“People are free to protest, as many people do out in front of the city hall forecourt, but they’re not allowed to put up tents and encampments,” said Eisenberger.
The demonstrators have made several demands for the city and have said they won’t leave until those demands are met.
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’
- Invasive strep: ‘Don’t wait’ to seek care, N.S. woman warns on long road to recovery
One of those demands includes a 50 per cent reduction to the Hamilton Police Service budget, with that money being reallocated toward housing and shelter to keep people from living on the street during the cold winter months.
Eisenberger said cutting the police service budget in half is not a “rational notion.”
“That’s certainly not supported in the broader community, and that’s certainly not where we’re going.”
Sarah Jama, one of the demonstrators, said they’ve been unable to organize a meeting with Eisenberger to discuss their demands.
“He’s ignoring the fact that people are still living in tents, that the police are funded with more money than necessary,” said Jama during an update that was live-streamed to the @DefundHPS Twitter account on Thursday.
“We will not move until we can assure that people will be safe this winter.”
To date, the city said four tickets related to COVID-19 charges have been issued in relation to gatherings in the city hall forecourt — two for people failing to social distance, and two for events that exceed the number of people allowed in an outdoor gathering under the Reopening Ontario Act.
Comments