A-Infos (en) Canada, Toronto, OCAP* again has its back to the wall: Unable to pay its organizers

[OCAP <ocap@tao.ca>]

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An Appeal for Emergency Donations AND Sustaining Solidarity
A few months ago, OCAP issued a statement on a financial crisis that meant
it could not pay its organizers and meet basic obligations around the
running of its office.  A generous response pulled us out of that crisis
but, unfortunately, the level of regular, sustaining donations did not
come up nearly enough.  For that reason, we are again in a grim situation
and our organizers have not been paid on time.
The number of calls we receive and respond to ie. the welfare, tenant,
disability, immigration, essential service cutoff casework we do, the
provincial offence tickets we fight and so on, have not decreased. OCAP is
hated by those in power and those who prop them up because it starts with
the needs of those it fights for.  If the City tries to push poor street
sellers out of Chinatown, we defend them regardless of the fact that this
puts us on a collision course with avowed progressive Olivia Chow.  If
hotel workers ask for our help when their own union lets them down, we act
without worrying too much about the enemies we make in the ranks of labour
officialdom.

This is a time when the need for a serious poor peoples’ organization is
greater than ever.  The task of implementing the social and political
agenda of the banks and corporations has been handed to those who are
skilled in presenting a gentler image than that of the upfront
reactionaries they’ve replaced.  Dalton McGuinty promised change and gives
us a low key brand of the same as before.  David Miller talked of a new
kind of Toronto but, under him, the social cleansing of the homeless by
cops and City officials rivals anything Mel Lastman ever set in motion.

Our funding options are limited and it is to those who agree with the
stands we take that we must turn.  We don’t run a lavish operation.  It
takes a bit more than $4,500.00 a month to run our office. That’s one
full-time and two part-time organizers, our rent, utilities, phone and
supplies for community meals and meetings. Thanks to the great solidarity
of CUPE 3903, our rent is covered.  Small regular sustaining donations
meet the cost of our phone bill.  However, our organizers are still
relying on the hit and miss one time donations that people send us.  Those
donations are always greatly appreciated, of course, (we certainly need
some of them right now) but the real issue is to extend our base of
regular donations.

OCAP's struggle to create a model of resistance at the base has won it
respect throughout Canada and even internationally.  People organizing in
many different places have been influenced by our work and we ask
supporters everywhere to help us build the resources we must have to
develop and win.  Details on the fights we are taking up can be followed by
going to our website at www.ocap.ca

Those who want to help sustain OCAP’s work can send us post dated cheques
or call/email us for the simple details on how to arrange for regular
direct deposit donations.  Please act without delay.  Ask friends and
progressive organizations to come to our help and send all support you can
to:

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty,
10 Britain Street,
TORONTO, Ontario
M5A 1R6

In solidarity,

OCAP

                  **
   Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
  10 Britain St. Toronto, ON  M5A 1R6
416-925-6939  ocap@tao.ca www.ocap.ca
                  **
_______________________________________________
ocap mailing list
ocap@masses.tao.ca
https://masses.tao.ca/lists/listinfo/ocap
===============================
* [Ed. Note: OCAP is antiauthoritarian anticapitalist
direct action social struggle initiative.]



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