The War on Squeegee Kids


Dear Politicians of Canada,

There are considerably fewer squeegee youths evident on street corners but that doesn't mean our "Mighty Mel" has herded these "thugs" out of town, he's simply driven the poor and defenseless further underground; those that are most in need of services are living like fugitives. Many have taken refuge under the Gardiner Expressway, until they're chased out by the bullies in blue and their temporary homes are burnt to the ground with all their belongings inside. As long as it happens under a bridge, out of public view, it’s ok; as long as the screams can't be heard.
I have been on the streets since he was 14. Currently I struggling to find a warm place to stay in the cold months of December and keep my rights for human treatment. The war against squeegee kids is not being heard from the people that should be telling it. No one cares what Mighty Mel has to say, he’s not the one out in the cold. Me and my friends are the subjects of persecution and are denied our basic rights such as, a place over our heads, and common respect.
The policy of brutality is growing, and yet, the police continue to ask our government for the means to continue the violence. As this grows, I and the squeegee punks of Montreal are driven farther into oppression. Through terror tactics, they have demoralized the poor, physically and mentally abused us homeless, detained us and criminalized our very survival.
Who is to liberate us? We have the right to protest, but when I and my fellow “neighbors” go to Queen’s Parkway to speak about the Safe Streets Act we were met with more Police and their pepper spray. We NEED to be heard; you turn a deaf ear because society has told you, using propaganda and media, that we are criminals. They are the low-life’s of the city because they are too “lazy” to get a job. Or they are high school drop-outs and have brought it upon themselves. Ignorance [Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, or a willful lack of desire to improve the efficiency, merit, effectiveness or usefulness of one's actions. Ignorance is also a "state of being ignorant" or unaware], that is what that is, not taking the time to understand the situation to the fullest extent.
So let’s add this up, a government using centralization of authority under a dictator, severe social controls, repression of the resistance through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of confrontational separatism…


… That sounds a lot like fascism to me.


Allanah. M