The Omicronvoy occupiers are now squatting in a church

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'm not sure how many of you have been following this story, but here's the short version:

- a group calling itself "The United People of Canada" (which they abbreviate "TUPOC") announced that they were establishing something called "the Embassy" in a deconsecrated church in Ottawa that had been up for sale.

- the group itself stayed very vague and cagey about what they were doing, but it became apparent that this was an extension of the same group that organized the Ottawa occupation and several border blockades earlier this year.

- it turns out that the group did have a real agreement (apparently some sort of rental and eventual purchase arrangement) and really did put down a several-thousand-dollar initial payment on their ~$6M purchase of the church and several other buildings, but almost immediately stopped making payments.

- the owner of the former church went to court over the more than $100k in payments they've missed so far and got an eviction order. The "TUPOC" people had until last Thursday to vacate the property.

- in what should be a surprise to nobody considering the group's M.O., they refused to leave and are now squatting in the church. So far, the sheriff and police haven't forcibly removed them.

- all through this, they've been doing absurdist, theatrical things, such as threatening police with "private prosecution" if they try to remove them, squirting journalists in front of the chur h with water guns, wearing children's dress-up crowns and capes for their media statements, and handing out popcorn to people who came to watch when their eviction deadline expired.

- they've also been modifying the building, which is getting them in hot water with a few City departments and may end up with charges (for making external cosmetic changes without heritage approval and for doing interior renovations without a building permit).

- they also promised (threatened?) to set up their own security force to patrol the neighbourhood, but I haven't seen any indication that they actually did this.

... so it's all weird and frustrating. Ottawa residents are getting more angry that police have so far done nothing to get rid of these people, and it's likely to get weirder and more frustrating before it all ends.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/otta...-remove-its-things-passed-overnight-1.6561583

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'm not sure how many of you have been following this story, but here's the short version:

- a group calling itself "The United People of Canada" (which they abbreviate "TUPOC") announced that they were establishing something called "the Embassy" in a deconsecrated church in Ottawa that had been up for sale.

- the group itself stayed very vague and cagey about what they were doing, but it became apparent that this was an extension of the same group that organized the Ottawa occupation and several border blockades earlier this year.

- it turns out that the group did have a real agreement (apparently some sort of rental and eventual purchase arrangement) and really did put down a several-thousand-dollar initial payment on their ~$6M purchase of the church and several other buildings, but almost immediately stopped making payments.

- the owner of the former church went to court over the more than $100k in payments they've missed so far and got an eviction order. The "TUPOC" people had until last Thursday to vacate the property.

- in what should be a surprise to nobody considering the group's M.O., they refused to leave and are now squatting in the church. So far, the sheriff and police haven't forcibly removed them.

- all through this, they've been doing absurdist, theatrical things, such as threatening police with "private prosecution" if they try to remove them, squirting journalists in front of the chur h with water guns, wearing children's dress-up crowns and capes for their media statements, and handing out popcorn to people who came to watch when their eviction deadline expired.

- they've also been modifying the building, which is getting them in hot water with a few City departments and may end up with charges (for making external cosmetic changes without heritage approval and for doing interior renovations without a building permit).

- they also promised (threatened?) to set up their own security force to patrol the neighbourhood, but I haven't seen any indication that they actually did this.

... so it's all weird and frustrating. Ottawa residents are getting more angry that police have so far done nothing to get rid of these people, and it's likely to get weirder and more frustrating before it all ends.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/otta...-remove-its-things-passed-overnight-1.6561583

I don't get it.

They are lawfully in their own building from what I understand.

They have called right to renovate it as they see fit. Or isn't it their right?

They need a government permit over there to paint their own property now?

The rest is pretty weird but then again it isn't anything that's posing an actual threat to other people.

I gotta read more into this.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I don't get it.

They are lawfully in their own building from what I understand.

No - apparently, they had some sort of rent-to-own deal. They were tenants. The deal would have led to them owning the building eventually, but a judge has agreed that their landlord still owns the building and is entitled to evict them.

They have called right to renovate it as they see fit. Or isn't it their right?

No, it's not their right. Renovating any building requires a building permit (and permission from the building owner). Modification of the appearance of a heritage building - even in this case just painting the doors red and attaching banners to the facade - needs a heritage alteration permit.

They need a government permit over there to paint their own property now?

It isn't their property, but yes: modifying the appearance of a heritage building needs approval.

The rest is pretty weird but then again it isn't anything that's posing an actual threat to other people.

I gotta read more into this.

I agree: the whole thing is weird.

 

[Twilight Hue]

No - apparently, they had some sort of rent-to-own deal. They were tenants. The deal would have led to them owning the building eventually, but a judge has agreed that their landlord still owns the building and is entitled to evict them.


No, it's not their right. Renovating any building requires a building permit (and permission from the building owner). Modification of the appearance of a heritage building - even in this case just painting the doors red and attaching banners to the facade - needs a heritage alteration permit.


It isn't their property, but yes: modifying the appearance of a heritage building needs approval.


I agree: the whole thing is weird.

I see. I originally thought they had a down payment for ownership.

 

[PureX]

We are going to see more of this sort of thing in the future as our economic system shuts more and more people out. Most major and even moderate sized cities now have large homeless encampments that are growing in size and have been for a decade. More and more of our citizens are falling through the cracks of an economic system that cares only about maximizing profits to the wealthy investor class. Wages have fallen so far below housing costs that even people with jobs can no longer afford to live indoors, anymore, in some cities. They're buying RVs and parking them illegally to create large encampments just to have shelter. So why not take over an abandoned factory site or warehouse? Or an old mall or a church? And squat for as long as you can get away with? It's better than living in tents on the street.

When the laws become so skewed in favor of the "haves" in our society that the "have nots" can no longer follow them, and live, they will start to disregard them. Of course. And when that happens we are seeing our society begin to break down, and fall apart. I don't think the problem is as great in Canada as in the US, but the weather there is not gong to allow for the kind of homeless tent camps or even RV camps that we see in some US cities. But incidents of squatting is increasing exponentially in the US, and I expect that will be the only option for the poor in Canada, as things keep getting worse for those at the bottom of the economic pecking order.

 

[Yerda]

- all through this, they've been doing absurdist, theatrical things, such as threatening police with "private prosecution" if they try to remove them, squirting journalists in front of the chur h with water guns, wearing children's dress-up crowns and capes for their media statements, and handing out popcorn to people who came to watch when their eviction deadline expired.

I can't lie - I love this.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I see. I originally thought they had a down payment for ownership.

The most recent stories break down the money owing as $100k mortgage, $10k rent, so apparently they were paying rent (but were also getting their mortgage from the person they were buying from).

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

We are going to see more of this sort of thing in the future as our economic system shuts more and more people out. Most major and even moderate sized cities now have large homeless encampments that are growing in size and have been for a decade. More and more of our citizens are falling through the cracks of an economic system that cares only about maximizing profits to the wealthy investor class. Wages have fallen so far below housing costs that even people with jobs can no longer afford to live indoors, anymore, in some cities. They're buying RVs and parking them illegally to create large encampments just to have shelter. So why not take over an abandoned factory site or warehouse? Or an old mall or a church? And squat for as long as you can get away with? It's better than living in tents on the street.

When the laws become so skewed in favor of the "haves" in our society that the "have nots" can no longer follow them, and live, they will start to disregard them. Of course. And when that happens we are seeing our society begin to break down, and fall apart. I don't think the problem is as great in Canada as in the US, but the weather there is not gong to allow for the kind of homeless tent camps or even RV camps that we see in some US cities. But incidents of squatting is increasing exponentially in the US, and I expect that will be the only option for the poor in Canada, as things keep getting worse for those at the bottom of the economic pecking order.

This isn't an issue of "haves" versus "have nots."

These Convoy Church numpties have enough means to be able to convince an experienced real estate investor that they're good for a six million dollar purchase. The people squatting in that church are the 1%, not the poor.

Edit: same for the original Omicronvoy: someone who can afford a $100,000+ semi AND to have it earning no revenue while it blocks some street in an Ottawa neighbourhood and its owner hangs out in an on-street hot tub instead of working an actual job probably isn't poor.

 

[sun rise]

What is unclear to me is if there's an ideology behind their acts or if they're just acting out?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

What is unclear to me is if there's an ideology behind their acts or if they're just acting out?

There's certainly a similarity in their recent tactics to groups like the Proud Boys, although TUPOC denies any connection to white supremacy.