Just a few days after the occupation of a vacant building on Imperial Street by housing advocates came to an end with arrests, people took to the streets again over the issue of demovictions in the community.
On Saturday, dozens of people turned out to a rally organized by the Alliance Against Displacement, to walk the streets of Metrotown to protest demovictions in the area.
The group began the rally out front of 5025 Imperial St. and marched along the street eventually ending up at Maywood Park.
Along the way they stopped at buildings and sites that have either been demolished already or are facing demolition in the future.
The rally was part of an ongoing battle between housing advocates and city hall over the issue of demovictions. Earlier this month, a group of people from Alliance Against Displacement began occupying a vacant building slated for demolition. Last week, the occupation ended with three arrests but no charges.
On Saturday, the group repeated the demand for the city to put a moratorium on all demolitions of older rental buildings in the Metrotown area. The group is also calling for people who face future evictions to refuse to leave.
Dave Diewert, one of the organizers, called the rally a success, noting strong support from the community.
“I felt like it was a good ending in a sense that we weren’t just standing outside the site (5025 Imperial St.) and reminiscing of what took place there, but it was like how to build from there into these other spaces of displacement,” he told the NOW.
The group will be meeting in August to discuss future plans for the fall.
