RCMP moved in at a Nanaimo school and made arrests today, breaking up the Schoolhouse Squat.
Numerous RCMP officers including special tactical teams arrived just after 10 a.m. Saturday at Rutherford Elementary School where Alliance Against Displacement and residents and supporters of Discontent City homeless camp had been squatting since Friday.
School board chairman Steve Rae thanked RCMP for their quick action.
鈥淲e understand and acknowledge and respect that there鈥檚 a homeless problem in this province and we want to help where we can with homeless people. But this is something that is completely different,鈥� Rae said. 鈥淭his is a group of people who have broken onto our property that鈥檚 not been supportive of the real cause, which is homelessness.鈥�
Though the school closed last June, the school board chairman said 鈥渋t鈥檚 not for them (squatters) to break into a school building that is owned by the school district, to use for their causes. We will not stand for this.鈥�
Rae said he hopes there will be consequences.
鈥淲e are going to have them removed from this property as we鈥檙e doing right now and we鈥檙e going to charge them with everything we can so this stops,鈥� he said.
Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O鈥橞rien said 26 people were arrested and taken into custody.
鈥淏reak-and-enter and mischief at this point,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here may be secondary charges based on whatever background they have.鈥�
He said any resistance to the arrests was not enough to be concerning to police and wouldn鈥檛 result in additional charges.
鈥淚t went very well. It was quite smooth,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e quite impressed with the fact that within 24 hours of the initial complaint, we had 26 in custody and the situation dealt with.鈥�
O鈥橞rien said there were about 40-50 members at the scene Saturday. In addition to general duty officers, there were members of the Vancouver Island Tactical Response Team, Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team, Police Dog Services and forensic ident.
He said the school district was assessing damage to the school.
Amber McGrath, Discontent City supporter, was observing the arrests Saturday and said 鈥渋t鈥檚 heartbreaking鈥� to see.
鈥淭he people in that building are fighting for everybody in Nanaimo and across the province and the country to have affordable housing and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 an unfair thing to fight for,鈥� she said.
She referenced the 170 units of supportive housing announced by B.C. Housing on Friday and suggested that鈥檚 not a satisfactory solution when it鈥檚 affordable housing that鈥檚 needed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 temporary shelters. It鈥檚 not a home. An 8-by-10 cell in a trailer without a kitchen isn鈥檛 a home; 24-hour wraparound services is a prison,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen they say that, that means that you have to take those services whether you want them or not. It鈥檚 not attached to the individual, it鈥檚 attached to the housing.鈥�
She was asked whether Discontent City would be trying to identify another building suitable for squatting and said she didn鈥檛 know what next steps might be.
鈥淭here鈥檚 empty buildings when people are freezing. People are being put out into the bush to die when we have empty government buildings sitting here that people could be in and be warm,鈥� McGrath said.
There were arguments between Schoolhouse Squat opponents and supporters along Hammond Bay Road.
Squatters being arrested on top of Rutherford Elementary School鈥�
鈥� Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin)
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