During the first two weeks in June - as Mike Harris' Tories mark two years at Queen's Park - a group of activists will be on the road taking part in a long distance protest walk called the"Hike to End Hunger And Homelessness." This walk is both a very specific statement against policies which have led to a dramatic increase in social ills and a protest against the corporate policies which fuel this agenda.
Beginning in Hamilton on Tuesday, June 3rd, the walk will go west to Ancaster and Brantford and then head north to Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo before heading east towards Guelph, Acton, Georgetown, and Brampton. The final leg will take us south to Mississaugua, then east to Etobicoke, ending in Toronto with a rally and non-violent resistance action. At a time when most people are thinking of summer vacations, we want to keep the focus on problems which have not gone away. Indeed, by the time this walk starts, the situation will likely be worse than at the time of this writing.
It is for this reason that we want to begin working now with local groups - churches, labour unions, social justice coalitions, student councils - and concerned individuals to start building a project which, we hope, will be a witness to our refusal to accept the human misery which has been wrought by Tory government policy.
Although we walk with anger, we are entirely committed, in word and deed, to nonviolence and we ask that anyone who participates - either for a day or two, or for the whole period - likewise pledge themselves to nonviolence. We refuse to adopt the violence of the government or its corporate sponsors. At the end of the walk, we plan to culminate this state of our work by committing a specific act of nonviolent civil disobedience. This walk is not only against something. It is also for discussion of real alternatives to the government/corporate agenda, alternatives that are community-based, alternatives that are not susceptible to changes in the stock market or Queen's Park governments. This will not to absolve either government or corporations of their responsibility; rather, we intend to call them both to greater accountability.
How you can help:
1) Endorse the walk. We want to illustrate the broad base of support for nonviolent protest against the policies that lead to hunger and homelessness. Please mail your endorsement to the below address.
2) Become a Community Sponsor of the walk (for a donation of $50.00) or a Community Partner of the walk ($100.00 donation). All contributions should be made payable to Toronto Action for Social Change and mailed to the below address. We need to raise approximately $5,000.00 to meet our expenses (van rental, phone bills, printing, food, etc.). There is no paid staff for this project - it is being organised completely with volunteer labour. If we have a surplus at the end of the walk, it will be donated to the December 6 Fund, which assists women made homeless by male violence.
3) Welcome the walk into your community with a community dinner.
4) Have your church or community hall provide sleeping space for the walkers for the night.
5) Join with us to organise an educational event in your community.
6) Invite walk participants to speak in local schools or churches or co-ops, or to your community organisation.
7) Help spread the word with posters.
8) Walk with us the day the Hike is in your area.
9) Plan to be with us in Toronto for the end of the walk.
While the slashing and arrogance of the Harris government have been at times very depressing, we believe that projects like this walk are a shot in the arm to help revive our energy. We do not want the walk to replace or drain energy away from efforts already underway in communities; rather, we want it to supplement and strengthen the networks that are already out there. For now, we invite your participation and input on how this walk can have the best effect in your communities. Please feel free to fax us, e-mail us or call us at any of the above numbers. We look forward to hearing from you, to working and walking with you, to building even stronger networks of nonviolent resistance to hunger and homelessness in Ontario.
Matthew Behrens, Mandy Hiscocks, Sandra Lang
Hike Against Hunger and Homelessness
P.O. Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West
Toronto, Ontario M6C 1C0
Ph: 416-651-5800/969-8468 (Toronto); 519-836-6633 (Guelph); 905-627-2696 (Hamilton/Dundas) FAX: 416-651-9770
email: burch@web.net