AUT: Montreal squats analysis

["Margaret" <margaret1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

        Canada, The Prefontaine & Overdale Squats in =
Montreal--AnAnalysis =20



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(From the latest issue of Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed at: =
http://www.anarchymag.org/53/squats.html)=20
The Pr=E9fontaine and Overdale Squats
An Analysis of Building Occupations in Montreal
by Michael William=20

I have mixed feelings about the Overdale and Pr=E9fontaine squats, which =
is no doubt the case with many people who squatted or who supported the =
squats. There were delightful moments and some real triumphs. But there =
were also many problems and disappointments.=20

As with other North American cities, in Montreal squatting is illegal. =
It does take place but is clandestine. In the 80s several anarchists =
occupied a vacant school and attempted to do a political squat. They =
were quickly evacuated by the police. Since those involved had other =
lodgings, the project remained mainly symbolic in any case.=20

A couple of years ago, the idea of doing a political squat was revived =
by the Comit=E9 des sans emploi (Unemployed Peoples Committee). Members =
of the committee come from a number of political outlooks (anarchist, =
Marxist, leftist). The group has organized demos and actions such as an =
invasion of the buffet at a chic restaurant during which people walked =
off with platefuls of food. The Committee's actions typically cross over =
the line into illegality but not far enough to land charges resulting in =
heavy time.=20

In the Summer of 2001, anti-gentrification posters produced by the =
Committee began to appear on Montreal walls. "Come and support the =
opening of a squat" they invited, giving a date and an assembly point.=20

On a pleasant late July evening, people began to gather in a small =
square. It quickly became apparent that the demo would be a big one by =
Montreal standards. After a couple of speeches the crowd of about 500 =
moved into the street, turned on Sherbrooke, a main artery, and headed =
toward downtown.=20

A sound truck pumped out a good selection of different types of =
political music. I danced along close to the truck, invigorated by the =
high energy of the crowd and the knowledge that we were about to do an =
illegal action.=20

The procession moved into the downtown core, going past chic watering =
holes. At an intersection people crossed the street and began to run =
across a parking lot on the other side. A this point I realized that our =
goal was the lone building remaining on a block of Overdale street. The =
rest had been razed following a fierce housing struggle during the late =
80s. A developer's condo project ultimately fell through and a parking =
lot was constructed instead. The building left standing, the former =
residence of a 19th century politician, was preserved for heritage =
reasons.=20

In recent years the Montreal vacancy rate has plummeted and is presently =
at under one percent. A full-blown housing crisis was the backdrop for =
the squatting action.=20

I walked across the parking lot and joined the people milling around the =
building. A man began to remove a board in order to break in. Standing =
on the front lawn, two cops who had accompanied the demo on bicycles =
looked on glumly.=20

People were now on the second floor and were knocking out the planks =
used to board up the building.=20

Montreal Food not Bombs set out some victuals. Later, a corn roast took =
place. Alcohol appeared and people began to party.=20

The cops, meanwhile, were attempting to contact the owner of the =
building. "If he says they can stay they can stay," Police Commander =
Paul Chablot was quoted as saying. "But if he signs an eviction notice, =
we'll have to clear the building."=20

As I biked through downtown toward the squat the next day, I wondered if =
the police had intervened. This was not the case and the site was =
bustling with activity. Tables, sofas and mattresses had appeared on the =
second floor. A black flag flew from the roof and numerous graffiti had =
been sprayed. At one point a cop who often handles radical actions drove =
up to the side of the building. What people were doing was illegal, he =
told us. Since no police intervention took place, this turned out to be =
pure intimidation.=20

On the second floor, a general assembly meeting discussed problems which =
had occurred. Complaints were voiced about music played late at night =
and about drunk people attempting to get onto the roof (which could only =
be reached by a ladder). A debate took place about whether rules should =
be established. The issue was not resolved.=20

"We intend to keep the place as long as possible," a spokesperson for =
the squatters, Marie-Claude Goulet, said in an interview in a local =
daily. In another interview she described the project: "We don't want to =
beg for social housing or anything else from the government because we =
know it won't come. We don't want to ask for charity either. We want to =
take our lives into our own hands. We decided to house ourselves by =
opening a squat because no one else will do it in our place."=20

During the next two days repairs and renovations continued. A gig took =
place at the squat with music by Fred Alpi from France and Jeunesse =
Apatride (Stateless Youth), a band affiliated with RASH (Red and =
Anarchist Skinheads).=20

The building was inspected by fire department personnel. "There is no =
immediate danger," an inspector stated, although several aspects were =
not in accord with building code norms. On the fourth day it was learned =
that the owner had finally been contacted and had asked that the =
squatters be evicted. That evening Marie-Claude Goulet received a call =
from Montreal Mayor Pierre Bourque. The City administration was =
apparently willing to house the squatters in a city-owned building.=20

A decision was made by the squatters to send a delegation to meet the =
mayor. Several of the representatives were squatters and the others were =
among the original organizers of the action. Bourque was accompanied by =
high-level cops, people from the fire department, city councillors and =
municipal government bureaucrats.=20

A fire department representative declared the building unsafe. The =
upshot, the City informed the squatters, was that they could be =
relocated but could not remain where they were. The squatter =
representatives said they didn't want to move but would relay an account =
of the meeting to the squatters.=20

At an assembly the City's offer was debated and rejected. To gain time =
to better secure the building, it was decided that a new meeting with =
the City would be proposed to request details about the building being =
offered. Squatters brought stolen police barriers into the building to =
help keep the cops out. That evening about 120 people gathered on the =
premises and the adjoining parking lot. The atmosphere was tense in =
anticipation of a potential confrontation with the police. Ultimately =
people were informed that there would be no police intervention that =
night because a new meeting with the City had been set up.=20

At the meeting, the municipal government representatives proposed that =
the squatters' delegation visit a four-story city-owned building. They =
accepted and were driven to the building. A deadline of 3 p.m. was set =
by the City for the squatters to come to a decision.=20

At the squat a heated debate took place about the City's offer. The =
people who had seen the building touted its possibilities. Some of the =
seventy people present denounced accepting the offer as reformist or as =
a sellout to Bourque. But the mood had changed compared to the previous =
meeting. By over 80% a decision was taken to accept the City's offer if =
certain conditions were met. As the conditions were being discussed I =
decided to leave. I was surprised by the rapid turnabout and disagreed =
with the direction the project had taken.=20

Quickly an agreement was worked out with the City about the conditions. =
They stipulated that no expenses would be paid at the new location =
(rent, electricity or heating). The squatters would self-manage the =
building. No arrests would take place of squatters who voluntarily left =
the Overdale building. For their part the squatters agreed not to alter =
the new building without the City's consent.=20

In an interview Marie-Claude Goulet hailed the agreement as a "big =
victory" while Bourque termed it a "positive outcome." "From the =
beginning we hoped for a peaceful solution," a police spokesperson =
chimed in.=20

On the evening of the move on August 1, I visited the Pr=E9fontaine =
building, the squatters' new digs. The 19th century four-story structure =
boasted a huge front lawn and beautiful old trees. It was surrounded on =
two sides by a community garden divided into small individual plots. =
Across the street was a mega-supermarket housed in a renovated building =
that was formerly part of an industrial complex where railroad engines =
were fabricated.=20

I checked out the building and joined people who had gathered in the =
back yard. The mood was relaxed and festive. One of the organizers of =
the Overdale occupation asked me what I thought of the situation. I said =
I thought it was a victory ... for Mayor Bourque, who I felt had deftly =
defused a volatile situation. This evaluation would turn out to be =
unnuanced; the squatters would cause Bourque further headaches yet. But =
my impression on the first day at Pr=E9fontaine was that the project had =
lost its radical edge. I decided to take a wait-and-see approach. Though =
I disagreed with concessions that had been made, perhaps something good =
would come from the new project.=20

"Frightening Neighbours"
"Frightening Neighbours" screeched the title on the front page of the =
Journal de Montr=E9al, a tabloid which claims a readership of two =
million. The title referred to an encounter at the community garden =
between Mayor Bourque and local residents on the day after the move to =
Pr=E9fontaine. One person present complained that the police had been =
called because of noise from the squat. A woman feared property values =
would plummet because of the squatters. Another person worried about =
potential shoplifting. Another showed Bourque her electricity bill and =
wanted him to pay for it as with the squatters. A woman worried that her =
tomatoes in the community garden would be ripped off.=20

Marie-Claude Goulet intervened during the encounter and assured =
residents that the squatters intended to respect them and the =
neighbourhood. She asked them to talk to the squatters first if problems =
occurred instead of calling the police.=20

Mayor Bourque said that the Pr=E9fontaine project was temporary. The =
squat was "not a precedent and there would be no more squats in =
Montreal," he said.=20

The move to Pr=E9fontaine would be accompanied by a change in media =
coverage of the project. During Overdale the media had been indulgent: =
the action was treated as a colourful interlude in a slow summer =
newswise. Coverage of Pr=E9fontaine, in contrast, would be filled with =
distortion and disinformation, especially from the tabloid press and its =
television equivalent.=20

On the day following the community garden encounter, the squatters =
invited the neighbours to a corn roast. A sound system was set up on the =
front lawn and visitors were given a tour of the building. Not all were =
mollified. "Where are the parents of these young people?" one visitor =
wanted to know. "It smells terrible in there. There are animals. It's =
disgusting."=20

A stove and fridge had now been installed at the squat. People proceeded =
to fix the place up. At a general assembly that I missed, a number of =
committees were set up such as food and security committees.=20

Many of the Pr=E9fontaine squatters had been at Overdale. Others arrived =
only at the beginning of the Pr=E9fontaine project. The squatters were a =
disparate group. There was a punk contingent and a man in his forties =
with three kids. There was a group of Latinos and a man whose parents =
were from Bangladesh. Some of the older squatters had had drug or =
alcohol abuse problems. Several people had apartments elsewhere and thus =
had something to fall back on. Coming and going were travellers who had =
heard about the squat -- Brits, Canadians, Americans and Australians.=20

There was also a sizable group of support people who participated in =
meetings or assisted in different ways. Although probably a majority of =
those involved in the project were anarchists, a few people wore =
Qu=E9b=E9cois nationalist patches and t-shirts or Che Guevara =
paraphernalia.=20

Free meals were served at the squat on a daily basis. If meat was served =
there would also be a vegetarian dish. Money for food came from people's =
pockets and from the sale of bottles. Bread was donated to the squat and =
compost made there was exchanged for food. At the outset people signed =
up to cook on a schedule sheet but later things were more ad hoc.=20

Twenty-four-hour-a-day security was set up but this lasted only a few =
days. Subsequently, security was more haphazard. Often when I arrived at =
the gate no one was there. I did shifts to help out.=20

Several local radical groups held some of their internal meetings at the =
squat. Cinema nights took place on squatting and the Spanish Civil War. =
A talk was given by representatives of a local anti-police-brutality =
group.=20

At the first general assembly I attended, the issue of whether to have =
rules was re-debated. One person argued that there should be no rules =
and that people should simply respect one another. Her viewpoint was =
very minoritarian and a series of guidelines was adopted. Moderate =
alcohol consumption was allowed as was pot use. Hard drugs and the sale =
of drugs of any sort were banned. Squatters were expected to participate =
in one of the committees which had been set up or to otherwise lend =
practical assistance. People were to stay off the roof and out of the =
community garden next door. The rules were posted on the front gate. The =
sign disappeared after a week and was not replaced.=20

The ban on drugs other than pot would be widely ignored. Coke, heroin =
and PCP were consumed and a couple of people sold PCP. Alcohol would get =
some residents and visitors into pretty ugly states as well.=20

On August 6 the first meeting took place between representatives of the =
squatters and the City. Armand Fichaud, the city bureaucrat handling the =
Pr=E9fontaine file, said that the project would have to structure itself =
as a legal entity -- either as a non-profit organization (known in =
French by the acronym OSBL) or as a coop. How people could get their =
welfare cheques transferred was discussed, and Fichaud said that the =
Nabisco Company had offered jobs at a plant outside Montreal. The tone =
of the meeting was positive; Fichaud did not appear to be threatening =
the squatters with immediate eviction. The encounter with Fichaud was =
recounted at a general assembly later that day.=20

Weird Shit
I biked or walked to the squat every couple of days or so. Typically, =
several clusters of people were working or relaxing on the grounds. =
Other residents and visitors would be in the building, often in the =
kitchen or the common room on the third floor. I gradually got to know =
many of the squatters, most of whom I liked. Several I did not trust =
politically or otherwise.=20

Usually the atmosphere was convivial. But Pr=E9fontaine was a place =
where you never knew what would happen next. For example, once as I was =
approaching the building a chair came soaring off a second story balcony =
and crashed to the ground in front of me. The object wasn't aimed at me =
-- it was a question of a domestic spat. But with so many different =
types of people at the squat lifestyle conflicts were almost inevitable. =
In one instance self-styled "chaos punks" carried out a graffiti =
campaign against "hippies". There were also tensions between supporters =
and people who were actually living at the squat.=20

There were more sinister aspects in evidence as well, such as sabotage, =
provocations and police infiltration. Several days after the opening of =
Pr=E9fontaine an attempt to torch it took place at 6:30 a.m. Someone =
tampered with the electrical control panel, turned off the fire alarms, =
turned on the gas and lit a fire. People rapidly extinguished it.=20

Rampant theft was a problem from the outset. An incomplete list of =
things stolen included a half dozen bikes, CDs, the common room's sound =
system, a knife, a cell phone, someone's pot, etc. Anarchist journals I =
donated and put on a rack in the common room disappeared in a couple of =
days.=20

A visitor dressed as a punk at one point started to sieg heil and to =
sing songs by Screwdriver, a neo-nazi band. He was thrown out. A visitor =
who had been drinking suddenly started to complain that the white race =
was disappearing. He then proceeded to physically attack a black man, at =
which point he was ejected. A well-known neo-nazi drove up to the front =
gate on a motorcycle and made threats. He later showed up again and =
repeated the routine.=20

A youth received a proposition from the police that charges from a coke =
bust would be dropped in exchange for an agreement on his part to =
infiltrate the squat for several days and inform the cops about who was =
present and what the structure was. He ultimately decided to stay on at =
the squat and support the project -- though he didn't inform the =
squatters at the time that he had been involved with the police.=20

The squat was also infiltrated by a young Journal de Montr=E9al reporter =
posing as a sympathiser from out of town. He stayed for two nights and =
wrote an expos=E9 two tabloid pages long.=20

During a public event at the squat, B=E9ranger Lessard, who in the past =
had run unsuccessfully for office for Mayor Bourque's party, offered to =
give the squatters a thousand dollars apiece to abandon the project. =
Later he encountered two of the squatters at a bar and came up with =
another offer: he would renovate a kitchen at the squat no strings =
attached. He later appeared a third time with more offers -- if the =
squatters would take down banners sporting slogans that upset him.=20

The General Assemblies
At both Overdale and Pr=E9fontaine, the general assembly was the primary =
decision-making body. At Pr=E9fontaine there were also residents' =
meetings at which internal squat matters were discussed. I didn't attend =
any residents' meetings but was present at most of the Pr=E9fontaine =
general assemblies.=20

Compared to most contemporary social structures, the general assembly is =
egalitarian and participatory. There were numerous problems at the =
Pr=E9fontaine general assemblies, however. Some squatters rarely =
attended or only for brief periods, putting into question the legitimacy =
of decisions taken. Decisions were often not carried out in any case. =
Attendance dropped from fifty at the beginning to ten or fifteen later =
on, in part because fewer support people were present.=20

Dealing With the City
In accepting the deal offered at Overdale, the project had evolved from =
an illegal to a legal one. Relations with the City, however, remained =
far from clear. The squatters had been accorded "self-management". At =
the same time the building remained city-owned; the City had to answer =
for it in a legal sense as well as for the decision to move people to =
Pr=E9fontaine, a decision portrayed by critics and the media as giving a =
freebie to people who didn't deserve it. At general assemblies the =
squatters debated how to handle the City. The squat had undergone a =
steady stream of inspectors and city bureaucrats. Suspicions that =
undercover cops were sprinkled in were confirmed when a fire inspector =
was recognized as a cop who had previously arrested people. The =
squatters felt that everything that needed inspecting had been =
inspected: Could the City just butt out? Propositions to restrict access =
to squat were debated but the question was never really resolved. These =
debates had little effect on City personnel who continued to do what =
they wanted in any case.=20

In an interview published on August 22, Armand Fichaud called the =
Pr=E9fontaine project temporary but said that no evacuation date had =
been set. Three-quarters of the people at the squat shouldn't be there, =
he announced. These people "should leave and go back to where they came =
from."=20

At a meeting with the squatters the next day, Fichaud was heavy and in a =
bad mood, according to a person who was present. He complained that he =
had been treated in an unfriendly manner when he visited the squat. He =
also objected to banners that were up. Syringes blocking the toilet had =
been found by blue collar workers, he said. Because the project had only =
problems, he was having trouble selling it to the city executive, he =
said.=20

That the project should take on a legal form as an OSBL, another of =
Fichaud's reiterated concerns, became the subject of two special general =
assemblies. Some argued passionately against becoming an OSBL; the issue =
became a line many were unwilling to cross. Others said that being an =
OSBL might be a concession but a worthwhile one if it meant the project =
would be ongoing. In both votes a majority was in favour of becoming an =
OSBL but neither vote achieved the percentage necessary for a clear =
victory according to the criteria used at the squat. Following the vote =
some people who had voted against becoming an OSBL left the project. =
Anti-OSBL graffiti appeared on the walls.=20

On August 30 the third meeting between the City and the squatters' =
representatives took place. Fichaud said that the Pr=E9fontaine project =
had come to an end and people would have to leave. He mentioned a couple =
of places he could relocate the squatters to. Both were off the island =
of Montr=E9al.=20

An assembly that was immediately called rejected the City's offer. =
Relations with the City were effectively severed. For his part, Fichaud =
now referred to the squatters as "intruders". Bourque said that the =
squatters had altered the building and had prevented city workers from =
accessing it.=20

The project had now regained an openly conflictual relationship with the =
City. For me personally, this made supporting it easier.=20

The squatters called a press conference the next day and said they =
didn't intend to leave.=20

The City announced that it was setting a deadline of 9 o'clock a.m. on =
September 4 for the squatters to vacate. In response a "Festival of =
Resistance" was organized. During the afternoon of the event, food was =
served and clowns were on hand for the kids. Later, acoustic music was =
performed and then bands played.=20

At a general assembly it was decided that resistance to the eviction =
would be organized by affinity group. There was a reluctance to discuss =
this further, in part because of fears of infiltrators or bugs.=20

At 9:00 a.m. on D-Day the cops failed to materialize. Instead, a press =
conference took place at the squat by groups supporting the project.=20

Claiming he was against "any form of violence," the mayor said he was =
not going to use the police to evict the squatters -- at least for now. =
A city employee, however, contradicted this. He said the City had asked =
the cops to intervene but that they were unwilling to because the =
squatters had been invited into the Pr=E9fontaine building by the mayor. =


The mayor said the City intended to "use all legal means" to remove the =
undesirables. In practice this translated into further inspections in an =
attempt to find a technical reason that could be evoked to shut down the =
project. Fire inspectors visited the building, finding minor infractions =
but nothing warranting the evacuation of the building.=20

A crack in a wall, the City hoped, might be a reason that could be used =
to oust the squatters. An engineer visited the building and recommended =
that a section be sealed off. As a large contingent of cops hovered =
outside the gate, City workers accompanied by eight cops barricaded six =
rooms, adding to space problems at the squat.=20

By October 1 some squatters felt that the City's campaign of =
administrative harassment had failed and that people would be able to =
stay, at least through the winter. A representative of a local union =
attended a squatters meeting and said that union personnel would be =
willing to fix the heating. She said that some people in the union were =
leery about the squat because of media reports that the squatters had =
wrecked the building.=20

On October 3 further inspections of the building took place. According =
to a squatter who accompanied the inspectors, some of the screws on the =
six sealed-off rooms had been removed and replaced with other screws or =
nails. Several people I talked to, however, insisted that these rooms =
remained uninhabited.=20

The City finally had its excuse. The squatters would be evacuated ... =
for their own safety.=20

At 9 a.m. the next day, the police entered the grounds through the =
community garden and stormed into the building. A number of squatters =
were roughed up and a man was shot twice with a tazer when he tried to =
return to his room to retrieve a satchel he needed for school. Seven =
arrests occurred.=20

That afternoon a squatters' assembly took place at a nearby school. A =
demo was called to protest the eviction.=20

Shouting slogans denouncing the cops and the media, several hundred =
demonstrators marched toward City Hall the following day. Speeches were =
made by squatters on the steps of City Hall and graffiti appeared on the =
building. After the speeches the demo started up again. One group urged =
people to follow them to immediately open another squat. The crowd did =
not follow and the demo wound up back at the starting point. After =
people had milled around for a while and many had left, a group decided =
to continue along Sainte-Catherine Street. After a few blocks the riot =
squad intervened and 31 arrests took place. A woman was hit in the chest =
with a billy club.=20

That evening ten of the squatters ended up in the basement of a Catholic =
church. A priest welcomed them, opining during his speech that violent =
protest was unwise. The atmosphere seemed stifling and depressing. The =
few squatters who took advantage of the offer of a place to stay would =
be put out after a week.=20

A meeting attended by twenty squatters or supporters was held but no =
concrete decisions were made. An event looking back on the squats =
subsequently took place at a community centre. Videos of the squat were =
shown and talks were made by housing rights activists and some of the =
squatters.=20

Evaluation
With so many different kinds people involved in the squats, there are a =
variety of evaluations of the project. Some found that hard drug use was =
a major problem, while others felt that the squats were too open or that =
there were too many people at Pr=E9fontaine. At a meeting held in early =
2002 to analyse the squats, it was evident that wounds were still fresh. =
A shouting match took place over some of the controversial events.=20

Some squatters have said that the experience was a radicalising one and =
one they would not forget. At times the squatters were able to win the =
day, putting the authorities on the defensive. Friendships were forged =
and networking took place between people who met through the project.=20

At Pr=E9fontaine, though, things quickly got bogged down in the =
day-to-day running of the squat. Although the idea that another squat =
should be started was brought up at meetings, Pr=E9fontaine would not be =
the springboard for further projects during its two months' existence.=20

Heavy media coverage of the squat has meant that anyone in contact with =
any kind of Montreal media has now heard of squatting and has some kind =
of image of Overdale and Pr=E9fontaine. What kind of conception is a =
different matter, given the media bias against the squatters.=20

There is talk of a new squat but energies appear at a low ebb. The =
recently elected mayor, G=E9rald Tremblay, has criticized former Mayor =
Bourque for caving in to "civil disobedience," so it is highly unlikely =
the new administration will cough up a building for a bunch of marginals =
and radicals.=20

For people like myself who disagreed with concessions such as becoming =
an OSBL, the challenge is to find ways to pull off squat projects that =
will not be immediately shut down by the police.=20

C.A.L. Press
POB 1446
Columbia, MO 65205-1446
USA
Anarchy magazine web site:
http://www.anarchymag.org=20

Jason McQuinn <jmcquinn@xxxxxxxx>



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