Occupy, Takeover: How Philadelphia Housing Action Turned Vacant Buildings Into Homes

  • January 30, 2021 1:48 am

from It’s Going Down

Following months of riots, building barricades, and stand-offs with police trying to evict encampments, in late September of 2020, Philadelphia Housing Action was able to claim victory, after the city of Philadelphia offered unsheltered families and individuals access to housing in formerly vacant buildings, a process which people had already begun in the months prior, as homes owned by Philadelphia Housing Authority were squatted. In the end, upwards of 75 homes were handed over by the city, which included many homes which had been previously squatted. Here Philadelphia Housing Action looks back at 2020 with analysis and a timeline on what all went down. 

On Sept. 26, housing activists and organizers from Philadelphia Housing Action declared victory after the city agreed to allow 50 previously unhoused families who took over a number of buildings to live in vacant, city-owned housing through a community land trust.

Philadelphia Housing Action has actually been many years in the making; grounded in struggles around gentrification, displacement, homelessness, police violence, institutionalization, family separation, legalized discrimination and more. All of us had been in the city for years if not our entire lives. OccupyPHA had been sweating the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) for over five years around it’s rogue private police force and systematic displacement of neighborhoods through forced relocations under threat of eviction, selling of public land to developers, deliberate vacancy and eminent domain. In 2019 OccupyPHA had an encampment in front of the housing authority which lasted over 120 days focusing on these issues that laid a lot of the groundwork for what was to come. The issue of vacant public housing blighting neighborhoods and creating the pretext for eminent domain had long been a concern and the idea of occupying those houses as an act of protest and counter-gentrification had been discussed for at least a year.

Early on in 2020, the group of us who would go on to form Philadelphia Housing Action were finding each other in the same spaces as we challenged the city’s Office of Homeless Services around the ongoing policy of evicting homeless encampments. Like most places, nobody seemed to give a shit about homeless people and attempts to get media coverage or rally allies fell pretty flat. After a while, it became obvious that fighting the city on their terms wasn’t enough, we needed to take direct actions and force the issue; moving people into vacant publicly-owned houses seemed like the best way forward. Once COVID-19 rolled in and people were given stay at home orders, it just seemed like common sense for us to move ahead with take-overs, like a few other groups had already done around the country.

For several months as a small group we worked at that entirely under the radar and managed to occupy around 10 Housing Authority houses, primarily with families numbering a total of 50 people before the city erupted over the murder of George Floyd. Although Philadelphia Housing Action represented members from several groups, there were never more than 5 or 6 of us doing the work, none of us were getting paid and we got all the houses up and running with less than $1,500 from small donations or out of pocket. We had no legal or formal organizational support and relied entirely upon ourselves.

SOURCE: Philadelphia Housing Action

Within 10 days of the George Floyd uprising, we initiated a homeless protest encampment downtown and within the month we had made the announcement about the housing take-overs. Over the course of the summer hundreds of people became engaged in the encampments and the campaign while our group grew smaller, some members breaking away and one dying tragically of an overdose. We ended the year having housed 150-200 people, occupying 30 houses, continuing to fight the city for what we were promised and doing our best to weather the drama that comes after any upswing in mass movement activity inevitably tapers off and devolves into finger-pointing and competition amongst former allies.

We are proud that not a single occupied house was evicted and that there were no arrests in the largest organized and public housing takeover in the United States in more than a generation. We are gladdened that through the protest encampments and occupations the connections between homelessness, housing, and institutional/historical racism were put into much sharper focus while the racialised systems of domination, surveillance and control that permeate the homeless industrial complex, public housing, family court and more were successfully linked to the movement against police and state violence. We are hopeful that our demonstrated ability to link, cross-pollinate and grow movements for tenants rights, homelessness, public housing and foreclosures can be replicated by others across the country, for indeed they share a common enemy. Our campaign victory to win the transfer of vacant city-owned property to a community land trust for low-income housing was a big win for the national movements around housing and human rights and was built upon the shoulders of the many people and movements who came before us both here in Philly and abroad.

It is our assessment that in the year to come, we will see a great deal more in the struggles around housing as a mass eviction wave looms and the economy seems poised to fall off a cliff. We hope that in some small measure, we have done our part to set the stage for the fights to come and inspire others to take the bold and direct actions necessary to keep our communities safe and advance the struggle for universal housing.

Below is an incomplete and summarized timeline of our activities in 2020.

January 6th Philadelphia Housing Action protests encampment eviction at 18th and Vine St/5th and Wood streets along with members of North Philly Food Not Bombs (NPFNB),

February 12 Philadelphia Housing Action attends and contests meeting held by Office of Homeless Services about the coming planned eviction of the encampment at the convention center,

March 23 Philadelphia Housing Action and allies including NPFNB contest eviction of encampment at the convention center on the morning of City’s stay at home order, confronts David Holloman of Homeless Services with newly published CDC guidelines advising against evicting encampments. Later in the afternoon, Philadelphia Housing Action takes its first abandoned PHA property and opens it to the homeless community.

Throughout April and May Philadelphia Housing Action identifies and opens 10 more city owned houses for homeless families while city remains in lockdown.

April 10-17th Philadelphia Housing Action supports first protests/daily actions since lockdown led by no215jails coalition for the mass release of people from jails and prisons.

April 16th Philadelphia Housing Action supports action by No215Jails Coalition at CJC, chases Judge Coyle and her small dog who had denied every single case for release put before her down the street and blocked her exit from the parking garage.

April 17th Philadelphia Housing Action publishes Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer calling for the opening of empty hotels and dorms for the unhoused during the pandemic.

April 22nd Philadelphia Housing Action / ACTUP informs the City of Philadelphia about federal funding available that would pay for non-congregant housing in the form of Covid Prevention Spaces.

May 5th Philadelphia Housing Action contests encampment sweep on Ionic St w/ members of NPFNB. Delays sweep.

May 13th Philadelphia Housing Action supports ACTUP, ADAPT/DIA, Put People First, DecarceratePA, Philadelphia Community Bail Fund and March on Harrisburg pressing Managing Director Brian Abernathy to open non-congregant housing for people living in shelters, nursing homes and recently released prisoners. Demands universal testing in all congregant housing.

May 27th City of Philadelphia evicts homeless encampment from the international terminal baggage claim. Philadelphia Housing Action had visited the encampment several times throughout may and participated in advocacy work that delayed eviction for over a week due to legal action from Homeless Advocacy Project and attention from the press. First Covid-19 Prevention Hotel is opened in Philadelphia.

May 30th Philadelphia Housing Action joins the largest multi-racial uprising against police violence in the history of the United States in response to the killing of George Floyd. Uprising is city-wide and spills into the surrounding area with a week of street fighting, looting, riots and marches. The National Guard is mobilized to the city and occupies downtown, displacing the homeless population while people continue to loot and blow ATMs.

May 31st Philadelphia Housing Action / ACTUP / Put People First / Global Women’s Strike / March on Harrisburg demonstrate/hold funeral services at the home of Liz Hersh, Managing Director of the Office of Homeless Services.

June 6th OccupyPHA and Philly for REAL Justice lead a march of several hundred from PHA Police Department Headquarters to Temple Police Department Headquarters and back highlighting the impact of unaccountable private police departments on North Philadelphia and their connection to gentrification and displacement.

June 10th Philadelphia Housing Action and homeless activists initiate a protest encampment at 22nd and Benjamin Franklin Parkway under the banner of Housing Now. Encampment defies police orders, declares a no cop zone, bans homeless outreach, issues demands and expands rapidly. In the evening a small march blocks traffic and breaches the outer doors of Mayor Kenney’s apartment complex.

June 15th James Talib Dean, 34, co-founder of the parkway encampment, co-founder of Workers Revolutionary Collective and member of Philadelphia Housing Action dies at his home of an accidental drug overdose. Parkway encampment officially renamed Camp JTD.

June 22nd Marsha Cohen, executive director of Homeless Advocacy Project issues a public apology for her comments to the Philadelphia Inquirer about Philadelphia Housing Action being ‘insane’ and ‘using homeless people as pawns,’ amongst other vaguely classist/racist comments.

June 22nd Occupy PHA/Philadelphia Housing Action makes public announcement about its housing takeovers on independent media outlet Unicorn Riot.

June 23rd Philadelphia Housing Action taps water fountain, runs 1000 feet of pip to install running water, hand wash stations and a shower at CampJTD.

June 26th Philadelphia Housing Action and representatives from Camp JTD meet with city officials in an abandoned storefront. City makes no offer of permanent housing, denies having power over the housing authority or ability to convey other vacant city-owned property.

June 28th Philadelphia Housing Action / OccupyPHA open second encampment on an empty lot across from Housing Authority headquarters on Ridge Ave. The lot, taken through eminent domain by the Housing Authority is slated for of 81 market rate and 17 ‘affordable’ units, along with a parking garage and ‘supermarket.’

June 30th Housing Authority attempts to fence in Ridge Ave encampment and post no trespassing signs. Encampment residents resist, blocking bulldozers and tearing fenceposts out the ground, led by Teddy Munson. Managing Director Abernathy orders Housing Authority to ‘stand down,’ proving that city has power over the Housing Authority. Supporters immediately erect barricades around the entire perimeter of Camp Teddy, working into the night.

July 7th Philadelphia Housing Action taps into city power at CampJTD, installs outlets to power fridges, etc.

July 9th Philadelphia Housing Action breaks off negotiations with the city after several weeks of talks. Cites city’s refusal to offer any actual housing and refusal to bring the Housing Authority to the table.

July 9th PHA Police attempt eviction of occupied house. OccupyPHA/Philadelphia Housing Action and loosely organized Eviction Defense Network rush to the scene and successfully force the police to withdraw before they can enter the building. The house is the first of only 4 to be discovered by the Housing Authority.

July 10th City posts eviction notices for both encampments, cutoff date set for July 17th.

July 13th Philadelphia Housing Action rallies hundreds of supporters at Camp JTD, vowing to resist eviction and demanding permanent housing. Support for the encampment ratchets up all week with allies calling for supporters to sleep over to defend the encampment the night before eviction.

July 13th-17th OccupyPHA and Camp Teddy residents protest at Philadelphia Housing Authority President/CEO Kelvin Jeremiah’s personal home every day.

July 15th City of Philadelphia pressures porta-potty rental company National Rentals to cancel contract with CampJTD. Philadelphia Housing Action supporters cut locks to city bathrooms at Von Colln Field in response.

July 16th City backs down from eviction. Managing Director Brian Abernathy resigns. Mayor Kenney says he will become personally involved in negotiations.

July 20th Philadelphia Housing Action meets in negotiation with Mayor Kenney, other high level city officials as well as the CEO/President of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Kelvin Jeremiah. OccupyPHA vows to continue occupying houses. PHA carries out raid of long standing land occupation, the North Philadelphia Peace Park, in the middle of negotiations.

July 30th Final meeting with Mayor Kenney.

August 4th Both encampments weather Tropical Storm Isaias.

August 10th Philadelphia Housing Authority holds press event with employees posing as ‘community members’ speaking out against Camp Teddy. OccupyPHA and Camp Teddy residents counter-demonstrate, infiltrate event and get on the microphone.

August 11th Philadelphia Housing Authority announces the creation of a ‘Community Choice Registration Program’ in an effort to appear like it is meeting protest demands.

August 13th Deputy Managing Director Eva Gladstein breaks off negotiations with Philadelphia Housing Action in an email, saying protestors were not meeting the city halfway.

August 16th City posts 24 hour eviction notice for protest encampments.

August 17th Over 400 supporters turn out the morning of eviction to defend the encampments. City Council Members Gauthier and Brooks intervene and re-open talks between the city and the encampments Talks last for over 6 long hours. Lawyer Michael Huff files in Federal court for a restraining order and injunction against eviction, representing individuals from both encampments.

August 17th PHA Police attempt extrajudicial ejectment of occupied house late in the night. OccupyPHA arrives and forces PHA Police to leave mid-ejectment. OccupyPHA demonstrates at PHA CEO Kelvin Jeremiah’s home every day the rest of that week.

August 25th Federal judge rules in favor of the city, clearing the way for an eviction, but mandating 72 hours notice with protections and storage for residents property.

August 31st City issues ‘3rd and Final’ eviction notice set for September 9th.

September 1st Philadelphia Housing Action publishes Op-Ed in Philadelphia Inquirer detailing demand for the transfer of vacant city-owned properties to a land trust for permanent low-income housing. Philadelphia Housing Action meets again with the City despite eviction notice. City and Housing Authority finally admit to having the power to transfer properties to meet the demands, but claim they simply do not want to.

September 3rd Philadelphia Housing Action and encampment residents participate in blockading the reopening of eviction court. The courts are effectively closed down for the morning before protestors are cleared by riot police.

September 4th OccupyPHA and camp teddy occupy a many years vacant, but newly built PHA property around the corner from Camp Teddy. After holding the building for several hours, occupiers foolishly allow access to the PHA Police. PHA finally moves in tenants the same night. In an email, PHA informs OccupyPHA found Jen Bennetch they have requested a federal investigation of her and the housing takeovers under the Riot Act.

September 6th Philadelphia Housing Action, encampment residents and supporters rally and march to Mayor Kenney’s apartment building and hold intersection and rally for hours.

September 8th Whole Foods, Target and CVS board their windows in preparation of encampment eviction and possible riots. OccupyPHA and Camp Teddy visit the homes of senior managers of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

September 9th In a repeat, roughly 600 supporters turn out to fight the eviction, barricades are massively expanded at Camp JTD, including the closure of N 22nd St next to the encampment. The street remains closed for the rest of the month. City attempts to send Clergy to both encampments in an attempt to persuade people to leave but they are shouted down and leave in humiliation. Although trash trucks and buses are staged on the parkway, police never appear. Both encampments remain in a state of heightened alert over the coming weeks. Police test response time and defenses several times but do not arrive in force.

September 10th supporting organizers at camp JTD invite Mayor Kenney to a brunch on September 14th, raise a banner facing the parkway with the invitation.

September 14th Mayor Kenney declines to attend brunch.

September 18th HUD Mid-Atlantic Regional Office formally confirms that the Philadelphia Housing Authority can legally transfer properties without the need for federal approval.

September 26th Philadelphia Housing Action announces that city has tentatively agreed to transferring 50 vacant houses to a community land trust in return for ending the encampments. City/PHA comments that the announcement of a deal is ‘entirely premature.’ In talks, City had confirmed with Philadelphia Housing Action that they were willing to transfer the houses and continue negotiations in exchange for removal of the 22nd st barricades, a decision ratified by popular assembly of Camp JTD residents after much canvassing and discussion over the next several days.

SOURCE: Twitter @PeoplesParty_US

October 1st Philadelphia Housing Authority proposes settlement with OccupyPHA for resolution of the Camp Teddy encampment. PHA offers 9 fully rehabbed houses, two empty lots, the transfer of any squats that have already been approved for disposition to the land trust, amnesty for all Philadelphia Housing Action squatters, an end to extrajudicial ejectments and evictions by PHA Police, jobs for encampment residents to rehab the houses, a 1 year moratorium on sales of PHA property and an independent study on the impact of PHA property sales, participation of PHA Police Department in City of Philadelphia reform initiatives and to fully implement the CCRP with up to 300 vacant properties.

October 2nd Camp Teddy residents ratify the agreement and OccupyPHA signs agreement to vacate by the night of Monday the 5th.

October 5th Camp Teddy vacates and clears encampment by deadline. PHA informs the City after the fact. City is reportedly furious.

October 8th OccupyPHA founder Jen Bennetch wins a PA Superior Court ruling setting a state precedent affirming the right to film DHS workers (Philly’s version of Child Protective Services) performing their duties. The case originated in 2019 when the Housing Authority and homeless service provider ProjectHOME brought a complaint against Ms Bennetch for having her children with her in the daytime during her 2019 124 day occupation of the PHA headquarters. Ms Bennetch denied DHS workers entry to her home and filmed them in front of her house. In the lower court ruling, the family court Judge Joseph Fernandes had ordered Ms Bennetch to delete and remove from social media all videos of the DHS workers and to never record them again. Ms Bennetch’s appeal to the Superior court was based on First Amendment grounds.

October 10th Managing Director Tumar Alexander approaches OccupyPHA with a ‘best and final’ offer for resolution of Camp JTD in exchange for 50 additional houses.

October 12th After multiple assemblies and extensive canvassing at Camp JTD, Philadelphia Housing Action signs agreement to vacate on a tight timeline in exchange for 50 additional houses. Over the coming weeks Philadelphia Housing Action, supporters, the Housing Authority and the City work to find people housing and clear the encampment.

October 21st A Camp JTD resident legally obtains a unit at the formerly occupied newly constructed vacant PHA property around the corner from Camp Teddy.

October 23rd Marsha Cohen officially resigns as executive director of Homeless Advocacy Project.

October 26th Camp JTD formally closes and is fenced in by the city. Upon closure Philadelphia Housing Action counted 30 occupied city-owned properties. In the final weeks, 35 residents were given rapid re-housing vouchers despite income requirements and 10 elders gained immediate access to PHA senior housing. Philadelphia Housing Action estimates that more than 200 people gained access to housing over the course of the encampment through housing occupations or various city/housing authority programs.

October 26th Philadelphia Police shoot and kill Walter Wallace Jr, sparking widespread riots.

October 29 November 1st OccupyPHA/Philadelphia Housing Action demonstrate nightly at Council President Darrell Clarke’s home forcing a meeting with OccupyPHA and allies on November 4th. The following week the Philadelphia Housing Authority confirms Clarke has dropped his opposition to Philadelphia Housing Action getting houses in North Philadelphia. By November 23rd Darrell Clarke procedurally kills his own initiative to give $14.5m to the Philadelphia Police Department and refuses to comment to the press.

November 11th Philadelphia Housing Action occupies lobby of 22nd district for several hours after receiving the MOU between Philadelphia Police Department and Temple Police Departments. MOU is read out loud clarifying the limits of Temple University Police jurisdiction and generally harassing the police working that night, a turkey was thrown across the lobby.

December 1st Philadelphia Housing Action visits Covid Prevention Site Hotels and occupies lobby, confronts security.

December 2nd Philadelphia Housing Action has call with Office of Homeless Services and hotel residents about impending closure of Covid Prevention Hotels on Dec 15th. Demands delay of closure and extension of program. Over the coming weeks it is revealed the city will be moving residents from the hotel into former halfway houses that do not have private rooms or bathrooms. Philadelphia Housing Action continues to organize with residents and other advocates for the permanent housing the city promised at the beginning of the program. Activity is ongoing.

December 23rd Philadelphia Housing Action successfully pressures PHA to get gas turned on to several properties that were being denied service by PGW. City moves first residents from prevention hotels to former halfway houses and Philadelphia Housing Action learns that the new facilities have no heat or hot water. Philadelphia Housing Action and supporters visit the home of Office of Homeless Services Director Liz Hersh at night, talking to neighbors and playing loud music to protest the closure of the Prevention Hotel and the placement of people with preexisting health conditions into congregant housing with no heat or hot water over the holiday.

December 28th Philadelphia Housing Action visits Walker Hall, the former halfway house owned by private prison contractor CoreCivic that is now housing residents from the Covid Prevention Hotels. Security denies access to the premises and calls the police. The location is in a remote industrial area and lacking services, transportation or access to food. Heat and Hot water are still not available to all residents, nor are they allowed to possess space heaters. Residents have windows in their doors and are not permitted to block them. Female residents complain about male guards looking into their rooms. No transportation was made available. Residents are searched upon entry and at least one resident, a disabled elder, has been expelled for possession of a marijuana cigarette.

January 1st Philadelphia Housing Action, pushing for corrections around the availability of federal funding in a Philadelphia Inquirer article on the closure of the Covid Prevention Hotels is able to confirm that the City of Philadelphia never applied to FEMA for funding that would pay 75% of the program costs of the program. The statement from a city official on record undermines the entire premise of closing the hotel due to a lack of funding and exposes a high level of willful incompetence at the Office of Homeless Services. Furthermore, Philadelphia Housing Action and ACTUP are able to confirm that the current facilities will not be eligible for FEMA funding due to their congregant nature.

City Officials Addressed In Paint

  • December 31, 2020 1:28 am

Last night in North Philly, on 19th & Oxford street, the site that the city planned to move unhoused individuals into today Wednesday, December 30th was targeted.

The unhoused individuals are currently staying in “Covid hotels” at the Holiday Inn on 13th and Walnut streets for shelter from the pandemic and cold. City government says they’ve run out of funding and can no longer house them here, but we know that’s not true. The city wants to save money and alternatively use the site to shelter housed and employed people suffering from covid. Yet another instance of the city further displacing unhoused people and prioritizing the privileged.

We’ve had enough of the bullshit and the runaround. We’ve had enough of orgs that hardly show up or don’t make proactive and decisive moves. We have decided to act autonomously and will continue to.

The slow trickle of evictions started on December 15th when advocates began to post up outside the hotel and distribute donations to residents and friends on the streets.

Mayor Kenney, in an attempt to ward off bad press, put out statements to the effect of “do not be concerned, the hotel residents will be situated with permanent housing, we will not be kicking people out on the street.” Spewing his usual bullshit, he is interested only in saving face and assuring liberals they need not be concerned or called to action. Meanwhile, some hotel residents were moved to an unused former PRISON in Kensington that same week — an interesting take on “permanent housing.”

The recent snow fall and protests have delayed planned evictions. However nothing concrete has changed. We’re tired of pushing meekly against the force of those in power, of doing nothing more than creating delays. Delays that temporarily disrupt the plans city officials still intend to carry out when we become fatigued and distracted. Despite the protests, another eviction notice was issued this week. Today marked the last day residents were apparently going to be permitted to stay in the hotel.

The site at 19th & Oxford, where they were expected to be transferred, appears to be a detention center of sorts. Word on the street is that it does not have hot water, some units may not have heat & the residents were going to be roomed in pairs. The point is this situation is abhorrent.

The city treats unhoused residents like undesirables they mean to discard of. They prioritize saving minimal amounts of money at the expense of the most vulnerable, marginalized Philadelphians— most of whom have existing health issues, adding to the stress and trauma they already endure by being unhoused. Our neighbors are not disposable. They should not be shuffled around from place to place, often without understanding where they’re going or what the conditions they’re walking into will be.

All attempts at negotiating with the city for better treatment have failed and been full of deceit on behalf of city officials… no fucking surprise. We have been too gentle in our modes of feedback. Protests have received media attention and some public support, but none of this is stopping the city from making their moves.

We all know this city loves and hoards it’s property. We need to “dialogue” with them in a language they understand or at least can’t ignore. Instead of waiting for the city to move people into the Oxford building, last night anarchists rolled up to sabotage the locks, graffiti the building and smash about 20 large windows and the glass door entrance.

Liz Hersh, the Office of Homeless Services, Resources for Human Development and Mayor Kenney have been addressed in paint. No one should be mistaken about the intention behind the actions. The media will surely spin its usual narratives, but we are not interested in letting the anticipation of their words influence or silence ours.
We did our thing. We said our piece.

Judge Ruling Permits City to Evict Tent Encampments

  • August 26, 2020 2:48 am

from Twitter

Philadelphia, PA: A federal judge just ruled *against* a requested injunction filed by lawyers representing homeless city residents fighting @PhillyMayor Jim Kenney’s plan to send in police to evict tent encampments. The judge reportedly requires the city to give 72 hours notice.

Here at the James Talib Dean memorial encampment on the Ben Franklin parkway, things are fairly calm and dozens of tents are still up along with hand washing and service stations. Some police are nearby but no plans for raids seem imminent today, although camp residents are wary.
As with Philly city officials’ previous threats to use force to clear these camps, many camp residents say they aren’t going anywhere no matter what the government says. Many supporters of the camps have also mobilized recently to defend against possible deployment of police.
Here is federal judge Eduardo C. Robreno’s order denying the injunction and clearing the way for @PhillyMayor to use force to displace homeless encampments during the coronavirus pandemic, despite CDC guidelines to the contrary. (H/t @KeeleyFox29 for court docs)
Several sitting members of Philadelphia’s city council have strongly opposed any move by Mayor Kenney to displace homeless Philadelphians seeking refuge at these camps. It’s unclear to what extent contentious city politics may delay any use of force by police on this matter.
Any sweep of camps (and militant protesters defending camps) would likely involve Philly PD SWAT. PPD SWAT gained national notoriety for extreme on-camera abuses during George Floyd protests. They’ve shown a clear eagerness to commit violence against protesters and reporters.

Urgent Eviction Defense

  • August 17, 2020 1:36 pm

from Instagram

A Second Eviction Has been posted by the city for both JTD (22nd and Ben Franklin) and Camp Teddy (2013 ridge ave)
Residents have no intentions of leaving while the city negotiates their livelihoods in circles.

Tomorrow, Tuesday August 18th @ 9:00 am.

We need bodies to come out and hold down both locations for
* Cop Watching & Police Survalince
•Patrolling the area, recording names and badge number. Lower arrest risk
* Barricading & Securing the Camp
* Help move, and construct barricades for the perimeter. Trucks are useful in picking up barricades from around the city and transporting them back. Lower Arrest Risk
* Residential Support
* Keep resident informed on ongoing actions, help residents pack their belongings and clean, keeping calm and getting/keeping contact in the event we are displaced. Lower arrest risk
* Defense Unit
* Willing and able to defend camp against the cops physically. Using your bodies as a line of defense. Come equipped with protective gear. Higher arrest risk

With eviction courts opening back up and the moratorium over, landlord and police are ready to ramp up eviction like this city has never seen before. Philly will not back down and submit to the oppressive forces trying to sweeps us up and out of sight. We will stand together. The city has decided to use our cities unhoused as testing bunnies for what poor and disenfranchised folks all around the city will experience on September 1st, when eviction are allowed to procede and people can be uprooted from their lives. Send a CLEAR message that an attack on our must vulnerable is an attack on our whole community, this is unacceptable. Will you stand with us?

Tomorrow morning, BEFORE 9 o’clock !

Be prepared to defend against our camp.

Help Raise Legal Funds for Imprisoned Encampment Volunteer Daniel Gibson

  • July 31, 2020 12:38 am

from Fundrazr

Hello everyone! My name is Christa Rivers. It brings me nothing but pain and anxiety to write to people in our community but I have to tell this story. My partner, Daniel Gibson, had been volunteering with the Occupy PHA encampment in north Philly. PHA police and Philadelphia police have been surveilling the camp. On the night of July 2, 2020 he was on his way home when he asked the police why they were following him. He was arrested that night, and is currently upstate in SCI Coal Township. They beat him; he still has bruises and scratches all over his body two weeks later, still has a swollen and fractured knee, fractured shin bone. The charges they have against him can be fought, we just need to hire a lawyer. Which is why we’re turning to the community for help. I want my loved one home. We believe that hiring a lawyer, whom we have already contacted, will yield the best results. This is going to be a long process because of covid 19 and because the court system is slow, especially for those who are already in state custody. I just want to do everything possible to make his time in prison end sooner than later. As of right now, we are keeping the fundraising deadline open to account for future curt dates. Please help anyway you can, share with people, donate, connect us with a pro bono lawyer–anything.  Thank you, from both of us.

[Contribute Here]

New camp, “Camp Prosperity” at Kelly Drive & Segley

  • July 20, 2020 1:17 am

from Twitter

BREAKING: “Camp Prosperity” is a 3rd encampment involved with the Philly homeless protests – in addition to the #JTDCamp & the Teddy Camp on Ridge.

A 3rd location of about a dozen tents have relocated to Kelly Drive & Segley behind the Art Museum.

Defend the Camp! Stop the Eviction!

  • July 16, 2020 1:04 am

from Facebook

Why don’t you live for the people!
Why don’t you struggle for the people!
Why don’t you die for the people!

Learn more about the struggle for housing at https://philadelphiahousingaction.info/2020/

[Friday July 17, 7:00am

The city is moving ahead with plans for a Friday eviction. It’s time for all of us to join together to defend the camp. All hands on ceck, please spread the word!]

Coverage of Protest Camp on PHA Lot

  • July 1, 2020 2:11 am

from Twitter

Last night a new encampment for unhoused people was started outside Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) HQ in North Philly. Since early this AM, PHA has had work crews out erecting heavy duty fencing as private PHA police officers stand guard.

The only police presence we’ve seen here is maybe a dozen police officers.

While their uniforms seem deliberately crafted to mimic official Philly PD uniforms, PHA PD is in fact a private police department with significant differences in jurisdiction and authority.

This laminated eviction letter from PHA was recently delivered to unhoused residents of the new encampment. PHA has drawn criticism for leaving thousands of PHA-owned homes vacant, instead of using them to house the homeless.

A camp resident gave us a quick rundown on the current situation with the new encampment by PHA HQ and recent interactions with PHA private police:
[Video Here]
 

Situation semi calm as some contractor work crews take breaks while others continue to put in heavy fencing in one grass lot by PHA HQ parking lot.

This officer from housing authority’s private police force is currently having a smoke

Ongoing standoff here at empty grass lot outside PHA HQ in North Philadelphia. Residents of new unhoused tent encampment say they won’t comply with housing authority demands to vacate the empty property.
 
PHA police playing a dramatized game of footsie with some people who keep removing fencing poles
More housing authority police arriving and tension w camp residents growing as PHA cops and contractors seem eager to put fencing poles into spots occupied by camp residents and supporters. Still no actual Philly PD officers here that we’ve seen.
 
More PHA police and contractors still arriving. @PhilaHsgAuthPHA seems quite intent on fencing off the vacant lots by their HQ ASAP after some unhoused Philadelphians set up camp here yesterday. More supporters of the camp are arriving as well
 
PHA contractors were seen loading some of the fencing poles into this van before driving off – unclear if some work is being paused/delayed or just being done around the corner where camp residents/supporters aren’t currently gathered.
 
PHA workers continue to install new heavy-duty poles for new security fence as PHA police (and angry residents of the new tent camp) watch closely
 
Hard to estimate the considerable expense @PhilaHsgAuthPHA is going to in order to try to fence off the area of the new unhoused tent encampment. Dozens of vehicles and workers/contractors active here this morning.
 
PHA workers operating power tools quite close to encampment supporters who are sitting on the pre-existing wooden fence in this empty grass lot by PHA HQ
 
At least 6 PHA police cruisers just on this corner of the newly occupied lot. (2 more out of frame just to the right here)
 
This empty PHA-owned grass lot has also served as a dog park for residents of nearby homes. Prseumably, once PHA’s new anti-homeless security fence is up, nobody will be able to use this land at all.
 
More moment of near-confrontation between PHA and new camp residents and their supporters. Most backed off after this moment and agreed to let PHA workers work after they assured camp residents they could still access the grass area
 
Supporters of the new houseless encampment by @PhilaHsgAuthPHA HQ in North Philly brought a sound system, the situation here is now turning partially into a protest rally visible from passing traffic on Ridge Ave.
 
Things are still semi-calm yet agitated here by PHA HQ. People are now generally letting workers put up fencing poles after the work crew lead promised people they wouldn’t be locked out of the lot. Both camp residents/supporters and workers have accused each other of harassment.
 
PHA may be declining to take more action against people gathered on this empty lot today since there were no signs posted in the area. We haven’t heard anyone get verbally trespassed here either. CDC coronavirus guidelines would also seem to recommend against evicting this camp.
 
Still seems like some goodwill is being built between the worker crew’s lead/foreman and some of the unhoused camp residents – unclear if this is happening in good faith or an attempt to buy time and pacify resistance to PHA security efforts.
 
When we arrived a few hours ago, PHA cops and work crews seemed evenly matched with the number of camp residents present, w a few dozen people each. With more people continuing to arrive in support it seems like upwards of 50-60 people are here on behalf of the encampment now.
 
Jennifer Bennetch from Occupy PHA speaks about the history of PHA as a force of gentrification and blight in North Philly
[Video Here]
 
Other residents of the houseless encampment, as well as people from neighborhoods near PHA HQ, also speak about why this PHA-owned vacant lot is being occupied by people needing housing
 
Some of the security fencing poles have been removed, and various construction debris placed to obstruct fence post spots. Maybe over 100 houseless camp residents & supporters here at occupied empty lot by @PhilaHsgAuthPHA HQ
 
PHA workers putting poles back in place and remove debris only to have it placed back where they removed it from.
 
PHA fence poles getting taken out of ground as soon as they’re replaced.

PHA subcontractors told “They’re not paying you enough to keep putting this back in the ground.”

PHA (subcontractor?) work lead in gray complains “they’re pulling all the poles out of the ground now”
 
More PHA cops circled back to this part of the lot as the fence pole situation heats up. PHA workers and police being asked to leave by residents and supporters of the new tent camp
 
Tent poles got removed again, pole holes getting filled back up with soil and rocks
 
Residents and supporters of the new tent camp at empty lot by PHA HQ have now formed a line in front of the PHA subcontractors and PHA police:
 
Some (not all) people moved off of the barricade line by the fence pole contest zone after seeing a PHA contractor bulldozer was moving around behind them, on the grassier side of the lot near where people have set up tents to live in.
 
We saw one Philly Police (as opposed to PHA housing authority police) cruiser pass by a few hours ago. As of now (1:30 PM) seems like PHA’s Police dept is the only law enforcement active here at the scene by intersection Jefferson & Ridge.
 
Currently unclear if PHA contracted workers will try to keep expanding this fence to the left here (crowd is blocking them just to left of this frame).
 
Update: PHA contractor workers have either started taking a break or paused fence work in the area shown in last clip. They seem more frustrated now but things still generally calm and de-escalated on both sides here
 
The pole holes from one of the earlier back-and-forth with the fence posts have been filled in further w dirt and debris as time has gone on
 
Pizza is getting handed out now after someone ordered several large pies delivered to the encampment
 
PHA construction vehicle was digging post holes on other side of lot (closer to the tents) and eventually drove off after people started filling all the post holes back up. We saw PHA worker continue to operate this equipment when people were standing near/on/touching its bucket
[Video Here]
 
More confrontational moments as PHA tried to keep installing fencing as people kept taking fence poles out of the fresh concrete. Construction vehicles still operating dangerously close to protesters.

Again, this PHA work all started overnight after the homeless camp appeared.
[Video Here]

PHA contractors stopped working with the fence posts and concrete mixer in this back part of the lot after residents and supporters from the new homeless encampment were dismantling their work faster than they could keep up with.

We saw >6 fenceposts get pulled up & taken away.

Things are suddenly the quietest they’ve been here all day at the new tent camp by PHA HQ. Seems like PHA contractors may have been told to call it a day.
 
Most or all PHA police (1-2 dozen maybe) are still here but seems like most of all of the workers have left.
 
Update: Some Philly PD (as opposed to PHA police) have arrived on site. At least one PPD Civil Affairs officer now here speaking with PHA police and contractors
 
Philly PD civil affairs arrived to speak with people, all they really had to say was a reiteration of the eviction letter already delivered by PHA after the homeless camp went up.
 
Philadelphia Police Civil Affairs refused to answer our question about why they aren’t following @PhillyMayor’s new mandatory masking order to protect Philadelphians during the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Seems like most actual Philadelphia police just left the scene after arriving to try to deliver another copy of PHA’s eviction notice to the camp. Just PHA police remaining now as far as we can see
 
More barricades continue to go up around the new homeless encampment outside Philadelphia Housing Authority HQ in North Philly. A few cops in area still monitoring but unclear what’s going to happen. Seems like only a coordinated mass police operation could remove people…
 
Earlier today before PHA’s work crews left the area of the new camp, we saw several concerning safety incidents happen. In this clip from a few hours ago, a worker was continuing to operate dangerous construction equipment as protesters were in physical contact with his equipment
 
When we reported on #NoDAPL protests in North Dakota, pipeline workers, even when quite hostile to protesters, almost always immediately ceased work when anyone set foot on a work site. Philadelphia Housing Authority contractors did not apply this same level of caution today.
 
A PHA supervisor eventually had this worker stop using this machine too close to people, after observing several near-miss potential injury incidents. Similar incidents like this with a bulldozer near the concrete mixer would recurr after this incident as well.
 
Again, the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s vigorous push for all this new construction today only happened on short notice today/last night after a homeless encampment with tents went up on the vacant, unused PHA-owned lot across from PHA HQ in Ridge Ave.
 
A lot more barricades have gone up at the new encampment for unhoused ppl outside @PhilaHsgAuthPHA HQ in the last few hours

Demands listed on fence outside the camp by PHA HQ: turn vacant PHA-owned properties into low-income housing, stop PHA selling homes to private entities, require city employees and police to respect the homeless, repeal urban camping bans, sanction homeless camps and tiny homes
 

Barricade construction is very much an ongoing activity into the night here at new encampment by @PhilaHsgAuthPHA HQ
[Video Here]

Homeless Philadelphians Moving Into Vacant City-Owned Homes

  • June 23, 2020 1:20 am

from Unicorn Riot

Philadelphia, PA – Housing advocates plan to reveal today that they’ve facilitated moving previously-unhoused city residents into “vacant, viable” homes in North Philly owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). According to those who are helping families move in, a large number of usable residences are being intentionally left vacant by the PHA so that they can be sold to developers.

The process of finding empty PHA-owned homes, fixing them up, and helping to move people in is a collaboration between ‘Occupy PHA’ and the Revolutionary Workers Collective.

The ‘move-in’ process began during the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, but now has a sense of added urgency against the backdrop of nationwide unrest and struggles for justice during uprisings after the police murder of George Floyd in May.

Watch our live stream below:
[Watch Here]

Jennifer Bennetch, who is making today’s announcement revealing the multiple occupations of city-owned homes, previously undertook an extended protest vigil outside PHA’s headquarters under the banner of ‘Occupy PHA’ in 2019.

Unicorn Riot also recently streamed a press conference from a homeless encampment on the Ben Franklin parkway near Center City, Philadelphia. Bennetch and others are working to support Philadelphia residents who self-organized the parkway camp via the Revolutionary Workers Collective.

See last Wednesday’s stream below:
[Watch Here]

Stay tuned for more reporting from Unicorn Riot regarding the housing crisis in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia: Camp Maroon encampment press conference

  • June 18, 2020 1:16 am

from Twitter

Philadelphia: Camp Maroon encampment press conference pscp.tv/w/cbj7JTFheVFWdmRWUm…
Speakers at Camp Maroon calling for more access to housing – authorities to permit the camp – disarming, disempowering, disbanding Philly PD. #Live now (alternate YouTube link) invidio.us/watch?v=EOjRonsv…
a closer look at the demands posted at the press conference for #CampMaroon in Philadelphia – our live feed is ongoing now

The camp is being renamed away from “Camp Maroon” and information will be released later about this

We are hearing a rundown on the Philadelphia camp demands now – live at press conference. Call to repeal ‘camping’ ordinances aimed at unhoused people, and must support tiny houses, without eating into existing public housing stock & resources pscp.tv/UR_Ninja/1BdGYnaoeeE…
pscp.tv/UR_Ninja/1BdGYnaoeeE… Hearing about how people without housing are pushed into a system that does not care about them – that homelessness could be ended tomorrow by institutions in Philadelphia

New Encampment on the Parkway

  • June 11, 2020 4:52 pm

from Instagram 

Yesterday Morning @occupypha and @workers_rev_collective set up an encampment at 22nd and the Parkway. Help out and be on the lookout for supply needs! Reminder that should you go that you are a guest- these are peoples lives. To donate: $wrevolutionary CashApp or http://www.wrc.life/donate/ list of demands will be written out in the comments .


from Twitter

Supplies are needed at the Workers Revolutionary Collective encampment ASAP, especially tents! Come out toVon Colln Memorial Field at the intersection of Spring Garden & Pennsylvania.

 

Eviction Defense of Center City Squatters

  • May 7, 2020 1:01 am

from Instagram

We heard about another totally outrageous eviction looming, so we showed up with a number of other people from like minded groups and stopped the city from booting out two individuals currently residing the grounds of the old Philadelphia Housing Authority headquarters in center city. In case you haven’t been following their scheme, the PHA was in theory created to keep lower economic status Philadelphians in decent houses and in their own neighborhoods. Instead, the PHA uses eminent domain to seize poor people homes, demolish them and either build luxury condos or sell them to developers who do the same thing. Casting poor people out of their homes and destroying communities to let affluent outsiders live tax free in these devastated areas that were once vibrant blocks. The PHA is some other level of vile. So l, some folks that needed a roof over their heads started squatting the old PHA headquarters in rather ironic fashion. There is a big habitable building that is not in use when so many are on the streets, and people desperately need housing. In our version of a “Service Day”, we showed to actually support the people that need it by standing up to the cops, gentrifying cop callers, and city workers who were about to forcibly evict our neighbors. They backed down for now but we will keep calling them out and challenging them-until they open up the thousands and thousands of empty properties that are not even in private hands; the houses owned by the PHA that could be housing our neighbors this very minute. #endtheabatement #stoptheevictions https://whyy.org/articles/housing-activists-stop-rittenhouse-encampment-cleanup-likening-it-to-eviction/

MayDayFun

  • May 6, 2020 12:11 am

Submission

In a time where COVID-19 is sweeping it’s way through workplaces, shelters, and prisons.. wholefoods, amazon, and other large corporations are silencing their workers and trying to think of ways they can capitalize off of this pandemic. Houseless folks are being evicted from encampments regardless of the logical recommendations of the CDC. Prisons are death camps and our friends in cages are making masks in crowded conditions without the privilege to even wear one.
As a gesture of solidarity and an expression of our rage, we drop this banner for those on the inside fighting to get out, for the workers under the boot of the corporate masters at amazon and elsewhere, and the importance of practicing mutual aid. Not just now, but always.

Open squats!
Loot the Wholefoods!
Free the prisoners!
#Mutualaid

bingo

  • April 30, 2020 1:07 am

Submission

Figured we should mention some contributions we made toward our bingo card:

Money and letters were sent to some friends that are locked up, ran off with a couple of american flags, a couple more ring cameras were disposed of, helped a friend begin living inside a newly established squat, and a cart full of groceries was expropriated from the amazon overlords. I know that last one isn’t necessarily looting, but I’ve heard that another crew counted something to that effect. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Philly Tenants Union Calls for a City Wide Rent Strike on May 1st

  • April 23, 2020 12:14 am

from It’s Going Down

Call from the Philly Tenants Union for a city-wide rent strike starting on May 1st.

On Friday 5/1, thousands of Philadelphians will participate in a rent strike, either in solidarity with other tenants or because they cannot afford to pay rent. Over 1.3 million Pennsylvanians have filed for unemployment, meaning 1 in 5 workers in the state are jobless. A recent study found that Pennsylvania’s unemployment trust fund will run out of money in 11 weeks, a timeline far shorter than most other states.

The Philadelphia Tenants Union has published an official call for a citywide rent strike to take place on May 1st. The guidelines for the strike are laid out in an official statement on their website. The guidelines include filling out a form so that the organization can connect tenants with each other who share the same landlord to draft collective demands for reduced or cancelled rents. If landlords refuse to provide relief for tenants who cannot pay, then that is when the tenants officially join the rent strike. It is imperative that the largest Real Estate Firms in Philadelphia – with the most political influence – feel the organized power of their tenants, and Philadelphia Tenants Union is working hard to build those unions.

The strike’s demands are directed towards Pa.’s Governor Tom Wolf, State Senators and State Representatives to:

  • Cancel rent and mortgage payments for 6 months, with no debt accrued.

  • Enforce rent and mortgage forgiveness for any missed payments dating back to March, 2020.

Demands are also directed towards Philadelphia’s Mayor Kenney and City Council members to:

  • Make all evictions, eviction filing, and foreclosures illegal for at least 6 months

  • Freeze rent rates at the current level for a year beyond the end of the crisis

  • Enforce comprehensive rent control

  • Take immediate action to provide housing for the houseless

  • Build city-funded public housing that will meet the city’s need

The Philadelphia Tenants Union will also be offering support in three forms. The first is with an “Emergency Anti-Eviction Task Force” that will use legislative methods and direct action to disrupt and prevent evictions. The second is a “Rent Strike Fund” which will provide monetary funds for legal support for collectives of tenants on strike. Thirdly, is “Organizing Support”, providing resources and guidance to tenants as they prepare for May 1st.

The Rent Strike is a preventative measure for combating displacement and potential homelessness in the city and state, and is a direct action to pressure state legislators to provide immediate assistance to the impending economic recession. The official statement and rent strike guide can be found on Philadelphia Tenants Union’s website.