As a community engaged in social justice, articule is governed by a Basis of Unity through which the centre positions itself in the fight to undo systemic disparities present within our artist-run centre and also outside our walls. 

On November 20, 2020, police and city workers approached a group of mostly-Inuit Montrealers living on Parc Avenue in our borough, threatening that city workers would destroy their belongings if they didn’t leave. In less than 24 hours, belongings, clothing and tents were stolen and destroyed. In the winter in Montreal, such an action is life-threatening, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased barriers to shelter housing and employment.

Again, on December 7th, 2020 police and city began the forced evacuation of a homeless encampment on Notre-Dame Street. 

Moving beyond solidarity, articule would like to lend material support to those who survived the attack and the centre urges all Montrealers to take concrete steps to support underhoused people living in our neighbourhood by supporting Meals for Milton-Parc and The Open Door shelter, both of which are providing immediate relief on the ground to the survivors. articule has decided to become a deposit point for donations. If you wish to donate, we volunteer to go and deposit donations before December 18th 6:00 pm. If you would like to make an appointment with us to drop off your donations, please contact communications@articule.org. If it is impossible for you to make donations before the 18th, we will continue with donations after the vacations on January 6, 2021.

Links of sources cited :

1. https://montreal.citynews.ca/video/2020/11/20/tents-for-the-homeless-thrown-away/

2. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/homeless-camp-eviction-montreal-fire-1.5830489

3. http://www.mealsformiltonparc.org/

4. https://www.opendoortoday.org/

Text written by Jamie Ross with revisions made by Amber Berson, Burcu Emeç, Cécilia Bracmort and Michaëlle Sergile.