Disclaimer: All resources provided here are strictly for educational purposes. Rent Strike Vancouver does not condone any illegal activities.
Long-Term Strategy
A strike’s success will require more than the shared withholding of rent. We will all need to do our part to support each other throughout the strike and afterwards. This page will outline some ways we can support one another. It will be a shared task to get these ideas and new ones into action.
During the Strike
Once strikers have withheld rent, the next step to maximize the success of the strike is communications. The objective at this point is to expand the number of people withholding rent, and to demand that the government provide amnesty for those withholding rent during and after the strike.
Growing the number of strikers is an individual task each of us can take on in our own way – we can talk to our friends and neighbours, connect on social media, organize our buildings (see the VTU toolkit) and distribute posters.
Due to COVID-19 we cannot apply political pressure in traditional ways – demonstrations, office occupations, etc. We can focus our efforts at this time on phone and e-mail zaps, along with creating social media pressure, directed towards the relevant government bodies. Check out the “take action” tab on the website for a list of phone numbers, e-mail, and social media handles of relevant government employees and agencies to contact. We recommend that any private communications to the government also be shared on social media so everyone sees that you contacted them and what was said. This builds pressure, momentum, and social buy-in for others to join.
After the Strike
Once the pandemic subsides, eviction processes may commence. At this point, it will be possible for tenant solidarity networks built during the crisis to support each other in physical ways as well the phone/digital ones suggested above. If social distancing is still being enforced, we can learn from activists who have continued to take to the streets protesting from the safety of their cars.
Assuming that enforced social distancing measures are over, and it is safe to do so, demonstrations at government offices or agencies could be a great place to start showing opposition to any evictions. Check out the “take action” tab on the website for a list of relevant office locations.
Beyond office demonstrations, strikers may want to study resistance tactics used by tenants in the past to intervene in their communities around issues of eviction. Historical examples of community members who have successfully fought against deportation, or police interference in their communities may also provide valuable insight.
At the bottom of this page are a few resources which highlight different ways tenants have resisted evictions, or applied political pressure in the past. All of these are shared for strictly educational purposes. For a comprehensive overview of historical rent strikes, their methods, successes, and failures, and lessons for us to learn, check out this Crimethinc piece and the accompanying podcast (with links to even more resources).
Getting these actions off the ground will require the initiative of people like you! If you are organizing an event, contact Rent Strike Vancouver and we may promote your event via our social media networks. If you think you may be at risk of eviction, please contact us.
Inspirational Actions and Important Lessons
Car protests – Activists safely taking to the streets in their cars amidst COVID-19: [1] [2]
UK-based resource for resisting evictions: [1] [2]
History of squatting and resistance to evictions in Vancouver: [1]
Podcast episode going over the basic of a rent strike and how to start organizing your building and neighborhood. Designed to be accessible to those with no prior experience organizing, but also full of useful wisdom for those with some experience: [1]