Rally and March to Stop Violence Against Women

When: Friday, June 6th, 2014

Where: Regent Park Community Health Centre

465 Dundas Street East

5:30pm - Community Meal & Music

6:00pm Rally

6:30pm March

Kid friendly Free meal TTC tokens available Wheelchair accessible rally space & march

In August 2008, Carolyn Connolly, an Indigenous woman, was found dead in an alleyway at Sherbourne and Shuter Streets. She was one of the hundreds and hundreds of Aboriginal women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered in this country over the last 30 years, many of whom experienced the same racism, poverty, homelessness, criminalization and violence that women in the downtown east of Toronto face every day. There have been many other community members that we have lost over the years friends and family- and many daily occurrences of violence that go unmentioned.

Over the last year there have been several incidents of violence against women, especially homeless women and sex workers, in our neighbourhood, including on September 22nd at the corner of Dundas & Sherbourne where a woman was assaulted twice in one night. The police failed to warn the community about the perpetrators despite having video footage of their identities.

Women in the downtown east have been fighting to reclaim our neighbourhood. We have fought for increased shelters and a 24 hour drop-in space for women. We continue to fight for what we need to survive and thrive - housing, shelter, safe space, enough income, safe work, just to name a few - and for a society free of violence against women. Join us June 6th as we come together to reclaim the streets of our community and fight for what we need!

Demands of the 2014 Reclaim the Streets Rally & March:

Justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women

Safe space now: Increase shelter beds & 24 hour drop-in space

Safe, affordable and accessible housing

Stop the upscale takeover of our neighborhood: communities not condos!

No criminalization of sex work and drug use

End violence against all women!

We recognize that patriarchal violence affects all self-identified women, gender non-conforming, and two-spirit people. That is who will lead our event and the march. Everyone is welcome; men are respectfully asked to show solidarity by marching behind.

For more information and if you would like to endorse this event, please email DTEwomen@gmail.com or call Josie at: 416-364-2261 x2228

Organized by: the Downtown East Women Reclaim the Streets Committee including Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Regent Park Community Health Centre, Sistering, Maggies Toronto Sex Worker Action Project, Streethealth, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape, The Works

Endorsed by: South Riverdale Community Health Centre, No More Silence