Pekiwewin’s Legacy
Camp Pekiwewin was officially closed in November 2020. (Image: CBC News)
Nearly 2,000 Edmontonians are currently experiencing homelessness - a shockingly high statistic for a city which endures such long, cold winters. Throughout recent months, Edmonton’s homeless community has been fighting for recognition from the city of Edmonton. Central to this fight was an encampment located in a parking lot west of the ReMax Field in the Rossdale neighbourhood, known as Camp Pekiwewin. The camp emerged following Edmonton’s closure of the temporary 180-bed shelter in the Kinsman Sport Centre and the Expo drop-in space in July 2020. On its first night on July 24, Pekiwewin housed only 10 residents; by mid-summer, that number grew to approximately 300.
The city of Edmonton has a long history of mistreatment towards its homeless community. In particular, police interactions with those experiencing homelessness are frequently violent and result in forcible displacement. In an interview with CBC News, outreach worker Joel Frost detailed his experience with police brutality: “What outreach workers were consistently coming across and finding were tents slashed — community members reporting that as well — and in some spots even tents were also pepper-sprayed.” Camp Pekiwewin arose out of these violent encounters, with participants demanding accountability and change within Edmonton’s police force. “For a lot of us,” says Frost, “that's why we're here – that's why the conversation got started."
“[Christians] have not stepped up in significant ways to support action and to help think through what needs to change to solve homelessness and poverty. We have too often defended the status quo and only tinkered around the edges, proposing small charity steps or technical adjustments to the status quo. More and better is needed, if we listen to the Gospel.”
Dr. John Hiemstra, Professor of Political Studies
According to its website, Pekiwewin existed as an “anti-police violence prayer camp with a harm reduction approach for houseless people/people who sleep rough, led by Indigenous 2spirit, women and femmes folks working in Solidarity with Black, LGBTQ2S, and settler allies.” The camp focused on decriminalizing poverty and issued demands to the city of Edmonton, including: the eradication of bylaws which wrongfully target those experiencing homelessness, ending police violence against racialized peoples, and criminalizing the wrongful destruction and forcible removal of encampments.
However, in early November 2020, the city of Edmonton shut down Camp Pekiwewin. Despite public outcry, the city cited bylaws which state that officers may remove an encampment without warning or adequate outreach involvement if the camp poses a “risk to public safety.” In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and fast-approaching winter temperatures, Mayor Iveson stated that the camp posed a danger both to residents and neighbouring communities. Thus, on a wintery day in early November, PPE-clothed workers arrived to clear the camp while city staff posted closure notices. A charter bus was available for those wanting to relocate to shelters; however, according to CTV News, some residents of Pekiwewin chose to remain on site rather than at the city’s temporary shelters. Perhaps appropriately, the term “Pekiwewin” is Cree for “coming home” – to many, the loss of the camp amounted to the loss of community and home.
(Image: Instagram@pekiwewin)
The closure of Pekiwewin followed Mayor Don Iveson’s announcement of a 10-week plan to end homelessness in Edmonton. Iveson stated that he aims to “find a solution to the crisis of homelessness and the associated social disorder that has escalated in our City.” However, Iveson’s plan was ultimately unsuccessful: as we enter 2021, the city continues to encounter significant barriers in providing adequate housing, particularly in light of COVID-19 restrictions and the need for social distancing. According to statistics provided by the city, “there are currently 766 shelter spaces across Edmonton available for immediate occupancy, and an additional 140 spaces if there is an increased demand as well as 300 spaces at the Convention Centre.” Evidently, in light of the nearly 2,000 individuals who require immediate shelter, this housing falls shamefully short. Furthermore, temporary accommodation is often unpleasant and inadequate – Pekiwewin residents frequently spoke about feeling safer and more welcome in the camp than in city-funded shelters. As Pekiwewin advocates state, “there is no excuse for the City of Edmonton to offer any less adequate care, patience, harm-reduction, access to ceremony, and autonomy than what Pekiwewin [residents] received” in the camp.
Evidently, although Pekiwewin is officially closed, the conversation about homelessness in Edmonton is far from over. The camp’s organizers and advocates continue to draw attention to police violence and the lack of adequate shelter in the city. According to Pekiwewin organizers, although it was ultimately shut down by the city, the camp was effective in acting “as a support and reprieve site for people living rough and facing the brutality of police violence” and “forcing the City of Edmonton to face its inadequate response to houselessness.” As we enter 2021, may the legacy of Pekiwewin endure so that all those experiencing homelessness in our city may finally be treated with the justice and mercy they deserve.