As the COVID-19 epidemic rapidly plunges our lives into chaos and instability, the question arises of “how can I plan for the unplannable?”. This is not merely a question of organization, but a question of how to survive. ‘Survival’ in this pandemic is not only a matter of health, but of financial resilience. These two factors, health and finance, are intensely intertwined in this pandemic. While baseline needs are contingent on payment, the additional survival requirements of a pandemic 一 social distancing, increased handwashing, maintenance of overall health 一 are unattainable for the most vulnerable parts of the population. For those without stable housing, the directive to “stay home” is an impossible irony.
1. Striking in Solidarity
We are reminded in these times that our economies are but houses of cards and that our financial, capitalist constructs can simply wither in the face of natural disasters. Rent strikes have emerged as a direct response to the need to ensure that the basic right to housing is not forgotten in the rush to protect economies. While emergency funding for individuals has been provided to Canadians (and other populations throughout the world), this funding is not equally available, nor has it been distributed in time for rent deadlines to be met. A rent strike is not a binary of payments made or withheld: it is the acknowledgement that paying rent is simply impossible for those without savings or disposable income when unforeseeable circumstances make income suddenly unavailable. By collectively organizing a rent strike – thus creating a mass of non-payment cases for courts to process – evictions can be delayed, buying valuable time for those at risk. These actions remind us that while landlords risk losing investments and capital, their tenants risk losing their homes and their means of survival amidst a pandemic, unless significant action is taken. The most basic tenant of the rent strike is that nobody should have to sacrifice their livelihood to protect the investments of those owning homes they do not live in.
2. The Battle Continues
In response to these strikes, I created this jacket as a way of visualizing the rent strike movement in a way that could be visible on one’s body. This ‘back patch’-style painting is intended to reflect the ‘battle jackets’ of punk and metal scenes. ‘Battle jackets’ express both political views and artistic interests, helping the individual find their peers without verbal communication. This sense of solidarity is particularly important to this project, as rent strikes operate on the premise of collective action. The image of a deserted street with a rent strike banner waving from a balcony is coupled with the pastel text on the street below representing the familiar chalk text of “Ça Va Bien Aller!”. The now well-known slogan is however replaced by the five demands of the rent strike, suggesting that these two texts are not exclusive in their meaning. The photos presented here frame the image and text of the jacket in the physical world it responds to, contextualizing the imagined scene. These photos are taken near my home, in a neighbourhood facing increased police hostility and threats of eviction. I directly placed my body within the scene as a reminder that these movements are not abstract ideologies, they are for and with real lives.
- References to the Rent Strike are informed by information collectively created, and available without a single source. My understandings of the Rent Strike, as represented here, have been generated via participation in organizing, and reflect a summary of many diverse and often conflicting perspectives within the movement. My intention here is not to imply expertise, but my interpretation of experience.
- Photo Credits: photos taken by Clementine Morrigan, edited by Max Hunter. Additionally posted on instagram @annagramqueerlesque
3. Works Cited
- “Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan”. Government of Canada. April 14th, 2020. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html
