3 OCTOBER 22, 2003 squeegee kids Unite! Protesters fight for their right to work on the street By Stephen Hui, British Columbia Bureau VANCOUVER (CUP) — Squeegee kids have unionized in an effort to fight for their right to work on the streets of Vancouver. The newly formed Squeegee Council, “People are squeegeeing because they need to make money to _ eat, because they can’t get welfare anymore, or because they're going to be cut off welfare” organized with the Industrial Workers of the World, is demanding that the city rec- ognize squeegeeing, busking, and panhan- dling as legitimate labour. It claims that police have been harassing squeegee kids by ticketing and jailing them, and confiscat- ing their squeegees. According to the local branch of the Industrial Workers, the union is the most democratic of its kind, meaning squeegee kids will continue to make their own deci- sions without interference from a union boss. The Squeegee Council declined to com- ment, but held a protest on Oct. 10. “People are squeegeeing because they need to make money to eat, because they can’t get welfare anymore, or because they’re going to be cut off welfare,” Joey Only from the Anti-Poverty Committee said at the protest. “The fucking cops come and give them $86 fines. Then they come around and sweep up everybody who has- n't paid their fines and put them in jail.” Over 50 squeegee kids and their support- ers marched up Commercial Drive during the protest, flanked by at least 10 police offi- cers on bicycles and motorcycles. Protesters stopped to block traffic and wipe car wind- shields at several intersections along the way. They also hurled insults at the police, and encouraged passers-by to get off the sidewalk and join them. One protester even dared. to squeegee the windshield of a police motorcycle. “Everyone has a right to make a living,” one protester hollered, waving his squeegee in the air. “Fuck the police,” another yelled. The protest began at an intersection where, according to squeegee kids, police had chased them away. Constable Sarah Bloor, spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department, said squeegee kids are receiving fines because they are breaking the law by doing business on roadways. Repeat offenders are called before the courts, where police request that “A few students partici- pated in the protest to show their concern for the plight of the mostly home- less squeegee kids. “ restrictions be placed on them prohibiting them from entering certain areas or pos- sessing squeegees. “I appreciate that individuals may refer to squeegeeing as legitimate work,” Bloor said in a telephone interview. “However, these are individuals that don’t pay a busi- ness license to do it, and nor do they pay taxes to do this job.” “It’s basically leaving a place of safety,” Bloor added, “and we have a responsibility to ensure safety of motorists, as well as pedestrians.” At one point during the protest, police officers scrambled to take up positions around a community police station as squeegee kids rallied in a park and cleaned the building’s windows. : While protesters’ antics garnered a range of reactions from onlookers, they didn’t win over a driver stuck in traffic. e “Ym so annoyed,” said Jason Coleman, 28. “I got to go to work right now.” A few students participated in the protest to show their concern for the plight of the mostly homeless squeegee kids. Jennifer Efting, a history and labour stud- ies student at Simon Fraser University, said all sorts of marginalized people, including unemployed workers and single mothers, face harassment on a regular basis. “I’m here to support the right of all peo- ple to be free of harassment and the right to a decent standard of living,” Efting said. Many protesters made their contempt for the media very clear and several declined to comment about their cause. Some did so rudely. “I don’t speak English,” said one protest- er.