The Following is a detailed list of ways you can support Philadelphia Housing Action in its direct action campaign to win permanent low-income housing through protest encampments and housing occupations.
We are asking for supporters to endorse our demands or write a letter of support for the camps and occupations. Our primary demand is the transfer of vacant, city-owned property to a community land trust for permanent low-income housing.
If you are a member of a group, club, union, association, etc. please consider asking for a group endorsement of the demands or a letter of support
You or your group can also call your elected officials to voice your support and demand they halt the evictions of both the camps and the occupied houses!!
Mayor James Kenney – (215)686-2181
Kelvin Jeremiah – (215)684-4174, Kelvin.Jeremiah@pha.phila.gov
District Council 5 / Council President Darrell Clarke (215) 686-3442, (215) 686-3443
Encampments:
Philadelphia Housing Action is currently supporting two protest homeless encampments – The James Talib Dean (JTD) Camp on N 22nd St and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the PHA / Camp Teddy at N 21st St and Ridge Ave. Both encampments are demanding permanent housing solutions and have vowed to stay as long as it takes!
The JTD Parkway Encampment and PHA/Camp Teddy encampment were under notice for eviction on Friday July 17th, 2020, but thanks to an outpouring of support and popular pressure that eviction deadline has passed and we remain at the location! Philadelphia Housing Action is currently engaging in negotiations with the mayor about meeting our demands! There is currently no timeline from the city about vacating our locations and we intend to stay until we achieve permanent housing options for those in the encampment and in philadelphia at large.
If you live near one of the encampments you can contact your neighborhood association or CDC and let them know you support the encampment and its demands and that you oppose the eviction order!
Please consider materially supporting an encampment with your voluntary labor or a donation of goods.
For accountability reasons we discourage cash donations – If you’d like to make a monetary donation please send it to $wrevolutionary cashapp of the JTD Parkway encampment or @Nadera-Hood on Venmo for the PHA/Camp Teddy encampment. The medic support team at the JTD encampment has recently started accepting donations on Venmo with the handle @JTDMEDICS.
Please remember that when visiting one of the encampments its like being in someone’s living room – do your best to be a good guest, be humble, polite, honest and open – bring your authentic self and be clear about your own boundaries and limitations. Please dont take photos without asking and be aware that regardless of it being an organized political encampment, you are still on the streets.
JTD Parkway Encampment @ 22nd and Ben Franklin Parkway – 150 to 200 residents.
You can check the Twitter account @lakaynou1 for daily needs updates – tents, sleeping pads, small tarps and clean socks are always welcome and will be distributed to people in need whether or not they stay at the encampment.
Daily recurring logistical needs are food, water, ice and propane swaps.
#OccupyPHA / Camp Teddy at @ 21st and Ridge Ave – 20-30 residents
Follow OccupyPHA on FB
Daily recurring logistical needs are food, water, ice, gasoline refills and propane swaps.
Housing Actions
We actively support people who are creating housing for themselves in vacant, city-owned properties.
We are calling for widespread occupation of vacant city owned property and we welcome and will support any individual or groups that wish to take independent action to do so.
We are actively in the process of indexing all vacant city property as part of our effort to demand the transfer of vacant city-owned housing to a community land trust for permanent low-income housing and welcome community participation.
If you are aware of a vacant city-owned property, please note the address, take photos and contact us at philadelphiahousingaction@protonmail.com.
Many of these houses are in need of basic appliances, such as fridges, water heaters, washer/dryers. Most houses are also in need of bug free, good condition mattresses. We are actively collecting these items and distributing them to houses we support. Follow the Philadelphia Housing Action twitter @PhlHousing, for more specific needs that might arise from time to time.
If you are in need of housing or your group wishes to join the direct action campaign please get in touch – we will support you in any way that we can.
If you have handyperson or construction skills, we welcome your participation and will deploy your skills where needed on a case by case basis
Eviction Defense
We support the right of people to construct encampments and improvise shelter for safety and survival. We support tenants resisting illegal evictions by their landlords. We support squatters occupying vacant properties. All of these groups need occasional support to resist eviction and displacement by the city/police and it is our experience that mobilizing people to show up often delays displacement/eviction/ejectment or at least slightly improves the outcome/lessens the violence of the state. There are several eviction defense networks in Philadelphia to choose from, please get in touch with one or several and be prepared to respond to calls for support.
You can contact Philadelphia Tenants Union (PTU), Tenants Union Representative Network (TURN) or send and email to: phlstopevictions@protonmail.com