Red Tent Olympic wrap-up!

The Red Tent Campaign held its final Olympic action this weekend - and it was the biggest yet.

Hundreds of volunteers braved the rain and came out to help wrap the Canada Pavilion with 142 red banners to spread the message that housing is a right.  

We made our way down to the Live City Downtown site at Cambie and Georgia Streets shortly after noon on Saturday. It took two hours, but we wrapped the whole venue in red, even symbolically closing the entrances for one minute.

Despite the logistical challenges involved in wrapping up several city blocks, the mood was celebratory all afternoon. There was singing, great conversation and lots of opportunities to hand out leaflets and talk to people lining up to join the festivities inside.  

At the end of the day, everything was cleaned up and tarps were pack up to be distributed to people who need them.

The wrap-up party marked the end of 17 busy days for the campaign. Since February 12th we have set up tents as the Olympic torch made its way through East Vancouver, dropped a banner off the Cambie Street Bridge, held a solidarity sleepover on the north lawn of Science World and taken part in rallies and marches around Vancouver.

Now that the Games are over, we won’t be letting up the call for a funded national housing strategy. With Parliament back in session, we are ready to take Red Tent national. Follow the campaign on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook and keep watching for Red Tents as they start to pop up from coast to coast.   

Check out the Pivot Facebook photos!

Check out the Georgia Straight pics!

Listen to John Richardson explain the record-breaking Olympic protest on the weekly podcast (March 3)