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Wendell Fields (born c. 1957) is a veteran anti-poverty activist in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was director of Hamilton Against Poverty, and has twice campaigned for the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate of the Communist Party of Canada - Marxist-Leninist (CPC-ML) ==Activist== In 1984, Fields, while demonstrating in sympathy with a trust company workers' strike in Waterloo, was charged with assaulting three police officers. He counter-charged the two officers that had assaulted him. The counter-charges went to trial, and Fields (who was not one of the strikers) was asked in court to explain why he was on the picket line. He refused to answer whether or not he was a Marxist-Leninist, and he was sentenced to thirty days in jail for contempt of court. The Canadian People's Defence Committee who described him as a political prisoner retained a lawyer on his behalf.〔''Globe and Mail'', 14 December 1984〕〔''Globe and Mail'', Man to appeal jail term for party question refusal, 13 December 1984〕 Available media reports do not indicate if the appeal was successful or if either assault charge resulted in a conviction. Fields worked as a dishwasher, busboy and labourer,〔 and was laid off from his job as a plastics molder in about 1990.〔 He subsequently moved from Cambridge, Ontario to Hamilton. According to the The Hamilton Spectator Fields became a part-time student to upgrade his skills,〔Davy, Denise, "Not working makes you feel less than human," the man says. He is a Single, employable, male Spectator, 9 October 1992〕 He joined Hamilton Against Poverty (HAP), a group consisting of social assistance recipients, helpful social agencies, Single mothers and the working poor. HAP was created in 1987.〔 Wendell worked with anti poverty activist and HAP member, Julie Gordon. Gordon and Fields spoke against the Social Assistance Reform Act and the Prevention of Unionization Act at Queen's Park when Mike Harris was Premier of Ontario. Wendell, Julie and Herb Joseph made submissions together at Queen's Park concerning the Safe Streets Act. Herb Joseph, an aboriginal human rights activist wrote about the Jay Treaty for Mayday Magazine. Fields testified before a federal House of Commons committee in 1992 as a HAP representative, speaking in opposition to a proposed child benefits bill introduced by the government of Brian Mulroney. His position was that the bill did nothing to benefit single mothers and low-income women, and should be rewritten.〔Flanders, John, Scrap child benefit bill, group says Law needs complete rewrite, anti-poverty committee urges, ''Hamilton Spectator'', 15 July 1992〕 He and the HAP were also involved in lobbying about issues of homelessness.〔''Spectator'', Advocates for homeless lobby MPPs, 5 June 1993〕 Fields was arrested in 1995 following a demonstration by McMaster University students against government cutbacks to education〔Angry students take to streets to fight fee hikes ''Spectator'', 26 January 1995〕 The following year, he spoke out in opposition to the provincial government's workfare policies, stating that ""We must fight (workfare) with dignity, pride and fearlessness." 〔The case has been made and workfare must be resisted ''Spectator'', 19 April 1996〕 He was charged with trespassing in 1999, after a peaceful demonstration protesting a display of fighter aircraft and what he and other protesters described as the militarism of an airshow at Hamilton International John C. Munro Airport. He pleaded not guilty.〔''Spectator'', Illness delays trial of air show protesters, 19 October 1999〕 The following year, he was charged with failing to leave a premise after joining other protesters in occupying the office of Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Brad Clark to oppose the policies of Clark's government.〔''Spectator'', JP excuses herself from protest case; Postpones trial of five who occupied MPP's office, 21 July 2000〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wendell Fields」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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