Ottawa Panhandlers' Union - Andrew Nellis

Andrew Nellis

Nellis is one of the original organizers of the OPU. He was active with the union between 2005 and 2011. He was the spokesperson for the union for much of that time, which involved him meeting with the Ottawa Police and Ottawa city councilors.

Andrew Nellis was arrested on April 30, 2008, the day before the annual May Day march by the IWW and Ottawa Panhandlers Union. Nellis was allegedly caught by police trying to cut a lock on a gate in the pedestrian underpass close to the Rideau Centre. The gate had been recently put up by the City of Ottawa to prevent homeless people from sitting or sleeping under the bridge.

Nellis was first held at the Elgin Police Station but where he was offered a deal to be released on bail with certain conditions, but Nellis refused these conditions and stayed in jail. Days later he was transferred to the Innes Road Prison facility on the Friday after his arrest. During his time in jail, Nellis began organizing his fellow inmates because of what he felt were the poor conditions of the jail. This led to a front page article in the Ottawa Citizen about the Innes Road prison.

When Nellis appeared in court on Elgin Street on May 1, 2008 an anarchist group stormed the court and chanted "Andrew Nellis under attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!" The group was made up of Wobblies, members of People's Global Action Bloc Ottawa, and other Ottawa anarchists and activists.

Nellis was released from jail 5 days later. The charges against him by the Crown Attorney were later dropped.

Nellis ran in the 2010 Ottawa municipal election for Ottawa City Council in the Rideau-Vanier Ward. Nellis finished in 3rd with 462 votes.

He is no longer spokesperson for the OPU and has retired from activism to pursue other interests.