The City of Toronto thinks the police did an outstanding job during the G20 Summit protests.
It's true! I'm serious. It's true. Stop looking at me like I've grown a second head!
City council commends "outstanding" police G20 work
Quote: After an emotional morning-long debate, city council voted 36-0 to "commend the outstanding work" of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, his officers and other police forces working during the G20 summit in Toronto.
Two amendments -- lauding Blair for supporting a civilian review planned by the Toronto Police Services board, and the board itself for "exercising its appropriate oversight role" -- passed 35-1, with Councillor Rob Ford, a candidate for mayor, the nay on both votes.
The decision was unanimous because some who voiced opposition to Grimes's motion, including Councillor Gord Perks (Ward 14, Parkdale-High Park) and others from council's left wing, weren't present when the vote was called.
Other councillors said the amendments, proposed by Mayor David Miller and Councillor Shelley Carroll, made the motion more palatable by acknowledging the importance of holding an external review.
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Ford, alone in his vote opposing the inquiry, said that in the face of anarchists who ran down Yonge St. smashing shop windows, "our police were too nice."
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A great job? WTF?
--Massive violations of civil rights?
--Our Police Chief lying about the extent of police powers?
--A security fence that now costs double its original amount, totalling $9.4 Million?
--A Toronto Police Service that will control the parameters of its own review of G20 policing?
Can I remind members of Toronto Council that we're pissed off because we were all lied to. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair lied.
News is now rolling out that there were no extra special powers granted to the police over the period that the G20 Summit was in Toronto.
Quote: As angry protesters chanted "Shame!" and called for his resignation, Chief Bill Blair tipped his cap and smiled at the crowd of about 100 people on his way into a Pride Week event hosted by Toronto police.
He left the event after 30 minutes, again needing an escort of members his own force to get through the mob.
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The Toronto Community Mobilization Network released this immediate statement in return:
We cannot let this go without an immediate response. City council voted 36-0 to "commend the outstanding work" of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair.
Contact your city councilor and let them know that you want to see the resignation of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair. What happened during the G20 summit in Toronto was a complete violation of civil liberties and hundreds of unprovoked arrests.
There are countless stories of people being brutalized and having their rights taken away. There needs to be a full public inquiry of police strategy, budget, and decision-making that surrounded the G20 security operations.
You can find the phone number of your local councillor at the following website: http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp
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Pissed off? Good! Now bring your pissed off self and your malcontent friends down to Queen's Park on Saturday July 10, 2010 for Civil Liberties Demonstration. Start time 1:00 p.m.
Quite frankly I am tired of hearing about the actions of the police. This G20 summit was Harper's folly from the beginning. That there were problems with the Black Bloc, some peaceful demonstrators adopting a mob mentality was to be expected, so were overreactions by the police. This recipe for disaster has been served up at every G8/20 summit. I don't think we are now in a police state, it is only that the police as has been seen elsewhere cannot deal with these summits being held in the downtown areas of larger cities. Crowd control is near impossible given the numbers and the logistics.
We should be giving more attention to the results (or lack of them) of the summit and what that means for the world.
Ah - the voice of reason prevails! What would we do without these voices to keep us in the proper direction, on track. Thank you so much "uncle david"! Shall we all do a mea culpa? Quite frankly, some of us are tired of being told what we "should be giving more attention to". Don't should on us! We have minds of our own, 'quite frankly'.
This tells us all we need to know about Toronto's City Council. I guess uncle David can run to be one of the next council members. He will fit right in. The crowd controlled itself a whole lot better than the police controlled themselves. It seems that Toronto city council members have to get arrested for being passers by(they will certainly never have the courage and caring to join the protesters) at a protest before they speak up for the rights of the city members who elected them.
As for the content of the G8/G20 we all knew there would be no substance, no gain only indulgence of the already rich and powerful at the expense of the overtaxed and already exploited public.
WE ARE MORE OF A POLICE STATE. It is all well documented by the alternative press and responsible citizens. Uncle David and other police apologists can put their heads in the sand and tire of exposing it instead of tiring of standing by while the police further abuse their authority. They, too, will lose their civil rights. The difference is that they will deserve it because they collude by allowing it, overlooking it, down playing it and PRETENDING it is a small overreaction rather than a carefully crafted show of brute force.
@ integrity
"More of a police state" than what?
I'm curious as to what you mean when you say that the police violence that took place was a "carefully crafted show of brute force". At what level do you feel it was crafted? Do you think that police violence was a directive from government, higher ranking officers or do you feel that it's more of a prevailing attitude among officers themselves? I'm inclined to think that I disagree but I'd like to hear your rationale here.
@uncle david
I think we have to be careful about saying, "to be expected" in any instance of law-breaking. The role of the police is to uphold the law and when they break it, they need to be held accountable (as individuals, not as a unit). This is also true of the violent demonstrators who, in large part, tore the media away from the legitimate and well-founded protests which were held earlier that week.
The Centrist: In reply to your question, I think it is a prevailing attitude among officers themselves. There is a bit of a self-selection process. Those who have a tendency to be violent or inclined to bully seek occapations that allow it. If some cannot get into the police force or the military, they look for work as security officers or custom officials. I am not saying "all", I am saying "many". There are fine people who work in all of these positions of course. The G8/G20 gave individuals who are inclined to bully and who are happy to be in the police force the opportunity and the license to do their dirty deeds. It is quite simple. Of course they must be held accountable individually. My point is that the percentage of the officers who must be held accountable is far higher than the percentage of protesters who acted 'violently'. It is the Rights of the peaceful protesters that we must defend but make no mistake, the police are harder on the peaceful protesters than they are on the Black Bloc as has been made most evident in video clips that do not lie. Sad but true.
M. Specter, elsewhere on Rabble has given references (links) for your other query re the "well crafted" brute force. Check out the other G8/G20 threads.
@ integrity
Ok, so your position isn't so much that it was, "carefully crafted" as it is that policing as a profession tends to lure individuals that are prone to violence. I think I can get behind that. I suppose the next question would be, 'how do we stop it'?
Is there a way to better screen potential officers? Or does there need to be greater dis-incentive for existing officers to commit these kinds of actions? In all likelihood, having officers working 72 hours in a high-stress environment was a factor as well. Perhaps there needs to be a limit on the number of hours per week an officer can work in these high-tension situations?
THE CENTRIST: Yes, better screening would definitely assist. I am a psychologist and actually have had RCMP officers as clients and other police officers as well and spouses. As for stating that it was "carefully crafted", I stand behind that statement that it is both, not either/or. As for how it is carefully crafted, I once again refer you to M. Specter's links. There are no co-incidences. Policies (i.e. on how to handle demonstrators/any crowd) are invariably directed from on high and strategies are developed and implemented from the top down. Blair must be held accountable for creating the atmosphere that gave license to a sub-set of officers to mis-behave (euphemism) as they did.
Obviously with regards to 'our' representatives on council - the left hand washes the right and both wash the face. Over and over again we are reminded that they go with ruling class interests in such matters - and man it's sure obvious this time.
Obviously, we need some new people-responsive reps across the board, including Toronto. The police are very powerful and nobody in power wants to take them on. That leaves us people.
Onwards and upwards!