Despite its concrete setting, Occupy Toronto's Osgoode location was a growing seed. But for the Toronto police, it was more like a useless weed instead of a miracle of spring.

At 1 p.m. on Friday, March 30, 2012, Toronto police responded to a trespass call regarding the Occupy encampment at 361 University Avenue in downtown Toronto.

This was not the first time Occupy Toronto has been at this location. It had occupied the same space between City Hall and Osgoode Hall in late January, 2012, after a large anti-Ford rally.

After 10 days, Obert Mandondo says he is finally feeling the effects of his hunger strike.

"I was healthy until yesterday. Usually in the mornings I have a lot of energy, but today is a different story," he says. "I'm starting to feel very weak."

That hasn't stopped the Ottawa blogger and activist from continuing to work towards his demands. Four of his five demands involve the appeal of Bill C-10, the omnibus crime bill.

He is also campaigning for the resignation of former Ottawa Police Chief-turned-Senator Vern White, for the police involvement in the Occupy Ottawa eviction. Madondo says his back and arm were injured during the protest.

Violence at the March 15 protest against police brutality in Montreal was striking -- from flash bang grenades to CS gas and baton strikes, police dispatched serious weaponry against the annual demonstration.

In recent months, popular anger toward the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) has been building. From riot police violence against the growing Québec-wide student strike, to continued police killings in the city, police are facing a growing crisis in public confidence.

Striking students face police brutality

On March 15, 1997, the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality in Montreal held the first day against police brutality along with the Black Flag collective in Switzerland. The day is now observed across the world. It is a chance to denounce the brutal actions of police, connect activists working for human rights and to create international solidarity.

The day also acts an opportunity to acknowledge those who have been killed, abused, neglected or otherwise affected by the actions of the police or while in their care. Activists acknowledge and question the systemic targeting of Indigenous people, queer folks, people of colour, poor people and other marginalized groups by police.

I'm huddled in the front room with some shell-shocked friends, watching my city burn.

The BBC is interchanging footage of blazing cars and running street battles in Hackney, of police horses lining up in Lewisham, of roiling infernos that were once shops and houses in Croydon and in Peckham. Monday night, Enfield, Walthamstow, Brixton and Wood Green were looted; there have been hundreds of arrests and dozens of serious injuries, and it will be a miracle if nobody dies tonight. This has been written after the third consecutive night of rioting in London, and the disorder has now spread to Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and Birmingham.

Despite only occasionally surfacing in the news -- with more than 1,000 G20 arrests, tasering deaths, lethal shootings and abuse in holding cells -- police misconduct is not only widespread and historic it is also deeply entrenched, said presenters at a major conference on policing last week in Winnipeg.

The International Copwatching Conference was hosted by Winnipeg Copwatch, an anti police-brutality group founded in 2007. The July 22-24 event attracted participants from every major Canadian city, as well as the U.S.