Happy Police State Weekend!

As we head into Police State Weekend here in Toronto, it is apparent that convenience is a prerequisite for democracy in this country. They should've just made protesting illegal. That, at least, would've been honest.

We have designated areas where protests are permitted - the implicit meaning being we can be civilly disobedient as long as we are obedient about it. That the authorities deemed the designation of these so-called 'free speech zones' necessary also begs the question... what kind of speech zones are everywhere else? We also have a Toronto police force that, with municipal tax dollars, went out and bought a buncha' fancy sound cannons to disperse protesters with deafening, high pitched noise. Not sure you can truly call it a free country when citizens' tax dollars go to paying for weapons against their freedom of speech.

Today, though, freedom in Canada reached an all time low with news of the unprecedented power given to Toronto police for the duration of the G20 summit. This power was granted by a law passed by the ostensibly democratically elected Ontario government in secret, with no debate in the Legislature. In Canada, we have the right not to identify ourselves if the police have no grounds to ask us to do so. This right has been deemed inconvenient during the G20, however, so during Police State Weekend, the cops can search and arrest anyone within 5 meters of the security fence for no other reason than refusing to show ID.

That pesky Charter of Rights can be such a buzz kill for the boys in blue. It was so nice of the Ontario government to give the G20 cops a wider range of activities to break the monotony while they stand around wasting tax payer's money.

Is this really the way it has to be? A security wall between us and the leaders we elected to serve us? A cosmopolitan city turned into a police state?

Because the leaders of G20 nations would find it too inconvenient, Toronto will not resemble a city in a democratic country this weekend. Letting citizens voices be heard would put rabbit ears in the photo ops and cause indigestion of the tax payer funded meals. The presence of these social and environmental activists at the party would be such a nuisance that they might as well invite each leader's most obnoxious drunk relative.

Imagine what a nuisance tackling worker's rights in the global economy would be. It'd be such a drag trying to draft a global fair trade policy that institutes a relative minimum wage and standards for working conditions that are binding and have a global scope. Sure, it'd be nice to address the exploitation of workers in developing countries and minimize the loss of manufacturing jobs in developed countries, but it'd be so rude to China that has largely built its economy on cheap labour.

Working on a serious strategy to combat climate change would be another social faux pas. It's just so much easier to pay empty lip service and come up with toothless non-binding agreements like the one they came up with at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. Stephen Harper, good host that he is, was well aware of this and tried to keep climate change off the agenda entirely. It really is endearing how he always sticks up for his tar sands buddies, but attempting any actions that will seriously reduce oil consumption would also greatly annoy oil states like Saudi Arabia.

Or, how about a plan to eliminate international tax havens, wouldn't that be a total douche bag move? Yeah, getting rid of these tax havens that place a disproportionate burden on the working poor and middle class to pay for social programs by allowing the deadbeat wealthy to evade taxes would be great, but how lame would that be to the rich folks that foot the bill for those leaders' election campaigns? It's not like shafting the taxpayer s that are footing the bill for the G20, because what's the most that shmos like us could contribute to their campaigns, a couple hundred bucks?

And, that's what it all boils down to, really. The rich have the money that the politicians need to get elected. The politicians get elected with that big IOU as the dark cloud hanging over all their best intentions. The police enforce the laws made by the politicians working primarily on behalf of the rich.

And, if you don't like it and wanna go out and tell them all you don't like it, be prepared to have your eyes burn with tear gas, your ears bleed from sound cannons, and your head throb from the blows of a baton.

Canada - like all so-called democratic countries - is only democratic when it is convenient, which is when it matters the least. When you cease to be obedient with your civil disobedience, democracy ceases to apply to you.

Comments

Submitted by Bacchus on June 25, 2010 - 10:38pm.

I was told there would be cake

Submitted by Stargazer on June 25, 2010 - 11:23pm.

What an excellent post! Thank you!

Submitted by Maysie on June 26, 2010 - 12:40am.

Great post shawn, thanks.

shawnsage wrote:

That the authorities deemed the designation of these so-called 'free speech zones' necessary also begs the question... what kind of speech zones are everywhere else?

Um, they're called suppressed speech zones, aka Don't say shit the cops don't like or you'll get a pounding. Duh!

Didn't you get your "How To Act Like a Perfect Citizen Handbook?" Hey, I just noticed the footnote "Laws are subject to change without notice or due process". Shit.

And I trundle off to sleep, a few blocks from Yonge and Carlton, the sounds of police helicopters buzz overhead, into the night. Ah the cost of a free democracy for the rich and the elite. Where's the puke emote?

Submitted by Bacchus on June 26, 2010 - 12:50am.

I watch the planes go by (Im near the airport) and I wonder if they have blocked off all the roads around the airport because there are a few where people like to watch the planes land and as they go over your head they are about (looks like) 30 feet above your head.

That must make them nervous.

Can you really hear the helicopters there Maysie? Whats it feel like in the neighbourhood? Here people are pretty resentful and Im in a pretty middle-upper middle class neighbourhood,

Submitted by Cytizen H on July 3, 2010 - 11:26am.

Submitted by NDPP on June 26, 2010 - 1:07am.

So, once again, it is demonstrated to us that whatever we thought our 'rights' were, they can be removed instantly if the PTB so decide, as they have done with police now empowered by decree to demand you identify yourself to them and they will arrest you if you don't. In a society with any degree of political awareness, such sweeping powers would not go unchallenged. There should be massive disobedience, not only to protest this massive infringement of civil and political rights, but to make its implementation impossible.

Submitted by Bacchus on June 26, 2010 - 1:10am.

I wonder, if you dont have to carry around ID by law, yet must identify yourself to the police if you are in that area and they ask; is verbally identifying yourself ok?

Submitted by Maysie on June 26, 2010 - 1:17am.

Bacchus I'm in Cabbagetown, between the two of the poorest neighbourhoods in Toronto (St Jamestown and Regent Park).

And yeah up until about 30 mins ago the helicopters were up there, back and forth.

Submitted by Bacchus on June 26, 2010 - 1:20am.

There is no fucking need for helicopters to be anywhere near you. They can circle the CN tower and land at island airport.

Submitted by Maysie on June 26, 2010 - 1:27am.

I'll tell them that next time they buzz by.

They seem to have stopped for the night. Saving fuel for tomorrow's round of intimidation, no doubt.

Submitted by Bacchus on June 26, 2010 - 1:35am.

LOL no doubt. Feel free to tell them its a quote by me. I want to visit friends downtown but Im afraid of what the roads will be like from here to there. Thank god I dont have to visit a client, one of whom is near there and would cause a problem getting there.

Submitted by Wilf Day on June 26, 2010 - 1:42am.

Save Our Civil Liberties: Oppose The PWPA. Sign The Petition.

Thomas Walkom: By secretly giving police extraordinary stop and search powers in downtown Toronto, Dalton McGuinty has succeeded where lesser rabble-rousers failed. [13]

Submitted by Fidel on June 26, 2010 - 3:46am.

Why couldn't they have had this meeting at a military base instead of disrupting an entire city for a get together of international stooges who have no idea why their neoliberalorama is failing? All the security they claim they need would be right there and all around them. They could have saved taxpayers a lot of money. We can only conclude that they seek the attention of protesters and spending money that should go toward something more noble than advertising their own self-importance, like ending homelessness and alleviating poverty in general.

Submitted by mahmud on June 26, 2010 - 6:55am.

Fidel wrote:

Darn right! But I guess that they wanted those on whom they count to enforce their systems and maintain the status quo to have some rewards: Overtime work is most sought after by the agents of the security apparutus. With overtime, a police officer's salary can reach $180,000.00. Apparently a feast for security agents from across Canada.

Submitted by thanks on June 26, 2010 - 7:53am.

as was said by Jiam Ghomeshi on CBC Radio regarding the fence: Build it and they will come.

it's a provocation.

The tear gas, pepper spray, sound and water cannons, containment, or whatever assault they dream up next, are a problem at summits.

There are good times, though.

Being with thousands, tens of thousands, who share similar values is a real world high- a unique experience of the world-as-it-could-be, of the kin-dom at hand, of spiritual and physical shared presence.

those moments might be fleeting amidst the assaults, the disagreements, the rain...yet remain long-term, through distance and diverse paths.

Submitted by Freedom 55 on June 26, 2010 - 11:24am.

"At one of the ho[u]ses police arrived at house where 15 activists were staying at approximately 4:45am . There was no warrant provided but the police then forced themselves in to the house. Even when a warrant was later provided, they were not allowed to fully read the warrant before it was taken away from them."

http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/story/house-raids-warrants-and-arrests/3823

Submitted by bagkitty on June 26, 2010 - 4:31pm.

At the risk of volunteering "other" people to have to put up with this garbage, I still want to observe that they didn't even have to use a military base... I am hard pressed to think of a province that doesn't have an "elite-quality" resort, outside of the major cities, but in close proximity to major international airports (and major media outlets), that would have been suitable for these self-indulgent little get togethers. The previous G-8 meeting in Kananaskis here in Alberta serves as an example. I am wondering if the explanation falls more into a deep-seated desire of the Cons and their cronies in the security bureaucracy to wave the iron fist around a little, to demonstrate their complete contempt for the largest possible number of people.

Submitted by Webgear on August 26, 2010 - 7:41pm.

Submitted by Freedom 55 on June 26, 2010 - 9:46pm.

"The targeting of organizers by plainclothes officers in unmarked vehicles is reminiscent of the worst kind of police State. The fact that organizers from No One Is Illegal are disproportionally targeted also points to the racially-targeted nature of police brutality. People who are fighting for the rights of undocumented and migrant workers are being disproportionally silenced."

http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/community-organizers-thrown-unmarked-polic...

Submitted by Papal Bull on June 26, 2010 - 9:52pm.

They should've had it on a group of cruise ships in the middle of the ocean. Would've been cheaper and more secure.

Submitted by dandmb50 on August 26, 2010 - 9:09pm.

It's a sad day for Toronto and CANADA - G20.

G20

Most protesters were very peacefull it was a handfull that caused all the distruction and breaking of windows around the downtown core. It was mentioned by The Toronto Police Chief Blair (TPS) [23] that the majority of the violence was created by a few people dressed all in black and called the "Black Bloc" a so called anarchist group but really criminals. They set 3 police cars on fire and then ran off into the mob crowd and disappeared, but several of them were apprehended. There were at least 570 arrested (as of Sunday) and they will have no problem finding a place to stay as the (TPS) has a film studio down by the lakefront they are using as a processing centre and jail.

[24]

Yesterday at one of the protests a deaf man was arrested for not HEARING the instructions from the police and as they held him during the protest, police surrounded him the crowd shouted "let him go, let him go"police with their bikes up-right, pushing them at the crowd, let's just hope tomorrow will bring much more peaceful protest, we encouage protest but not violence.

As I walked up Yonge Street to get home, I walked all the way to College St and saw not a single police officer. But when I got to Carlton St. there were all kinds in front of Police headquarters, and they had no broken windows. But College Park was hit hard with nearly every window broken in the Tim Hortons. Why did these stores not put up wooden barriers on their windows, because it seems they were putting them up today after they were broken?

It was reported this morning that someone saw people coming out of sewer [25] last night at 1:30am.

On the lighter side they, brought out the clowns.

[26]

Daniel .. Toronto

Submitted by Lard Tunderin Jeezus on June 27, 2010 - 2:05am.

bagkitty wrote:

I am wondering if the explanation falls more into a deep-seated desire of the Cons and their cronies in the security bureaucracy to wave the iron fist around a little, to demonstrate their complete contempt for the largest possible number of people.

..and particularly for the people of Toronto, who have rejected their fascism on a regular basis.

Submitted by Fidel on June 27, 2010 - 1:02pm.

Quote:

News agency Ria Novosti notes that the 2009 U.S. G20 summit cost US$18 million, while Canada's pricetag for the meetings was well over $1.1 billion.

"Thus Canada will spend 51 times more than the US did just a year ago to protect G8 leaders from Canadians," the agency writes.

"Canada must be a very dangerous country for world leaders."

This is outrageous! Our stooges are spending money like water. It's a boondoggle. They could have had all the security they needed at a Canadian military base. Instead they spend like drunken sailors with taxpayers footing the bills.

Submitted by Webgear on August 26, 2010 - 7:41pm.

Submitted by ennir on June 27, 2010 - 1:05pm.

All part of the plan, impoverish us then bring in a draconian budget, la di dah a fine day for corporatists.

Submitted by Fidel on June 27, 2010 - 1:18pm.

We can't afford these Tories. I think drunken sailors might be more frugal on police state weekends than these big spending Conservatives. Sky's the limit when Tories are writing the cheques.

Submitted by thanks on June 27, 2010 - 3:08pm.

the subject title here is better than 'G20 protests turn violent'. The G20 protests weren't violent. a few provocateurs or whoever did some smashing of windows and fired a couple cars. Even if some group gives themselves an anti-G20 name and claims responsibility, it can't be said that the G20 protests were violent. For the most part they weren't. Ten thousand people protest the G20 over the period of a week, all peaceful, and a handful throw stuff. That's not 'G20 protests'.

G20 security turned violent.

Police turned violent.

Tear gas was sent off indiscriminately.

Rubber bullets were fired indiscriminately.

Residents and peaceful protesters were assaulted and illegally detained.

Looking at some of the pictures, i was reminded of the young people in earlier protests. one had a mental health breakdown following incarceration as a peaceful cd- he was roughed up by the cops and reported psychological abuse. other peaceful protesters, recuperated from bullet wounds, have not attended another protest since. a young Indigenous woman with athsma almost died from the tear gas. she moved away. others traumatized by their participation in democratic protest - traumatized by the assault on themselves by police- do not attend protests, look for alternative ways of expression. maybe that's part of why 70,000 in Quebec City protests are now only 10,000 in Toronto. of course increased transportation costs and increased demands and stresses of daily life contribute too.

The police state assaults and trauma are to blame, including the assaults on all people and the planet which are making life difficult generally.

I imagine some of the women and children assaulted by G20 security thugs might have something to say about G20 maternal health rhetoric. Tear gas includes nasty chemicals for the reproductive system as well.

This thread title is off too.

simple 'G20 Security as Violence' .

to bring in the money issue; "G20 securities violent"

or some such...

Submitted by NDPP on June 27, 2010 - 2:44pm.

Thanks I agree. There should be a public inquiry into the atrocious police practices during this G20.

Submitted by NDPP on June 27, 2010 - 3:30pm.

The international coverge has not been all bad:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jun/25/g20-g8

Submitted by Fidel on June 27, 2010 - 3:43pm.

thanks is right. It's all about putting on a display of force. Our stooges project powerlessness wrt the economy and social democracy. But they are all powerful when it comes to showing us who's in charge. If we want to challenge them, this is what we'll get. We're just cruisin' for a bruisin' if we think we can challenge the status quo. That's the message.

Submitted by MGB077 on June 29, 2010 - 12:26am.

mahmud wrote:

Fidel wrote:

THat has been my question. The location of this event and the funds spent "securing" and polishing it up for the "guests" was not only unreasonably expensive.....but foolish. It isn't like there are no other attractive and more naturally secure areas for this type of event. Maybe the attendees would have accomplished a lot more without the distraction of the ugliness outside.

Gotta wonder about the "geniuses " (NOT) that planned all this.

Know ing what these summitts attract...... this location choice is an all time loser.

What has been seen over this weekend is very concerning. & might be an example of more to come. Once these regulations are in place......they are almost irreversible. None of this helped TO in any way either.

Submitted by Lard Tunderin Jeezus on June 29, 2010 - 12:50am.

Helped T.O.?

The Americans issued travel advisories warning people away from Toronto. During peak tourist season, in the middle of the Jazzfest, just before Pride!

The G8/20 summit is going to impact tourism in T.O. like SARS did - and we have yet to completely recover from that.

Submitted by Frustrated Mess on June 29, 2010 - 12:57am.

Harper picked TO to screw it over for not voting Conservative.

Submitted by dandmb50 on June 29, 2010 - 3:17am.

It's a sad day (weekend) for Toronto and CANADA.
The G20 summit in Toronto was a disgrace on how to treat it's citizens and legal peaceful protesters.
I was born and lived all my life in Toronto and can say I am embarrassed to say I am from Toronto for the first time in my life. Police overstepped their powers and many say they kept secret details from the public about a law which was enacted that allowed police to arrest anyone that was 5 metres from the fence that surrounded the "red zone" where the summit meetings were being held. If any citizen was within that 5 metres they could be asked for ID and if they refused they could leave, but if they did not leave they could be arrested on the spot.

Bike line

Another thing the city did not tell it's citizens about was the temporary jail in a movie studio just near Lake Ontario, and never notified the residents of the area that it would be used.
Almost 1000 citizens were arrested over the last three days. There were very few, about 30 from the "Black Bloc" group who went around the downtown core and racked havoc as they broke windows and caused damage throughout the city.

It truly is a sad day for Toronto and CANADA.

Daniel ... Toronto

Submitted by NDPP on July 26, 2010 - 8:43am.

G20 Police Shot Rubber Balls, Woman Says

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/24/g20-rubber-bullets.html

despite police denials pictures convince me..this is what our Prime Minister thinks is a good use of a billion dollars of your tax dollars..