G20: “The World is Watching” yet Toronto is divided
June 27, 2010 at 11:08 pm 12 comments
I debated about writing a post on what I experienced this weekend in Toronto at the G20 summit. Usually I try to stay away from politics and controversy online, but I have too much I need to get off my chest. So here are my thoughts–I’m sure a lot of you will disagree but I’m always up for engaging in intelligent discussion.
Saturday Recap
I was visiting my friend’s condo in Yorkville when we turned on the TV and saw reports of “protesters” jumping on a cop car and smashing a Starbucks window. Immediately I was appalled…I thought, way to get respect and credibility for your cause. After watching CP24 I learned that it wasn’t just G20 protesters causing damage, rather, it was the “Black bloc” who was responsible. My friends and I decided to walk the few blocks to where all the action was. After passing through Yonge and Dundas we were utterly shocked. News reports just said ONE Starbucks location had been damaged, yet the chaos and havoc wreaked on Dundas square was jaw-dropping. Nearly every store front in the vicinity had been trashed, with shattered glass strewn across pavements, furniture pulled out of stores, mannequins ripped in half and smeared with feces. It was completely disgusting and made me furious that any “human” would be capable of such blatant disregard for property. After seeing College Park Winners, Tim Hortons, American Apparel, Athlete’s World, Bell, and Rogers all destroyed we moved towards Queen’s Park. It was here that I realized “the world may be watching” but Toronto as a city was completely divided.
American Apparel store at Yonge and Dundas destroyed
(photo courtesy of www.blogto.com)
Found this great video on my friend Ginger’s blog.
Of course the most shocking and disturbing part of Saturday for me was the destruction caused by the Black bloc. However, I was disheartened by civilians’ treatment of the Toronto police force. People were lining up, taking photos and gawking at police in riot gear. I heard hundreds of unoriginal complaints like “is this where my tax money is going?” “why don’t they just Skype next time?” etc. Whatever, fine. The police stayed strong and silent, didn’t respond to heckling or photos or generally annoying people. When they actually arrested a couple hooligans, I thought “finally!” I was surprised they had showed so much restraint amidst the chaos. Frankly, after seeing the damage caused to the city, if I were on the force I would be ready to clear the streets immediately. But no–dozens of people around us started chanting “let him go! let him go! This isn’t democracy! The world is watching!” My friends and I looked at each other, shell shocked. Were people actually defending these protesters?!
Striking photo by Ryan Dury
Before I write a 10 page summary of my experience, here are a few key points:
1) Police are DOING THEIR JOB. It is not their choice to wear riot gear and they did not choose to have the summit in Toronto. They are here for OUR protection, and they are putting their lives on the line as well.
2) After the massive destruction and anarchy on Saturday afternoon, police have every right to ensure the safety for the general public is being maintained. That includes clearing streets, pushing people out of the way (burning police cars anyone?), and arresting those responsible for the riots. After the Black Bloc shedded their black gear, they blended in with regular protesters, making it difficult for police to find the real perpetrators. Yet people were condemming police for “violating” their right to freedom of speech. I’m sorry, but after an attack on the city, police have every right to shut even peaceful protests down if it means securing the area. Shouldn’t Torontonians be united in the police effort to find the real bad guys and get them off the streets?
3) Protesters–why on earth were there so many different issues being protested?! I saw signs for improved immigration, anti-abortion, North Korea, G20 $, Harper, seal hunting and so forth. Is it just me, or does having 4,000 protesters all arguing for different issues weaken all their arguments? Why not have one main cause to fight for, or at least break into groups. It seemed so ridiculous to me, like the G20 gave everyone who ever had an issue with something the justification to come out.
4) Sunday’s “event” really bothered me. Although I was safe at home in Mississauga, I saw on the news and via Twitter that a bunch of peaceful protesters and bystanders had been detained at Queen and Spadina. The most upsetting thing about this for me was how a large amount of people were blaming police, arguing that human rights laws were being violated, and complaining that innocent bystanders were unfairly detained. I’m sorry, but what IS an innocent bystander? Although I was on scene for some of the events on Saturday, when police told us to move, you better believe we moved out of their way. Despite all that happened on Saturday, people still flocked to the city and gawked at police, took photos, and didn’t leave. All of a sudden, they claim they were mistakenly caught up in it, and had no idea, and it’s so unfair, etc. No, it’s not unfair. These people made the decision to get involved just by being present in that area. Again, police had every right to clear the streets for everyone’s protection. I’m sorry if they felt their human rights were being violated, but I think safety and caution trumps protesting rights. Had there not been any riots the day before, than sure, it might have been a bit much for police to detain peaceful protesters. But based on the events that took place, police can’t afford to let that happen again. I saw so many tweets condemming police and their “brutality” and lack of explanation for detaining these people. Sorry, but what did those bystanders expect?
Police detain protesters at Queen and Spadina
(photo courtesy of www.blogto.com)
Although it’s a bit of an exaggeration, I compare the Black Bloc riots on Saturday to a small scale terrorist attack. The city was helpless as these savages destroyed our city and no one could stop them. To me, the obvious plan of attack from Toronto is to unite together as a city, with our police force leading the way to keep us all safe. The fact that protesters gave them a hard time and people started criticizing every single police action is depressing. Why couldn’t we all come together to fight off these criminals and ensure they stayed the hell away from our city? Instead, we have a divided Toronto–some think police did a great job, others are horrified at their actions or lack thereof, and others are ambivalent. Of course, perspective is everything, but I’m disheartened that we are blaming the police force–our protectors–instead of the government and the actual Black Bloc members.
Related Posts
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Day 26 – G20 riots: naughty or nice?
Entry filed under: life lessons, Social norms. Tags: black bloc, G20 2010, G20 summit, protesters, riots, toronto G20.
1.
Gary in Toronto | June 27, 2010 at 11:22 pm
I especially agree with point #4. What happened to common sense?
2.
jennastothers | June 27, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Yep! I see tweets saying stuff like “oh there are young teens here and puppies” but WHY would they think that’s an appropriate/safe place for them to be?
3.
Scott Honsberger | June 27, 2010 at 11:31 pm
I agree partially with your ‘innocent bystander’ statement. My opinion is this: if you’re not a police officer, a protester, or a journalist, you shouldn’t be there. Riots and protests are not spectator sports.
However, the reports that are coming in about how they treated those once they did detain them are pretty brutal. Not sure I can defend the police entirely.
4.
jennastothers | June 27, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Yes, to be fair, I wasn’t in Toronto for the stuff that went down tonight. Perhaps if I had friends in the crowd, I might think differently, but I think after Saturday’s riots people should have played it safe and avoided participating in any group settings, peaceful or not.
It is disheartening to see the video of police rushing at the crowd after they finished Oh Canada, but I still think police were put in incredibly difficult situations this weekend and they did the best they could.
5.
Scott Honsberger | June 28, 2010 at 12:09 am
I should also point out, though, that it is very possible that people may have simply wandered into the wrong area and gotten ‘stuck’ there. Unlikely, but possible.
If anyone was just simply ‘on their way home’ and got arrested for being in the area, that would be tragic. Let’s hope not.
6.
Sean Bailey | June 27, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Wow, quick post Jenna!
I’m sure you’ll get a couple people disagreeing with you on this one, but at least there will be discussion.
2) After Sunday I wish they’d acted like this yesterday and pre-emptively stopped the Black Bloc instead of letting them run rampant throughout Queen Street. In my post (coming Monday) I give the benefit of the doubt to the cops, because we can’t know their methods, truly.
3) As for your question about protesters.. I have to disagree with you most here. There are SO MANY issues to protest and this is a great place to get your voice heard. It’s because of thugs like the Black Bloc that people/media get distracted from the real issues, as we could see from the news coverage.
4) While I generally agree and say the police were doing their job, I think it’s fair to question some of their tactics, especially on Sunday night. After hearing their explanation of the method for what they did, it makes complete sense, though a slightly cynical part of me is saying it was all PR speak. Casting a net over a bunch of people will inevitably cause innocent people to be caught up inside. The best solution would’ve been to get away from the area instead of continuing to take pictures or wait for the bus,if that’s what they were doing. I’m sure most people by then knew Queen/Spadina was a hot-spot so why be there?
Sorry for the rant, Sean.
7.
jennastothers | June 27, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Trust me, I love rants! haha.
2) Agreed. I wish they had been more forceful with the rioters on Saturday. Not sure what their reasons were–preventing more violence?? Looking forward to your perspective.
3) Hmm I can see your point…I suppose it is a good stage to voice your opinion on certain issues. I guess to be fair I only saw protesters after the chaos. It was one person wearing a seal suit, and another holding an immigration sign, Just seemed pointless to me, but you’re right, the Black bloc did distract a lot of attention on real issue and made it about them.
4) Exactly. Perhaps they should have given more warning (not sure how many times they asked people to move and what not), but for me, being present at a “hot spot” the day after crazy riots is asking for trouble. It’s like going to an illegal rave or something–if police raid the place and you’re there innocently dancing, too bad, you’re almost guilty by association.
8.
rosa | June 28, 2010 at 12:37 am
Great post. I agree to a lot of it.
I saw protesters wasting time and precious media opportunity on how the police are ‘harrassing’ them. Why not take that time to speak about what they were there to protest about?
The queen and spadina issue wasn’t so clear but ppl should have stayed away if it looked like trouble! Why touch the plate if the server just tells you the plate is hot.
My argument is that the police aren’t the problem. Cbc did a police view video following a 19 yr veteran police officer, who worked 10 days straight, and on Saturday, she worked 17 hrs. Police officers were simply responding to orders from the top and are probably blamed for any outcome we would have seen.
Again, we are blinded by this while the big decisions are made behind the fence and protesters’ msgs were not delivered. There has got to be a better way to get msgs through.
The toronto police can be our family, friends, or neighbours, and we need to thank them for doing the best they can this past week.
9.
jennastothers | June 28, 2010 at 12:50 am
Great point! Out of all the media interviews with protesters, few very actually discussed their cause. It’s a shame their causes got thrown out the window because the attention turned to “police brutality.”
Haha–as a server, 8 out of 10 times I tell people the plate is hot and they still touch it–people don’t like being told what to do/don’t think of immediate consequences. I agree, the Queen – Spadina issue was not clear, but if police thought they had a threat on their hands, then action was required.
I 100% agree with you about police. They’re not these “bad guys” sent to Toronto to make life miserable for people. They’re here on a job, with friends and families at home, defending Torontonians. They too were stuck in torrential rain, hot, muggy weather, and withstood tons of abuse from people. I don’t see how chanting about different causes is going to make a difference. Especially the ones protesting the cost of security for G20–no matter how valid their point, certain things are already set in motion and it’s pointless to try to change it. There needs to be a clearer, rational way to communicate their concerns.
10.
Bráð Jäger-König | June 28, 2010 at 4:04 am
And, to those who were protesting the $1 billion for G20 security, wouldn’t they have made a much stronger statement by staying home? Apparently, they didn’t realize that they justified the cost by showing up and acting like mindless savages.
You can’t shove a police officer and then claim police brutality when they shove back. It’s not rocket science people…you shoved first. I didn’t see a single incident of the police using excessive force, despite the claims of those who had been arrested. It comes down to the old adage ‘If you play with fire…’ These people were simply angry that they were caught doing things they had no business doing in the first place.
I am now convinced that the term ‘Organized Protest’ is nothing more than an oxymoron, and that 99% of the protesters are seeking nothing more than media attention, even if they aren’t causing any damage. And, I would go so far as to say that I doubt very many of them even believe in the causes they are supposedly defending.
But, for the actions of a few, there is now a black mark on the city of Toronto, which only strengthens my belief that these summit meetings should be held in military bases around the world. Security is already in place, and most bases are not even accessible to the general public.
A lot of re-thinking needs to be done regarding these summit meetings. The police did a fantastic job, yes…but to be thrust into that situation because the government wants to put on a good show for their guests, it’s just not fair to anyone outside of the so-called ‘Red Zone’. Not fair to the police, and not fair to the store-owners. They were the real victims here. Let’s just hope their insurance policies cover the damage.
To the ‘Black bloc’ – you are not going to topple the world’s economy by smashing a bank window. You have done nothing more than display your talent for wielding a hammer…nothing more.
11.
jennastothers | June 28, 2010 at 11:17 am
I agree with the idea that an organized protest is an oxymoron. Whenever you have a large crowd filled with people arguing passionately about their cause, it can turn into a safety issue very quickly. How can you organize a peaceful protest? There will always be individuals who get carried away, shout at cops, and give the whole protest a bad name. While the Black bloc were clearly an entirely different group of people (if you can call them that), I don’t see how having 4,000 people out in Queen’s park protesting their cause and chanting at police officers will solve anything. As mentioned earlier, the police are doing their job. It’s the government and world leaders who need to see their issues, yet sadly all the government saw this weekend was a bunch of out of control protests with no point.
Personally, I prefer silent, very peaceful protests, like workers going on strike. For example, when teachers went on strike a few years ago in Mississauga, they closed the school, had picket lines, and were strong and silent in front of the school. Their actions (or lack thereof) showed how serious they were about the issue, and they didn’t storm the local government with chanting and crowds. They maintained a peaceful presence and actions spoke louder than words.
I also agree 100% with your statement that future summits should NOT be held in city centres. Bringing the summit to Toronto was only asking for trouble…the city was put through a huge inconvenience with road closures, the building of fences, etc. Not to mention the destruction caused to small business owners by the Black bloc, which I truly never even dreamed could happen. Hopefully insurance does cover the cleanup of this mess.
The Black bloc is in a word, disgusting. To me, they are an extremist organization that makes no sense. It’s like suicide bombers who kill people and die themselves because of religion. Like, really? They think police and corporations are the “disgusting pigs?” Look at their behaviour, jumping on cars, smashing windows–they are truly disgusting individuals and I hope all of them are arrested.
12.
Sayurie | June 28, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Jenna, I completely agree with pretty much everything you’ve just said. I’m all for civil rights and freedoms, but safety absolutely triumphs. Peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders should have been more appalled by the hooligans who were wreaking havoc on our streets. What ever happened to common sense? If you know there’s a potentially dangerous situation taking place (involving riot police!), why would you choose to get in the middle of it?? I can’t believe the Toronto Police are being attacked for trying to protect us all.