POLICE STATE
Today I marched with friends and fellow Canadians in protest of the G20 summit, global commerce, globalization and the ridiculous choices the Canadian government made with regard to the allocation of tax revenue. Angry but peaceful, we were met with a startlingly aggressive police force, despite our two kilometre distance from the G20 security zone. Several protesters were beaten before our eyes for trying to march south on Yonge street, and though about two hundred of us broke the police line and ran south on McCaul, Curran and I found ourselves between two lines of antagonistic police who shoved us back into the group and diverted the protest back to its Allen Gardens starting point. Despite our chants of We are peaceful, let us march, No justice no peace – fuck the police, and the sad dwindling This is what a police state looks like, the police corralled us like cattle, threatening us with batons and sound canons if we did not comply.
My heart is broken for Canadian democracy, and I am fuming with rage against the leaders of our country, who feel it necessary to silence the dissent of their peaceful citizens. As a response to this, and an attempt to vent some of our anti-globalization anger, The Gentleman and I are performing POLICE STATE this Sunday at Dundas Square. As a protest performance art piece, we hope to express and embody our experience at the first protest of the summit, and look forward to future resistance and retaliation in conjunction with the anti-globalization movement.
Update: I’m out of town with family for the second day of the protest, but the protesters have definitely turned violent and destructive. PRAISE KRISHNA! They shouldn’t have beaten citizens when they were peaceful. This is how you start a riot.
NOTE: (June 29th, 2010) While I denounce the use of violence on both sides of the police/protester conflict, I will remind everyone reading this of the vile conditions in the detention centre, where a friend of mine was held without food, water, or access to legal counsel. He was NOT at the protests on Saturday, but walked through Queen & Spadina when he was rounded up by Police, hit with a riot shield, beaten and detained. Video documentation proves that he was peacefully protesting when he was attacked by seven police officers. The physical and psychological harm done to hundreds of peaceful, innocent citizens greatly outweighs the damage done to windows and public property. Do we really care more about glass than about human bodies?
I believe that sometimes it is necessary to riot to turn the public’s gaze to injustice. Riots and protests built the notions of freedom and liberty on which our country is founded. Please think of that when you try to criticize protesters who saw the injustice that many, or most of you only watched from your sofas.
I’m disappointed in you.
Clearly, the march wasn’t a unified collective, as it got ugly, but did you honestly condone the actions of the anarchists?
I don’t agree with the notion of the protesters being silenced. The protests were heard. It’s not like Toronto has been the first hosting city with marching activists. It’s just a matter of funneling the march, for it to be in control, and to be safe. And it’s clear that half the protesters were expecting a blowup when they’re decked in gas masks and earplugs (still talking about Friday, yes).
Trying to provoke and intercept police forces didn’t do any good (I was there). Throwing glass bottles, I repeat, did not do any good. So I shed no tears when the police pulled out their batons and sound cannons (of which was not used).
And thanks to a few splinter groups, your hyperbolic “Police State” rant is overshadowed by images of burning police cars. My heart is broken for Canada in general.
I am disappointed in your sad, skewed view. If you were really at the protests, how could you deny the blatant injustice in the police’s use of force?
Was it the actions of the “anarchists” or the actions of the police that should be condemned? I was also at the protests, and I saw an excessive use of force against peaceful citizens as early as Friday, including peaceful student leaders being beaten and kicked on the ground. The police provoked violence out of the protesters, and illegally arrested and detained hundreds of citizens without probable cause. People are now being released without charges after being held in cages with limited food and water for nearly 24 hours.
Tear gas pellets and rubber bullets were used against crowds including elderly people and children. You condone this? I care more about the human bodies in cages than I do about a few corporate windows.
This protest performance is now postponed due to threats of militant action from the police, despite our peaceful nature. Long live democracy.
Also, there are many accounts in the media, including statements made by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, which are untrue. Rubber bullets and tear gas pellets HAVE BEEN USED against peaceful protestors, and if you’ve seen any of the footage, they WERE NOT USED against the violent protestors. Where were the cops when the destruction was happening? Obviously allowing it to occur in an attempt to justify their use of force.
I am so sad that some Torontonians will not stand by their fellow peaceful citizens, including whoever you are, despite the blatant infringement upon our rights.
SHAME.
The mainstream media has been skewing things so that it appears that anyone who happened to be at the protests is somehow connected to this mysterious “Black Bloc”, which makes absolutely no sense. Black Block is a tactic, not some sort of rogue cell that is determined to turn Toronto into some sort of zoo. By removing that pesky little “k”, the media has created an evil face for what otherwise would have been ordinary people speaking their minds.
Lulz, If you happened to watch Bill Blair’s speech on television last night, you might have noticed the wild exaggerations, overstatements and fact-skewing that the police and mainstream press have been spreading for the past twenty-four hours. No wonder people keep saying that these darn protestors need to shave their beards and get jobs. They’re being portrayed as bored anarchists with nothing better to do than to cause wanton destruction on a poor, defenseless summit and their hapless, thousands-strong goon squad.
You, Lulz, need to check your bullshit detector. I think it’s on the fritz.
“Hyperbolic”? Unlikely. I think that Lulz’s worldview is more than slightly ignorant and completely sickening.
I think it’s perfectly clear, and extremely reasonable to be of the opinion that these protests are useless. There is a time and place, and quite frankly, this is a terrible time. Security is a huge issue… The loss of one of these “world leaders” and/or their property is a huge deal considering world relationships. This story unfolds very differently in the eyes of the officers that are holding back “innocent” protesters.
These acts of protesters are analogous to those of a child approaching a hornets nest. To me, it’s quite clear you will be stung. Why, at a time where these “world leaders” are least receptive do people choose to push. Why do you think there is a line of police officers? What do you expect if you march into their faces? These men are TRAINED. They understand how they NEED to react in order to break a crowd. I very much doubt ANY of those beaten or arrested were quietly standing two-hundred meters away holding up a sign. You need to remember that though there are many police, there are more civilians, and if protests turn into riots, they need to be quelled as soon as possible–for the safety of EVERY person.
Sure, it’s not ideal that police use force, but it is well within their rights given the situation to make consequences extremely harsh. There is no grave injustice here, it’s simple crowd control by the books. If you don’t have numbers on your side, you need intimidation.
To all those protesters, I think it was always incredibly clear that the decisions to hold the summit had already been made and accepted. Without violence it would not be stopped. If you were protesting some other cause, why did you choose such a time? Take your protests and point them to the legislative buildings and the people of our governments; write a letter or two. You don’t need force to intimidate a government and lets hope it doesn’t continue to come to that.
It’s within their rights to detain innocent peaceful protesters without food, water, or legal aid? People were held in cages and often had to urinate on the floors, without being told why they were detained, and without being given the right to legal counsel. You’re completely blind. Did you attend any of these protests? Do you know anyone who was detained? Or are you just speaking from some pompous sofa in front of your television?
Watch Police charge and beat down peaceful protesters here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Heb9BXjYcII
THE POLICE DID NOT “QUELL” RIOTS, THEY ENCOURAGED THEM. CROWDS WERE NOT ABLE TO DISPERSE BECAUSE POLICE SURROUNDED THEM ON ALL SIDES. We have pictures and videos of this – being trapped in a triangle of police before they swoop in and tackle individuals in the crowd. You call this lawful?
I understand fully the need to apprehend violent protesters for the safety of all, but the police create violent protesters by attacking the innocent. This is not hyperbole. Also, there were MORE COPS in the city than protesters, it’s not “by the books” riot control. It’s an illegal use of power, it’s martial law.
I advise you to keep your sad ignorant viewpoints off of my blog. If you were walking in the area of Queen and Spadina last night, you would have been corralled with the rest of them, and would have had all of your civil liberties taken away. Some people being released from the police detainment centre were simply walking home at the time. There was no violence on the part of the protesters yesterday, but there was more police brutality and more arrests.
Matt, perspectives like yours breed dictatorships. I’m sad to have this comment trash on my blog. Stop watching TV and speak to people who directly experienced this brutality before making a fool of yourself on the internet.
I apologize for my brashness, but I am extremely upset about this. Peaceful friends of mine were beaten and detained. These are peaceful, educated people with jobs, not anarchists. The cops treated regular citizens like criminals and animals. It’s disgusting, and I can’t respect anyone who is not moved to disgust by police actions. They shot rubber bullets into crowds with children. If you think that’s okay, you’re fucked.
Plus, the summit achieved nothing. They spoke about committing to cut down deficits by 2013/2014, but the US is still gunning for economic stimulus, so they all signed off to cut down debt in their own national context, on their own timelines, which means nothing. How can the summit justify the huge cost of Canadian tax revenue for generalities and photo ops? It casts an even more disgusting light on the police brutality of the weekend. I am appalled and disgusted.
I completely agree that the summit was a waste. They usually are. That’s really a whole different topic to what we’re discussing.
It is certainly likely–and true–that many innocent people were placed in harms way. Whether they were bystanders caught up in the chaos, or people who “happened” to be in the middle of a group of protesters that were detained. Unfortunately these are the things that happen. Unless we have a one-on-one sit down with each and every civilian in the city about their wants, this is going to continue to happen.
I have both friends in the police force and friends who were on the sidelines. The general consensus was that nothing unexpected happened. Other than the rare exception (which is very much expected in such stressful situations) I did not see any over-use of less than lethal weapons. People continue to post videos, going on and on about the police firing a rubber bullets into the crowd… 99% of the time it’s one guy taking a hit in the left buttcheek, which gets the crowd backing off. I think this is very reasonable all things considered.
It’s legal for police to search anyone they have reasonable suspicion of, especially during large and difficult to control events. It’s legal for police to arrest and detain people who are reasonable suspects and being uncompliant, again, especially during large events. These “police state” policies have more or less always existed, because in many cases they protect far more people than they harm. If these policies were enforceable for more than a short period, I would agree to being very upset.
In terms of the cells people were confined to, it’s unfortunate. As a city, Toronto is not well suited to handle such large volumes of temporary detainees, and though it’s terrible, what can we really expect them to do in such a case? I know that nobody expects an all-you-can-eat buffet and a personal washroom, but you still need to see it from both sides. If these people did not want to be labeled negatively in any way then they should have been a very fair distance from the police lines. If the police move, you move. Both sides need to understand that the police are in charge of the situation and as long as that is respected, everyone stays put.
Technically speaking, the vast majority of those arrested didn’t act or react in violence, but other than a few very unlucky stragglers they can not deny being part of a protest. It makes perfect sense for police to surround a group of people whom they have already decided will be arrested, it is most intimidating, and the safest way to ensure people give up without a fight.
If you feel that I’m wrong, I don’t mind to argue. I think it’s nice to see multiple views on such topics, and by discussing them we can come to a better understanding of how and why. On that note, I do not appreciate the personal attacks. What have I done but had an opinion? You don’t need violence to prove a point.
I don’t mean to be offensive, I’m just very passionate about this. Protesting is not a crime. If you think simply being part of a protest warrants arrest, I don’t know what to say to you. I can think of a few things, but I’m trying to be polite.
“You don’t need violence to prove a point.” I completely agree. I wish the police forces took that advice. Here’s a video of Police beating down sitting protesters at Queen’s Park, which was the free protest zone, by the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaYbq484abs&feature=player_embedded
And no, your facts are wrong. IT IS NOT LEGAL for Police to conduct random searches on the street, IT IS NOT LEGAL for people to be arbitrarily detained without charge or access to legal counsel.
Let me quote the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for you:
–
Section 2: Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly;
Section 8: Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.
Section 9: Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned.
Section 10: Everyone has the right on arrest or detention:
(a) to be informed promptly of the reasons therefor;
(b) to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be informed of that right; and
(c) to have the validity of the detention determined by way of habeas corpus and to be released if the detention is not lawful.
–
The arrests were definitely unreasonable, as you can see in the videos. People were peacefully assembling when they were beaten by police. My reporters (accredited as independent media) were arrested for taking pictures, which violates our rights as members of the press. My reporters were held in cages without food or water, which breaches HUMAN RIGHTS. Detainees were also denied legal counsel. Do you know anyone who was detained? Please enlighten me about your well rounded position on this. Are you just watching television, forming an opinion, and trying to educate people who saw these things with their own eyes?
Again, you can be offended by my perspective, but I cannot justify injustice. I cannot see the “other side” of a police officer beating a sitting peaceful protester. It is wrong. The fact that you’re trying to argue with me over such a thing is laughable and slightly appalling.
Terrorists in Guantanamo Bay are treated better than this.
P.S. Here’s an interesting compilation of videos of Toronto Police beating peaceful protesters, including a video of a cop bending a young woman over a fence with his crotch against her backside as she cries “Help! Please!Get off of me!”:
http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/video/compilation-videos-about-police-violence/3897
If you still think the police action was justified after viewing these videos, this really isn’t a blog you should be frequenting.
I’m not at all offended by your position. Thank you for this response, it is more like what I should expect.
For a very long time it has been legal in the States and many other “democratic” countries to initiate a higher level of police control due to specific events. This is now law in Canada. These things always have limited use; they can not carry on forever. “Probable cause” always exists, but the definition changes during these times. Participating in such events as protests and something akin to the G20 defines probable cause in this case. Now, refusing to identify yourself, or disallowing a search is considered an arrestable offense under those circumstances. You may also be arrested because of such participation. This is at the discretion of the officers in charge in the specific area.
This all, technically, is lawful.
I will certainly agree it is not in keeping with the Charter of Right and Freedoms, and perhaps it is not a good thing. The vast majority of people require a level of control, and I know people who had gone to do nothing but cause trouble. Again I would bring the argument forward: why not let these things pass, and then protest? Why not protest before instead of during? The police made it quite clear they were ready to use their authority to the fullest. It had been quite obvious to me from the start that anyone who showed up to protest should be expecting a less than ideal afternoon/evening.
On another topic of argument, I could certainly say a precise and indiscriminate following of the Charter is akin to orthodox religion, though I can’t quite decide how I feel on this subject so I am simply playing devil’s advocate.
Again, I can understand situations were not ideal but in lieu of a thank you to the police officers that did their jobs more or less as well as could be expected, I would say they at least deserve to be free of condemnation.
As for children being present in the crowds… They don’t understand these situations. It’s up to adults to be responsible and ensure their safety. It’s a terribly idea for any parent to bring children to a protest, let alone a protest in the area of an event with a history of being prone to riots and violence. It’s not as if it hasn’t happened before.
Finally, I don’t think your definitions are quite right. I see the points you are trying to make, but “Militant” is being used far too freely. Myanmar is militant. It’s a very slight kick in the balls making that comparison considering what those people are going through in their every day lives. This? This is a couple of days and the police no longer have these powers.
Honestly, everything is being handled exactly as would be expected. I spend a lot of time learning military and police tactics and the amount of force used was not overbearing.
The video you have linked in your last response did not seem outlandish to me. It is certainly public property, but I don’t think I am alone in knowing the police forces were very stressed over the security of the G20, which easily pushes beyond the walls of the event in order to protect the general public. Protesters are often arrested with little reason, but it’s generally a rule of “better safe than sorry.” The officers that make these decisions are payed to live with that stress, and my heart goes out to them as much as it does to those innocent people that took a blow to the arm or a bit of mace.
It was very clear to me that the police wanted to move the protesters,(it is there call whether or not something is safe, due to their experience) and it was very clear that a select few were not ready to stay out of the way.
Quite frankly, I would argue it gives me a very good reason to be here. Maybe we have much to learn from each other.
Putting aside the fact that I completely disagree with everything you’ve stated thus far, I’d like to say that, being a student of history, your use of the term “martial law” was EXTREMELY offensive in describing the recent G20 protests in Toronto.
Before I explain, I would just like to define “martial law”
n. a system of complete control by a country’s military over all activities, including civilian, in a theoretical or actual war zone, or during a period of emergency caused by a disaster such as an earthquake or flood, with the military commander having dictatorial powers. In the United States martial law must be ordered by the President as commander-in-chief and must be limited to the duration of the warfare or emergency. It cannot result in a long-term denial of constitutional rights, such as habeas corpus, the right to a trial, and to free press.
Now, not to say that this past weekend’s protests didn’t show a *hint* of this. But compared to counties that have experienced long term martial law, like, I don’t know, the Philippines, these protests seem like child’s play. You CHOSE to be there, to be in the area designated under this “long weekend martial law”. You decided that’s where you wanted to spend your weekend, so don’t be surprised when you witness things like that happening. Be thankful that it ended, and that the police were as careful as they were. Be thankful that we live where we do and we are allowed to behave so ridiculously LEGALLY.
I’d like to point out that in one of the videos you posted, a young protester can clearly be heard saying “Lets try and move the line.” As if that was even a possibility. Being detained for up to 24 hours seems like a necessary measure under the circumstances – I could think of far worse outcomes, like when the Chinese tried to stand up to the Japanese invaders during the Rape of Nanjing.
But to be fair, did you really expect an outcome of any kind from these talks? They did spend some time watching soccer. Was there a soccer game on during the Treaty of Versailles? They kinda had the same outcome, though the latter DID indirectly caused a war, so, who knows! Sometimes I forget that the world revolves around Toronto.
And no, I won’t be frequenting your blog, and I’ll be sure to pass that around to my like-minded friends.
just a quick in and out: people in guantanamo bay definitely have it worse off than any detained in Toronto.
Being pissed on, tortured, beaten, sexually degraded, detained for 9+ years without a given reason, drugged against your will, etc. did not happen to us.
Otherwise I agree with most of your main points.
Again, I sincerely believe there is a difference between seeing these actions with your own eyes, and seeing these things on television. I’m extremely surprised that you could all watch the videos I posted above, including the compilation which includes a video of a young woman being sexually harassed and bent over a fence with a police officer’s crotch on her rear, without being moved to disgust. My heart is broken for citizen solidarity.
This isn’t a “HATE THE POLICE” blog. An undercover police officer helped two of my reporters escape violent arrest and denounced the actions of some riot police against peaceful citizens. Many police officers were as appalled as we were. We spoke with two police officers at Dundas Square during our performance art piece yesterday who also sympathized with our cause. The independent review that Steel Bananas is conducting is including some of these police.
Have you read about Hanna Booth? Her apartment was raided by police in error. They manhandled her and her husband at 4AM without a warrant. It’s even in the National Post: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/26/g20-veterinarian-couple-had-home-raided-by-police-in-error-husband-calls-incident-an-abusive-of-power/ . You think this is lawful? You all think that this, in no way, resembles martial law in its abuse of power? You are blind. As fellow citizens, we should be concerned.
Stephen R. Goodsfellow, I am disgusted that you could complacently defend a pointless summit which brought injustice to both police and citizens, and caused riots which destroyed our city. Your complacency is absolutely sickening. You’re a disgrace to democracy, and I sincerely hope that you and your “like-minded” friends stay off of my blog with your depressing and defeatist ignorance. Shame on you.
Karen, I completely agree with you. I’ve been following the protests in Toronto from New York and I can’t believe that some people in Toronto are defending the actions of police. From an outside perspective, after watching these videos, I am completely shocked, especially at the one with the young woman being molested.
Stephen Goodfellow, you’re a complete idiot. Constitutional rights are not made to be bent. If you condone the removal of human and constitutional rights from peaceful citizens, you represent the disease of ignorance and fear in the hearts of citizens. You must be a D student in history if you can’t see that this is how widespread abuse of power begins. Peaceful protest is a right all citizens should have. You’re a fucking disgrace, and I support Karen’s trashing of your integrity. If you can watch the video of that woman being harassed and not feel remorse, you’re a disgusting pervert. I’m with you Karen: SHAME.
Well, apparently, they (the people denouncing the protesters as “anarchists”) all think Amnesty International, The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and other civil aid groups are wrong in joining our public outcry.
I guess sitting on a couch in front of the TV makes everyone an expert on the events. I guess, to them, I’m just another “anarchist” disturbing the peace. They would prefer to sit silently. If ever police officer wrongfully bursts through their door (God forbid, though I’m irreligious), I hope they remember how vehemently they defended their blind positions.
Ignorance is sad and disgusting. It divides us.
Also, just a quick note to Matt (whose respectful disagreement with my position is being appreciated, I too think that we can learn much from one another):
When you say that you don’t think the police were overbearing, I again turn your gaze to the compilation of videos from the protests we experienced:
http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/video/compilation-videos-about-police-violence/3897
I would also like to remind you that I personally witnessed two student leaders in the peaceful protest on Friday (prior to the broken windows and buring police cars) being beaten on the ground by Police. They had their hands up and were screaming “Peaceful! peaceful!”, but were kicked and hit with batons. I witnessed this with my own eyes. We were all entirely peaceful. They were not arrested, but thrown back into the crowd with bloody faces.
I really wish I could show you what I saw. I have had nothing but good experiences with Toronto Police up until this summit. I always believed them to be trustworthy members of society who act in the name of public order and community safety. After witnessing the beating of fellow peaceful protesters, who were not provoking police, I can no longer look at law enforcement the same.
Again, I wish I could show you what I saw, or what my friends saw in their cages (teenage girls crying and shivering, diabetics being denied food for hours and bobbing in and out of consciousness, innocent citizens being beaten.)
I urge you to watch the videos above. My anger is mostly directed at the power figures (Bill Blair, among others) who put police in the position where they were ordered to view fellow citizens as enemies. This hate-spreading blame game is sad and shameful.
Wow, I’m glad you so blatantly missed my point, congrats. I’m not condoning police brutality or abuse of power in any sense. What you seemed to have miss interpreted is that compared to other historical situations, this one is rather minor. Protests for the g20 happen every time it occurs, did yo not expect precations on the side of law inforcement? And we all Seem to have forgotten that police are people too, and what if the coin had been flipped? What if you were one of the police officers that had to deal with that? Not all of them can be denouced as part of that behavior. Not all the police went out and punched people in the face. but as with both sides, one bad apple ruins the bunch. Just as individual protester cases have been heard, so should the police officers who probably didn’t even want to work that day. And no, abusing young women is not something that should be allowed in our society, and we are fortunate that it doesn’t occur often as it does elsewhere. We have to be reasonalbe. There are so many people and so many incidents. I don’t condone the actions of either side to be honest, which is why I chose not to participate. This set of actions and consequences was expected, who can deny that?
Seriously though, guantanamo bay is no comparison to what detainees experienced, that is a for sure, and it was not martial law. Please refrain from describing it as so, I know a few Phillipino people that would be extremely offended if they read that.
Well, Stephen R. Goodsfellow, when you preface an ignorant rant with “I completely disagree with everything you’ve stated thus far” (see above) after I’ve defended civil liberties, Charter rights and freedom of speech, it’s hard not to interpret your position as an ignorant fascist pig who spends more time making half-assed arguments based on other people’s experiences and weak historical comparisons. Perhaps if you spent more time speaking to people who experienced these accounts first-hand, you wouldn’t come off as being a pseudo-intellectual snob with no soul.
You’ve really already made a fool out of yourself, but I thought I’d point out another glaring gap in your sickening logic which not only suggests your lack of integrity, but your lack of critical thinking skills:
Saying that these protests are “rather minor” compared to larger historical events is the same logic that would justify a single murder in comparison with the Holocaust. This is not a cheap shot, this is your line of argument. Apparently your reaction to injustice is solely based on quantity. Sure! Suffer injustice to over 1000 people sitting in piss and shit because it’s not 100,000. This is how larger injustices begin, with muzzling and common man being pitted against common man. If we allow this to happen, it will only get larger. These injustices and hatreds will only spread.
If you didn’t read my positions above (perhaps you were too inflated with cowardly internet pride to properly assess my arguments) I am sure that cops have consciences, since some of them expressed so. I’m sending out a press release through Steel Bananas calling for police reactions to how the government has pitted them against fellow citizens arbitrarily. They knowingly instigated a situation where lines were drawn between us. This is the true mark of an evil leader: the ability to take a city living in peace and turn it into a war zone. To inspire hatred in the hearts of citizens against police, and hatred in the heart of police against citizens.
This isn’t an abstract “them” either. The current Canadian government has proved that it can inspire evil and destruction, and break bonds of solidarity between peaceful citizens and otherwise peaceful police in order to distract from their lavish parties. Citizens should notice this.
I hope fellow Canadians will take this to the polls and find solidarity in our notions of common decency and respect.
Unfortunately, your divisive nitpicking of my facetious statements and your half-assed channel surfing opinion exhibit the exact type of ignorance that allows such abuse of power and division to occur.
I maintain: SHAME ON YOU.
p.s. I did not “choose” to be downtown, I live here. Allan Gardens is beside my apartment. This was on my doorstep. When it finds its way to yours, I hope you remember what a supreme fool you’ve made of yourself.
Karen, you are hardcore. I’d throw stones for you any day ;D
I agree with you, Karen. Political apathy is gross and dangerous. The idea that people are actually trying to find ways to downplay the recent violent abuse of power in comparison to other injustices is just plain dumb as fuck. The sad thing is, this is the most common perception I’ve heard, or at least from what I’ve seen scrawled over the internet. People would rather be comfortable and let other people care about the rights they take for granted. Maybe, eventually, when this kind of control erupts in war and everyone is forced to face the kind of evil that these events breed, they’ll care more about being a responsible citizen instead of spouting off internet rhetoric and worrying about their iphones (also know as the majority of the population which this Goodsfellow seems to represent).
Great performance protest piece too, by the way.