Torontonamo: The Dog Ate My Homework Version

Gee. Biiiiig surprise.

The only person charged under a controversial G20 regulation appeared in court Wednesday to discover his charges have mysteriously disappeared.

Dave Vasey, 31, was exploring the G20 security perimeter June 24 when he was arrested and charged under a temporary regulation. The regulation, which was quietly passed by the province under the 1939 Public Works Protection Act, designated the security zone around the Metro Convention Centre as a “public work” and empowered police to search anyone attempting to enter the perimeter.

So. He walks. There is no accountability, no explanation, no further opportunity for media coverage.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

The Fiery Star

Now, this is what I call newspapering. Three pieces today in The Star on the G20 insanity in Torontonamo:

Make Our Police Accountable by A. Alan Borovoy, who needs no introduction to fans of civil and human rights.

An unsigned editorial demanding a full inquiry.

And an opinion piece by Dave Coles, President of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union, and one of the people who outed the agents provocateurs at Montebello, Security Operation or Political Theatre?

Keep the pressure on. We bloggers will help.

And the bills keep rolling in

One of the attempted spins on how locating the G20 in the middle of Canada's largest city wasn't insane was that it would be good for business.

Well, the reports are coming in and hey, guess what? That was utter bullshit -- as anyone with more than one functioning neuron could have predicted.

In the restaurant biz, the effects of the event that's come to be known as Torontonamo were felt far beyond the downtown core.

The impact of the G20 Summit was felt well outside the downtown core, according to a survey of Toronto restaurant owners conducted by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA). Ninety-three per cent of downtown respondents and 73 per cent in the rest of the city reported a "significant decrease" in sales between June 21 and June 30, compared to the same period in 2009.

"The impact of the G20 Summit on Toronto restaurants was far deeper and more widespread than many people expected," says Garth Whyte, CRFA president and CEO. "Our focus now is on ensuring that our members are fairly compensated for their business losses."

Look at these numbers:

• Sales at downtown restaurants dropped by an average of 55 per cent during the Summit week (June 21 - June 30) compared to the same period in 2009;
• 51 per cent closed their businesses during the Summit due to concerns about the safety of their staff and customers;
• 42 per cent reported that staff were unable to get to work due to Summit disruptions.
• One third of downtown respondents were not aware of the federal government's compensation program for losses related to the G20 Summit.
• Only 1 per cent reported a significant increase in sales during the G20 Summit.

And because the generous rules for compensation set out by our overlords stipulated that only businesses that stayed open are eligible, more than half will have no claim. Also, the rules do not yet indicate which areas of the city will be included.

To sum up: Nearly all restaurants in the core and most elsewhere had 'significant decreases' = lost income and wages. Half the restaurants closed = lotta low-wage workers -- probably largely students -- got no pay. Of the businesses that stayed open, 42% of their staff couldn't get to work = lost pay. Sales down by more than half = lost pay for those who work for tips.

"The Summit drove customers away and made it dangerous for many restaurants to stay open," says Whyte. "These businesses deserve fair compensation for their losses."

Not to mention a bunch of low-wage earners/students.

And there's more. Toronto Life, under the heading Toronto Shafted reports:

Now, 40 street vendors, who were forced to leave their spots around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for 19 days as a result of the G20, are seeking compensation from the government.

Nineteen days' lost business -- one presumes in their busiest time -- is a helluva hit for a hot-dog seller.

I wonder if the cabbies and others who got fucked over will be organized to claim compensation too.

Who's gonna pay? Us of course. It probably won't be anything near what people deserve, but it's us who will foot this bill too.

And the ConBots bitch about the cost of an inquiry.

Torontonamo UPDATED

This afternoon, Toronto Police will release its G20 Ten Most Wanted List.

Gee. Wonder if it will include this famous yet anonymous guy in the expensive jacket.



In related news, there's another website devoted to collecting stories about the G20 police actions. This one has a great name: Torontonamo, a word we bloggers should help spread far and wide.

In more related news, the Facebook group is closing in on 54,000 members.

UPDATE: CBC story and from the comments, Mr. Looks-Like-A-Cop made the list.

Not Just Propaganda

Lying propaganda.

Norman Farrell caught Global TV red-handed.

He was watching coverage of the vandalism on Yonge Street, when he noticed something.

During the live newscast, I recognized footage that originated in Vancouver during the Olympics when vandals broke a few windows and tipped over newspaper boxes. As you will see in the photos, captured from Global TV's July 10 5:30pm national news, one of the newspaper boxes being tipped was The Province. This happened on a Vancouver street February 13, 2010. In a case of yellow journalism, Global was trying to make the Toronto demonstrations more dramatic by spicing it with extra footage.

I guess by July 10, people were getting bored looking at the same old boring burning cop cars and boring windows being broken, so some genius at Global thought: 'Hey! We got more good visuals! Nobody will ever notice that those are newspaper boxes from another city.'

Go see for yourself.

h/t One of those obsessed people at the Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20 Facebook group. (Pssst, bloggers, lotta good links there. Just sayin'. Membership over 53,000 now.)

Inquiries, Inquiries

The doubtlessly lame Police Services board.

The probably equally lame if way louder federal Public Safety committee.

And now the Ontario Ombudsman.

TORONTO (Friday, July 9, 2010) – Ontario Ombudsman André Marin today announced he is launching an investigation into the origin and subsequent communication of the controversial security regulation passed by the province prior to the June 26-27 G20 summit.

The investigation, to be conducted by the Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT), will examine the involvement of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services in the origin of Regulation 233/10, made last month under the Public Works Protection Act to apply to parts of downtown Toronto near the summit meeting site – and the subsequent communication about it to stakeholders, including police, media and the public.

The Ombudsman’s office has received 22 complaints relating to the G20, including several alleging that a lack of transparency and public communication about the regulation led to an atmosphere of secrecy and confusion and contributed to violations of civil liberties. “The complaints we’ve received so far raise serious concerns about this regulation and the way it was communicated, and I think there is a very strong public interest in finding out exactly what happened and how that affected the rest of the events of the G20 weekend,” Mr. Marin said.

The investigation is expected to be completed within 90 days, Mr. Marin said. Anyone who has a complaint or relevant information is asked to call 1-800-263-1830 during business hours or complete an online complaint form at www.ombudsman.on.ca .

This is encouraging, but we still need a full public inquiry with broad powers to subpoena witnesses.

'This ain't Canada right now.' It's Upsidedownland

Strange days, indeed. The Sun is making sense again.

Referring to the video you can see here, Joe Warmington writes:

“This ain’t Canada right now.” — a police officer during a G20 arrest.

For a few hours during G20 weekend it sure didn’t look like Canada.

But since it is Canada one thing I would like clarified is no matter how annoying a mouthy activist can get, what authority do police have to decide his liberties are no longer valid?

(Man, the cops fucked up BIG TIME by detaining and/or roughing up journalists.)

Joe's got more good questions.

An incident during the protests on University Ave. — captured on video — would be a good one to study.

In it an officer says “this ain’t Canada right now” while another one says “this is G20 land.” And when a man, who was put in a physical hold by police for no reason clear on the video, said “I don’t like to have my civil rights violated” an officer can be heard saying “there’s no civil rights here in this area.”

Where did these officers get this idea? On their own or from above?

And how far above?

This is verrrrry interesting:

So many sources are telling me the RCMP were largely at the helm which, if true, means a federal investigation or inquiry is what is needed — something with the power to subpoena and interview the brass of all of the police services involved, deal with all of the public complaints and hear the individual front-line officers’ point of view, as well.

The whole schmozzle did have the feel of a good old Mountie barn-burning, didn't it?

By the way, membership in the Facebook group Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20 just hit 50,000. So what are you waiting for?

It's official.

Dalton "Don't Cry For Me Mississauga" McGuinty is Stevie Spiteful's bitch.

The only source in English that I could find for what he said on Radio-Canada on the 3pm news broadcast is this one. Essentially McGuinty stated that he will not order a public inquiry that would be legally binding. He told reporters Wednesday that only the federal government can call for such a probe and that his balls the ball is in the Fed's court.

Le premier ministre de l'Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, résiste toujours à la pression et réitère qu'il n'a pas l'intention de déclencher une enquête publique sur le travail des forces de l'ordre lors du sommet du G20 à Toronto.

Ce dernier estime qu'une telle enquête serait plutôt du ressort du gouvernement fédéral.

So our brave, brave premier is hiding behind Stevie and his bullies. That should make him even less popular than he is now.

Sheep Look Up. . .

. . . or at least at YouTube.

Seems Chet was right. Commenting on my despairing post on this poll, indicating that 73 per cent of Canadians were good with the G8/G20 police state, he said:

Most people thought the War Measures Act was justified when Trudeau used it. It's early days yet.

That poll was published on June 30 (doesn't say when it was taken).

Here's another poll -- albeit online -- going on right now.

The figures are completely reversed with 72 per cent now saying that the police response was not appropriate.

We've got to keep up the pressure. And make sure the shit lands where it should.

Right here:



Update from deBeauxOs: via a tweet from A_Z, a news item says an independent civilian inquiry into G-20 police tactics has just been approved by the Toronto Police Services Board.

The MSM Is Fucking Useless

We have to look to the little papers, the alternate media, and ourselves for the truth about the G8/G20 police state.

Thorold, Ontario Amputee Has His Artificial Leg Ripped Off By Police And Is Slammed In Makeshift Cell During G20 Summit – At Least One Ontario MPP Calls The Whole Episode “Shocking”.

Read the whole thing.

And weep.

Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20 is nearing 46,000 members from 12,000 on June 29.

ADDED: Woo. WTF? Kelly McParland quits the Kool-Aid?. 'Paul Martin was right'.

Toronto G20: Information Central

Distribute far'n'wide: fantastic resource/reporting site, G20.justice. com. We badly need a central collection spot for all the info, stories, and videos flying about and this looks like it.

Intimidation. Assault. Humiliation. Sexual Assault. Threat. Bullying. Kidnapping. Lying. Break & Entering. Stealing. Pre-emptive Arrests. Illegal House Raids. Vandalism. Destroying Public Property. Illegal Detention. Illegal Arrests. Enciting Rioting.

What do the above have in common? If you were in downtown Toronto during the G20 Summit, then no explanation is needed. If you've only been watching mainstream media - then you more than likely haven't seen the exemplary performances of our country's finest.

With pages on Charter rights, official contact information, Criminal Code, 'Evidence' (an effort to document a timeline of events), personal stories, and 'Lineup' (an effort to identify security officers, vandals, and agents provocateurs behaving badly).

From the Lineup page a list of participating police forces and security companies.


RCMP

Toronto Police

Peel Regional Police

Ontario Provincial Police

JTF2

Barrie Police

Calgary Police

Dryden Police

Durham Regional Police

Edmonton Police

Halton Regional Police

Hamilton Police Service
Kenora Police

Kingston Police

Montreal Police

Niagara Regional Police

Ottawa Police Services (ESU)

Royal Newfoundland Police

Saskatoon Police
Sudbury Police

Waterloo Regional Police

York Police

Barrie Court Services

Toronto Court Services

Contemporary International

Group 4 Falck

InterCon Security / ADT

Securitas

Zow, that's a lotta cops and rent-a-cops. (Dryden cops needed a taste of big city lights?)

The people behind the site say they're volunteers and seem also to be members of the Facebook group Canadian Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20.

Great work! And, sadly, lots more work to do.

And it's a great place to send acquaintances who believe the msm and refuse to look further. Hey, Teach! This site's for you!

Taking a walk on the Dark Side. . .

To see if/how the G20 insanity is still in play.

The story seems to have dropped off the radar at Blithering Tories (CC, we miss you), except for a little smirking over McGuilty's taking some heat from the left.

Different story at Free Dominion. There are three current threads on G20 policing. And while there is the expected 'club the dirty hippies like baby seals' stuff (somebody actually said that, not at the Freaks, but in the comments on a CBC story), there are some surprisingly sensible comments. Or, it could just be the group's proclivity for conspiracy theories and/or distrust of govmint.

In 'Police Provocateurs at all G8 Events', my pal Connie responds to Madrod.

Madrod: To my mind, the Toronto Police Chief has been trying to equate in peoples minds that legit protesters are in the same league as terrorists and anarchists.

Connie: So have a lot of people here.

In 'Black Bloc/Black Ops at the G20', they are speculating whether all or only some of the window-smashers and cop-car-torchers were cops.

Things get really heated in 'More T.O. Cops as Anarchists, Communists & Rapists'. There is some serious cop-bashing going on.

One poster quotes in full a letter sent to Mark Steyn, but I'll save you the click and do it too.

Mark, I live a few blocks from the mayhem we saw a few days ago in Toronto. I’m delighted the police finally clamped down on the criminals, but the optics of last Saturday were a disaster. After I watched on TV the outrageous vandalism of the criminals, with the police— vast hordes of them— standing by, I phoned the Toronto PD to lay a complaint about their astonishing stand down. From start to finish (five calls in about ten minutes) I was treated with the utmost contempt and unprofessionalism by “Toronto’s Finest”. My interactions were reasonable and courteous, though firm.

Here’s what happened:

1) I called; the officer gave me her badge number and said she had no idea about what was happening on the streets. I told her of burning police cruisers and violence, and she claimed to have no clue about this. I said I was very pro-police, but was appalled by their lack of action. I told the officer, who continued to claim ignorance of the situation, that this would be a PR disaster for the police. I then asked how I’d lay a complaint. I was given the phone number of the complaints department.

2) I called the number. The voice mail box, for a “Beverley Picard”, not identified as a police officer, was full. I phoned again. Same thing.

3) I called the number again. I did not get the badge number of the person who answered. I explained that I seemed to have a wrong number for the “complaints department”. Then, with no explanation offered to me for the number I’d been given, this person simply, electronically, passed me on to a line at 52 Division (police headquarters).

4) I repeated my support for the police and my complaint about them standing by while their own cruisers were on fire and vandals were openly damaging property with no arrests. “Oh no,” said the woman on the other end of the phone. “Yes, police cruisers are burning while the police watch,” I said. “OH NO,” said the woman on the line. I then said, “I get the impression that you’re not being serious here. I think, perhaps, you’re being sarcastic.” She hung up on me!

5) Back to the original number. Another officer answered and was sorry for my troubles. When I said I paid taxes to be “served and protected,” she said, “I pay taxes too.” She then informed me that my original contact didn’t exist. “Perhaps you wrote the badge number down incorrectly,” she suggested. In fact, this officer actually said there was no “complaints department” number, and that I should get in touch with my MP or with 52 Division in person after the G20 is over. (Right… as if I think dealing face to face with such do-nothings and ho-hum enablers would accomplish anything.)

6) I then tried Chief Blair’s phone number. The phone rang and rang. Then there was a click. Then there was the dial tone again...

“Toronto’s Finest”? My reasonable interaction with these people, with its multiple non-sequiturs and contradictions, leads me to think the police are cretins: it was like interacting with the Red Queen in Wonderland. Yes, the police were under pressure, but it seems that I, a concerned, supportive citizen, was given the royal dismissive run-around by these four seemingly unengaged women. So much for “To Serve and Protect”!

So this is the new, unimproved way our society deals with thugs and bullies in all public places: make things safe for the bullies. Figuratively declaw and demean all competent adults responsible for the well being of the well behaved, while pussy-footing around in order to protect the rights of the bad guy. The rights of the good guys? You must be joking!

(name withheld)
Toronto, Ontario

Also from comments at CBC, a former staunch supporter of police said s/he started to change her/his mind over the Robert Dziekanski case and that recent events have sealed the deal.

So. Is another front developing in our ongoing campaign to Divide the Right? This time a schism between lawnorder (as JJ styles it) cons and libertarian cons?

We at DJ! will try our darnedest to help.

Of course, cops will always have their groupies. For a giggle, check out the Support for the TPS and G20 Security Officers Facebook group, with at last peek 2268 members.

In contrast, the FB group demanding a public inquiry will hit 39,000 members pretty soon, probably within the hour.

Authoritarian WIN!

Honest to Gord, somedays I despair.

The majority of Torontonians believe police actions against G20 protesters were justified, according to a new poll.

The Angus Reid poll, which surveyed 1,003 Canadians and 503 Torontonians, found that 73 per cent of Torontonians and two-thirds of Canadians believe police treatment of protesters was justified during the G20 summit.

It's true. We get the fucking government we deserve.


ADDED: There's something wrong with Blogger. I just approved 3 comments -- from Brian, Kateland, and Chet -- and they disappeared. Grrrrrr. They were good too. Hopeful, even.

OY: So, Chet's and Kateland's show up. Brian is still missing and one I just approved from Dave doesn't appear. I'm beginning to get a little paranoid.

I GIVE UP: Comments seem to be taking a side trip to Huntsville before appearing.

Me and Connie Again, Demanding an Inquiry into Toronto G20

Remember about a month ago when I blogged about belonging to a very exclusive (for a minute) club -- just Connie Fournier and me?

I've just returned the favour. She's very big on freedom of expression, albeit from the waaaay rightwing end of the spectrum, so I sent her a message suggesting that if she found the events over the G20 protests in Toronto as appalling as any right-thinking ;) person would, she might consider joining the group, Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20.

She thanked me for the heads-up and said she would join.

But alas, it's not such an exclusive club this time. Membership just zoomed past 16,000 to nearly 16,500 from just over 11,000 this morning.

And there are some real movers and shakers in the group. Already a rally is planned for Canada Day.

Rally for a Public Inquiry Concerning the Actions at the G20

Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010
Time: 2:30pm - 11:30pm
Location: Queens Park (in front of the legislature)
Street: Queens Park Crescent
City/Town: Toronto, ON

Feet on the street time again.

TIME CHANGE: Rally begins at 5:30 p.m.

No. We Will Not Forget.

As usual, our lords and masters are betting on the fact that we'll forget about the travesty that was the G20 in Toronto.

The inevitable Facebook group, Canadians Demanding an Inquiry into Toronto G20, has been created and it is already attracting attention. CBC reports that as of this morning it already had a membership of 11,400. Just now, when I joined, the membership stood at 11,785.

Let's zoom up the membership on it and get some more attention.