When the smoke clears
Will a real discussion about the riot yesterday take place? I doubt it, the 'law and order' types will defend the peculiar and sometimes brutal tactics of the security people and the 'free speechers' will decry the influence of the "Black Bloc" and carry on to the next demo. But there are people willing to start the discussion. See here where a correspondent is questioning the design of the event. I too watched the CBC newsworld wall to wall coverage of the happenings and wondered why the last police car to be set ablaze was just left there, in the middle of Queen St with the police not 50 yards away just watching; probably as bait for the Black Bloc guys. Still the whole deal made the right-wing radio stations happy, Arlene Bynon of 640 AM was almost orgasmic in her anticipation of someone getting punched out. At least Mansbridge was statesmanly in his approach to the feeds and reporters. Susan Ormanston will need a couple of days off after the feeds she was involved in.
Here is another conspiracy theorist story about the way the protest may have been encouraged to justify the outrageous costs of security.
A "Rabble.ca" report of a journo who was arrested in a rather rough fashion for disobedience.
Follow the comments in this thread to see more opinion about the theory that the police encouraged the protest by their inaction and dereliction of duty.
Here is another conspiracy theorist story about the way the protest may have been encouraged to justify the outrageous costs of security.
A "Rabble.ca" report of a journo who was arrested in a rather rough fashion for disobedience.
Follow the comments in this thread to see more opinion about the theory that the police encouraged the protest by their inaction and dereliction of duty.
14 comments:
A billion$dollars for security and I see the cops standing around watching as the black mob smashes windows and trashes businesses on Queen and Yonge Streets.
Meanwhile, up at Queen's Park, at least a mile from the G20 security zone, armoured cops and their horse calvary repeatedly charge into peaceful demonstrators who are just standing around.
It seems a citizen no longer has the right to be on the streets anymore if the cops decide to move you on. Extravagant waste, foolish planning, twisted priorities and stained democracy.
Such an incompetent government!
that the billion dollar security was in place to protect the world 'leaders(?)'inside the G20 compound, not the rest of the world OUTSIDE the fences. In a free state, NO amount of money can solve that problem.
Objective thinking, if that's possible, can find some explanations of how this was handled, but the results are a product of reactions to reactions reacting to actions that begin very benignly. The insane and really sad part is that in the end, it will only mean even more of the same pointlessness in the future, given the objectives of all the various factions involved. The real progress won't come until power is distributed in proportion to the intrinsic value of the participants.
Let`s hope the public isn`t gullible enough to buy into the police spin on all this. I see the ultimate prototype for the Crooked Cop, Julian Fantino, has stuck himself right in for all the fun.
We can expect the most outrageously inflammatory comments to come from him in the next few days. Blair is just a neophyte in this game; Fantino the all time champ.
The appointment of Fantino as grand poobah of the OPP was the single decision that convinced me Dalton McGuinty was just as bent.
The arrest tally is now at 600 and counting. Harper is already on record trying to justify the billion spent on security as needed because of the "thugs".
I have nothing but respect for the protesters who braved this insane spectacle to try and make their point. The fact that extreme elements got all the publicity is a terrible shame. As usual, the message is lost.
I was struck by the media's preoccupation with sensationalism. Repetitive footage of acts of mindless acts of damage to property allowed a few thugs to hijack the attention of the salivating media. A billion dollars spent to create a three ring circus for this ?
Says it all for me:
http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/index.cfm?page_id=3&action=blog&subaction=viewpost&blog_id=43&post_id=12965
It reminds me very much of the police riot against anti-war protesters during the Democratic convention in Chicago, 1968.
Can't help but wonder if there would have been less violence and ill will if the 20,000 cops had just stayed behind their security fence ready to protect the G20 leaders with tear gas or whatever if a mob attacked, rather than roaming distant areas like Queen's Park harassing peaceful protesters and citizens simply going about their lawful business.
no matter what the decisions are, there will be second guessing and accusations by those who think they have the answer. The ultimate question is actually, "Would we rather live somewhere that leaves these decisions to the individual person, and leaves each one of us to deal with any associated risks and consequences that will arise, on our own?"
In the United States of Anerica a Commission of Inquiry was set up, which determined that it was the police that had "rioted" during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Nevertheless, the state also prosecuted the Chicago 8, then to 7, and eventually all to no avail.
The Toronto police action needs to be independently investigated.
Shallow thinkers would look at other culture/societies and find that mass arrest is a common feature of dictatorshits and other authoritarian regimes. The next step is redress of grievance. Slow, ponderous, but necessary -- it is a feature that distinguishes us from the non-democracies.
in Toronto, the evidence of what happens if the police do not act, is clear and many are asking 'why didn't they?'. Then we have the result of them acting and that has also raised questions of why act that way. It stands to reason that applying a force to a situation that is only equal to the opposing force will not result in any reduction of what's being contained; the corrective measures have to be greater to achieve a reduction. What would any of the critics do differently? Theories are all well and good, until they are put into action. That's when all the variables change and all the planning has to turn to improvisation on the fly. As long as humans are involved, there are variables and they generate even more as things deteriorate. If you want unrestricted liberty, get out of the fray - it's a big world. If you insist on being in the thick of things, be prepared to meet well publicized restrictions. You don't permit total freedom in your own space (home, etc) so why would you demand it in someone else's? Duh!
The binary thinking of trying2bakesense; either it is this or that, belies the tossaway of complexity of human being. An inquiry is conducted to expose flaws that offended free assembly and free speech and just cause. A good independent inquiry conducted dispassionately would isolate and illuminate issues that would need rectifying.
I had lived 27 years two blocks from where they corralled peaceful demonstrators at Queen/Spadina, and I could have been hauled in for walking by at that moment.
I would appreciate very much knowing what the "just cause" was that reulted in those demonstrators to have their civil rights curtailed.
most of the comments come from observations made through the lens of the media. It's no secret that blood and mayhem sells, and it is not much of a stretch to see that 'good' editing of random footage can produce some startling images that then generate opinions that use these images as the basis for their argument. As well, we have had comments televised that were completely contradictory to each other, as offered by participants, both willing and accidental, in the midst of the events that occurred.
A thorough scrutiny of ALL the events would be a good thing, but not from the position of supporting or disparaging any group or non-group, participant or bystander. That would only turn into a blame game without any useful conclusions. What should come out of that is an objective assessment of what is required in future cases that are likely to become even more catastrophic, given the objectives of those that perpetrate and those that must protect.
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