It’s a sad sad day in Toronto. I can’t tell you how sad I am. I watched it on TV for hours as tears slid down my face. I am just broken hearted and devasted.
We have protestors on a daily basis in Toronto. But last night even 20,000 available police officers temperarily lost control of our streets and it was scary.
It’s too early to completely process my thoughts. Wondering how long Granny in Long Johns stayed. I wouldn’t even have gone. And we are expecting more of it today.
This is the very first time in our history that Toronto has ever had tear gas used at a demonstration.
The anarchist or Black Block people, or rather criminals trashed our city, high jacked a peaceful protest and violence reigned for hours and hours. I finally fell asleep and got up first thing this morning to read if anyone was killed.
And we still have a final day of the summit.
The G20 Summit that nobody wanted here. Nobody wanted in the center of our city.
I personally place blame and responsibility at the feet of our minority conservative government and PM Steven Harper. At the feet of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, and at the feet of Toronto Mayor David Miller.
For insisting that our downtown core was the place and risking our lives and permenently tarnishing our city with this disaster.
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http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/829194–behind-the-black-bloc-mob
so sad and so shocking…so sorry
and so I, like many in Toronto have had the day and night to realize how naive I am. these things, this violence doesn’t happen in Toronto. We have never seen anything like it.
and now I’m beginning to get really angry against the so called peaceful protestors, whom the black Bloc hide in their midst. why can’t they protest another day? if they are so peaceful. why can’t they back off and let the police do their work? which is, after all to promote and protect the security of the G20 security fence? and protect our world leaders?
The police have enhanced powers to ask for identification, to direct, to protect under these very unusual cirucumstance. And I say, Yes……..it is needed. And Yes I agree.
Those of us over 40 remember Pierre Elliot Trudeau enacted the War Measures Act in Montreal in 1960′s. This to my knowledge was our first experience with terrorists. And history has proven him to be right.
Yes we have the right to protest. Peaceful protest. We have it every day in Toronto. In front of our embassies, in our goverment buildings, at every City Hall.
But what happened to prudence and common sense? These supposedly peaceful protesters are getting in the way of police and public order. They are allowing in their gathering, the opportunity for the Black Bloc Anarchist to gather in their midst. Allowing, with or without their knowledge. It happened again this morning, within minutes of the a peaceful protest, a sit in. And immediately someone revealed himself as a Black Bloc movement.
Toronto is now divided. The right to protest or not to protest. In view of this highly unusual circumstance of the G20 Summit, I say: Protesters Go Home! Exercise your right to peaceful protest another day.
Thugs. This happens at every summit. When G20 was in Pittsburgh last year, businesses in the area closed. My daughter’s company bussed all 100+ of its customer service people to temp offices in our town 5 hours away for the duration because they were afraid no one would come to work when the violence broke out (and it did). And I don’t see the point of continuing, since they have no impact on the summit and they aren’t getting anywhere with swaying public opinion. Except to commit more thuggery.
I see your point in where you place the blame. Pittsburghers were against holding the summit there too, based on the history of violence and destruction. But it went on anyway. They always think they will have a better handle on the situation than their predecessors and it will bring in lots of money. But the thugs always do their thing. I’ve often thought that they should hold their summits someplace harder to reach – monastery in Tibet, middle of the Brazilian rain forest, maybe.
I’m sorry this happened in Toronto – one of the friendliest cities (to outsiders, anyway) I have ever visited. There is a silver lining – G20 will never be held in Toronto again.
This is the photo showing the brute police force. A tactic called kettling. It’s disgusting. The police held these people for up to 6 hours in the pouring rain and lightening. These are not protesters. They are just people walking along the street in their own neighborhoods.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/news/boxed-in-and-arrested-on-queen-street-west/article1621942/
Hi Nana,
I am so sorry this is happening to your city. However, I have to disagree with you on the blame. The blame lies with the people committing the crime. PERIOD. These are leftist, communist people who have no respect for the rights of others. Where is the outrage from the VN ladies? I find it interesting that a bunch of older right wing folks (e.g. tea partiers) bring such outrage yet your post has gone basically ignored at all this leftist violence. I am not condoning the actions of either. Just saying………
Hi Olga:
Thanks for your response. Our entire city is traumatized. We spent 1.5 billion dollars on security, and the police lost control. The Black Bloc consisted of a small group. Some say 50. The highest # I’ve seen in the press was 300 Black Bloc. And we had 20,000 police in the city.
Saturday the press praised the police for constraint and policing services. Sunday, it was a whole different story. Everyone got picked up. 900 people at one time! This is shown on the link above.
It’s hideous. Everybody is blaming everybody. The federal government refuses to compensate for the damage, the provincial government issued enhanced police powers for the event, the protesters became a large part of the problem.
There is something really really wrong with the entire picture. All this confusion. All this backtracking and nay saying and shifting of blame between the provincial and federal governments.
I’m sure no city in the world will voluntarily have a G20 Summit after what has happened here.
And it wasn’t about just the 2 day event. We’ve been under seige for over a month of preparations. It’s been horrible.
I was just talking to one of my stepdaughters who lives right downtown. She went out in the morning, and couldn’t get home again. And with the kids in the car got caught in the mileu. She said the street looked just like DARTH VADAR invasion. All the police in full riot gear, gas masks, face shields, body shields, batons, guns. Scared the hell out of the kids. She finally made it into her underground garage and locked herself in for the weekend.
I can’t tell you how we feel raped and plundered and abused and betrayed on every level. As a city!
And that chaos and confusion is the intent of these anarchists. If they can’t get what they want, then they just make sure their opposition doesn’t get what they want either. It’s just plain WRONG.