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talkpoliticsA report was released on Thursday on the police response to the G20 summit held in Toronto one year ago today. It was a weekend that we, the citizens of Toronto, sat spellbound in front of our TVs as we watched our city burn and watched our police department not only fail to protect our city but to act in unwarranted and illegal ways. 1,118 people were arrested, some without cause, just peaceful protesters caught up in the sweeps. 39 of them sustained injuries during the arrests. Some of those arrested were held in a temporary detention centre set up for the summit. It was so disorganized that some were held for over 24 hours without being given access to a lawyer. Police have admitted to losing track of belongings and even whether the arrestees had been fed. On the 2nd day of protests police bafflingly blocked off an intersection downtown, trapping protesters, bystanders and reporters in the rain for hours. The protesters involved had shown no signs of violence before the blockade. Despite numerous reports of police brutality, some even caught on film, only 2 police officers have been charged in connection to their actions during the summit and both cases are still pending. Civil liberty groups have filed class action suits against the police.
While the majority of the protesters during that weekend were peaceful, a group of roughly 1000 called the Black Bloc by the media as they all wear black to identify themselves to one another (many were caught on film after the violence changing clothes to avoid detection) broke free of the crowd at one point and began smashing windows, vandalizing, looting and even setting police cars on fire.
The report claims that the police were unprepared to handle this type of tactic. They admit to being "overwhelmed by the intensity of the sustained, serious and widespread criminality and public disorder". The report also reveals that at 7:30 in the evening on the first day of protests Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair gave the order for police to arrest all protesters who had not dispersed. Police began using tear gas on the crowds and using violent methods to take down those who failed to leave. They admit to having too few trained riot police and are blaming poor communication due to faulty or overwhelmed radios.
While I understand that this was the first time Toronto police have faced this level of violent protest the excuse of 'we didn't know what we were doing' does not sit well with me. Every G20 summit is met with this level of resistance, if not worse. Toronto police could have easily received guidance from other cities where summits were previously held. 1.2 billion dollars was spent on this summit. A great deal of that went into security, including a fence that blocked off the area of downtown where the meetings were being held. Businesses and homes were inside that security zone and it was necessary to show ID to get in and out of the area. At the time rumours were floated in the media that failing to show ID could lead to arrest. Police waited until after the summit to dispel this notion.
I have always been one to trust in the police, however the events of that weekend and the release of this report have shaken that level of confidence and security in me. The Toronto Police department failed us on that weekend and this report does not even begin to address that wrong-doing.
While the majority of the protesters during that weekend were peaceful, a group of roughly 1000 called the Black Bloc by the media as they all wear black to identify themselves to one another (many were caught on film after the violence changing clothes to avoid detection) broke free of the crowd at one point and began smashing windows, vandalizing, looting and even setting police cars on fire.
The report claims that the police were unprepared to handle this type of tactic. They admit to being "overwhelmed by the intensity of the sustained, serious and widespread criminality and public disorder". The report also reveals that at 7:30 in the evening on the first day of protests Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair gave the order for police to arrest all protesters who had not dispersed. Police began using tear gas on the crowds and using violent methods to take down those who failed to leave. They admit to having too few trained riot police and are blaming poor communication due to faulty or overwhelmed radios.
While I understand that this was the first time Toronto police have faced this level of violent protest the excuse of 'we didn't know what we were doing' does not sit well with me. Every G20 summit is met with this level of resistance, if not worse. Toronto police could have easily received guidance from other cities where summits were previously held. 1.2 billion dollars was spent on this summit. A great deal of that went into security, including a fence that blocked off the area of downtown where the meetings were being held. Businesses and homes were inside that security zone and it was necessary to show ID to get in and out of the area. At the time rumours were floated in the media that failing to show ID could lead to arrest. Police waited until after the summit to dispel this notion.
I have always been one to trust in the police, however the events of that weekend and the release of this report have shaken that level of confidence and security in me. The Toronto Police department failed us on that weekend and this report does not even begin to address that wrong-doing.
(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 15:38 (UTC)I wish the regular protesters would just rip these guys to shreds.
(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 15:49 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 15:54 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 16:50 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 18:21 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 19:44 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 20:41 (UTC)You
Can
Not
Win
!
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 00:24 (UTC)That's the thing that really pisses me off, If you really want to kill those who disagree with you, dorp the pretense and do it.
Just call it what it is.
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 00:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:39 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 18:26 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 20:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 23:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 16:42 (UTC)I have the sense the Vancouver riots were predictable, preventable and entirely the police's fault for standing back. Vancouver cops were all but absent during the chaos which inevitably made it worse. They barely made 100 arrests that night, when they probably should have arrested thousands.
OTOH The Toronto riot seemed well contained with limited damage in comparrison. Toronto's cops didn't seem to instigate the situation (Black Bloc did). While cops may have had incidents during the chaos that might have made it worse, (detaining hundreds, etc) for the most part they made a bad situation better.
(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 16:57 (UTC)There may be more arrests to come in Vancouver as they are using a similar tactic to Toronto is using photos received after the fact to identify people.
(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 17:05 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 23:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 02:14 (UTC)Having a strong, visible police presence helps to prevent outbreaks of violence and looting. Early intervention by police, even if it is just a warning, can prevent trouble from spreading and getting out of hand.
One thing that was nice to see in Vancouver was private citizens, of their own initiative and at their own risk, standing up to the thugs and hooligans and actually managing to prevent some of the damage. The Vancouver police, who are paid to serve and protect, and who are, we hope, experts in dealing with law enforcement problems, dropped the ball. It's just sad.
What's worse? Vancouver. The G20 and other big conferences are thug magnets, attracting major league violent protestors, their handlers and their supporters from around the world. The police response wasn't stellar. But Vancouver was a darned hockey game.
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 02:16 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 02:32 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 16:53 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 17:25 (UTC)I can understand individual police officers feeling overwhelmed and besieged in the situation. Add in people who show up just to start shit and a lot of confusing things can result.
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:41 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 16:48 (UTC)The cops didn't handle this all that well, but they were given a ridiculous task by the elected morons.
(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 17:04 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 17:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 17:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 18:20 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:42 (UTC)This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 26/6/11 18:28 (UTC)Does no one learn?
Re: This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 26/6/11 22:49 (UTC)Re: This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 27/6/11 01:44 (UTC)Re: This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 27/6/11 02:02 (UTC)Re: This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 27/6/11 15:23 (UTC)Re: This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 27/6/11 14:48 (UTC)Re: This sounds a lot like Seattle in '99.
Date: 20/11/11 17:51 (UTC)if you hadnt been wearing that gasmask the rubber bullet may have hit your eye and killed you, no?
thank the non-existent lord for the little things...
(no subject)
Date: 26/6/11 21:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 00:52 (UTC)Perhaps a more reasonable response would be for those who put these events on to tell the protesters that they've won and either give up on having large meetings or start scheduling them in repressive places.
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:15 (UTC)Unfortunately we usually end up with this nonsense, because to avoid seeming common, leaders opt for no sense!
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:21 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 06:20 (UTC)The last G8 in France was peaceful. The anti-globalists organized protests in several towns except Deauville. Result : the Black bloc guys were in too small numbers to do anything.
(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 01:38 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 04:21 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/6/11 14:50 (UTC)