G20 Mayhem

Greetings all,

I was going to go to a barbecue last night and was making my way to take the streetcar. I was on Queen and saw 3 streetcars stopped with their lights flashing. I had figured this line was down due the G20. There are multiple street car lines parallel to Queen so I decided to try the Dundas line and someone said the line wasn't working. So I finally made my way to the College St line and it wasn't working either.

I decided to head home and I had my friend call me to see how I was doing and I had found out some rioting was going on in the downtown core. I live just outside the core, according to the Toronto map so I am far enough away from the madness. Apparently some cop cars were set on fire and people were destroying buildings. It's near where I work as we are 2 blocks from University Avenue, which is where most of the chaos was occurring. We aren't scheduled to return to the office until Tuesday so hopefully things will have settled down by then.

I was quite angry to hear about these Black Bloc anarchists just being destructive and not legitimately having a real protest. This is my city and I don't want that kind of nonsense going on! I just think these people are unhappy with their lives and just use this as an excuse to misbehave. Why can't they channel their anger in more productive ways and take a boxing class?

Obviously, these G20 meetings should take place in a remote island or something because every where they go, riots happen. It's too much stress for people in the city to endure and it causes too much disruption to businesses. You know, if you want to have your precious meetings, please do so but it's too disruptive to people and there is a better way to have these meetings.

I know some protesters are against these cops and antagonize them and then they get upset at them. We obviously need a police presence. I saw one video where the cops are blocking off a section and these people (I don't know if they are protesters) are saying that this is not democratic. Just because people are blocked from something, doesn't mean the cops are being fascist! Sometimes roads get closed due to construction. Does that mean we live in a fascist country?

Obviously these cops aren't perfect but they are to help keep things from getting out of control. They are just doing their job, why hate on them?

This was the video I was referencing. I really don't know who is behind the video. He says they are being herded in and that they want to go home. I don't know if there was an alternate way for them to go, but in cases like these, I think if you want to go home, it might be best to find an alternate route! Why aggravate and antagonize people who are already in a highly stressed state? Just asking for trouble!



I ended up leaving the city as I was planning to go to a pot luck in Brantford with my older book group so I was going to go to Hamilton on Sunday. I hope things settle down today.

On the way to Hamilton, I was listening to the radio and heard someone being interviewed about why they were destroying the Star bucks. I don't know if this person was arrested. He made no sense. Said something about Zionists and that we have to stand up to Fascism. Something about Star bucks being responsible for social problems. I think he was just using it as a scapegoat. The only problem I could see blaming Star bucks is not treating their workers fairly and exploiting them and not being fairtrade. I don't know enough about them, but even if they weren't evolved, what good is it going to do to destroy their building? They have so many and this will not get your message through.

I had heard the mayor say that these people that are being this way are criminals and that they have told the police that protesting is allowed, provided they are peaceful and that it is a Canadian value to allow protesting. Now I don't know how well these cops followed these orders or even how well these orders were given to cops.

It really just ruins it for the rest of the people who are trying to voice their concerns.