Ruminations 8.0: G20 Summit Follow-Up

First things first, something that will be relevant only to readers who like myself are native Torontonians or those who have a penchant for humanitarian goodwill. The Toronto Star needs to drop the whole police abuse of protesters rant they've been on for months.

If you require a refresher, I wrote a piece about the G20 Summit in Toronto a few months back. Apparently the local paper has it out for the police and their handling of the situation. A man named Adam Nobody has filed complaints against the police for an unlawful beating at their hands as a result of his supposed peaceful protests.

Mr. Nobody, who should shut-up and seek anonymity like his name suggests, suffered a broken nose and some facial lacerations, and because of this has become the cause of concern for the Star and it's anti-police agenda.

Apparently Mr. Nobody was holding a sign that read "Let Donna Graduate". If you recall either Beverly Hills 90210 or my installments on the topic of the show, you'll remember that Donna Martin (played by Tori Spelling) was kicked-out of school just prior to graduation. Without a high school education, the future looked bleak for Donna. Because of her physical appearance, odds are she'd be sent-out to stud for a few months before being slaughtered and refined into glue.

Eventually, the school wilted under the pressure of Mr. Spelling's script and allowed Donna to graduate. Thank God for that. Mr. Nobody thought his sign would incite laughter because of its trivial nature, and it did, at least I laughed when I heard it, but nonetheless the police were put in a difficult situation.

Amongst thousands of police, it can be expected that there were a few bad apples. The Toronto Star clearly has a few, just read the entertainment section (not including Peter Howell, Ben Rayner or Richard Ouznanian) or the GTA section (which amounts to 8 pages of journalistic diarrhea) to confirm that within each sub-section of the work force, there are those who take less pride in their work than others.

The Toronto Star is painting a picture that casts doubts on the entire force, pigeonholing the 99% who are upstanding police officers into the same category as the few that allegedly committed brutal and violent attacks during the G20 Summit.

Were I, or any of my readers put in a situation with our backs to the wall and a handful of violent protesters wreaking havoc amongst the civil and peaceful lot, I wonder how you or I would have reacted.

I think, nay I know, that one skids broken nose and the misuse of power of a single police officer does not necessitate front-page news months after the fact.

The Toronto Star, you are my jerk of the week. Enjoy.

By no means does the above opinion have anything to do with the fact that the Star has repeatedly turned-down the authors query letters and freelance work because it's too fucking cheap to hire real writers, after letting-go of much of their senior staff because they are moving-away from salaries and towards contract work for recent grads with whom they can play puppet master.

G G G G G20. G-Unit.

As the G20 Summit fast-approaches, and this year's host and my hometown of Toronto braces itself for the worst-case scenario of unlawfully violent protesting and property damage, a radically alternative thought has crossed my mind. The best way to protest the summit, its members and their policies would be to not show up at all. What better way to mock the meetings and the millions of dollars spent on security, fencing and additional police than by having it all for naught.

Worldwide media outlets covering the annual gathering would report scenes of tranquility and wasted security measures with the city's downtown core resembling a scene from a post-apocalyptic film. Could a better statement be made by protests? No. Protests are within our rights as a people of a democratic western nation and are for the most part peaceful, however even if the crowds are %95 well-behaved and merely vocal, the other %5 who smash windows and deface buildings are the ones who get all the press and merit the millions of dollars spent on security.


An angry English protester shows his distaste for world markets/Band-Aids. Apparently angst is not as good of a coagulent as initially thought

Has a violent protest ever changed anything for the better? In 2009, a G20 Summit was held in London, and protesters, both violent and well-behaved, lined the streets of the Bank district, the financial centre near St. Paul's Cathedral. Bank windows were smashed and brick walls were tagged by protesters, however months later, the demonstrations of free speech are viewed as more of a headache than any catalyst for change. I've recently walked down these very streets in London and no evidence remains of these protests. The summit changes locations, the host cities prepare themselves, there are a few days of stress and apprehension, then all that remains is a massive clean-up and removal of security fences.


A protester in London smashes a RBS branch windows. The same man was also recently seen protesting a fitness convention in Sheffield.

A perimeter known as the "Red Zone" has been set-up downtown surrounding the Convention Centre and surrounding hotels where much of the action will be taking place. 3 metre high fencing surrounds this area, with openings featuring security checkpoints available for those who must enter the perimeter (there are several condos, restaurants and offices in the "Red Zone".) Hundreds of businesses and thousands of employees and residents of the area are being greatly affected by the summit. Many people are being forced out of their offices for the week, and several others who do not have such an option have been forced to acquire security cards and present valid photo identification at security crossings. The Blue Jays interleague series against the Philadelphia Phillies and ex-Jay and talisman starting pitcher Roy Halladay has been moved to Philly as a precautionary measure. I had tickets and must say of all the changes taking place in my city to accomodate the meetings, this is the one that really has my blood boiling. I assume that spending hundreds of millions of dollars on security was not sufficient to ensure the safety of a few dozen thousand baseball fans.


A map of the designated secure area in Toronto's downtown core.

As residents of a democratic nation, we have the inherent right to protest government institutions and their policies. As it so often happens, because of a handful of angst-ridden wannabe revolutionaries, these protests turn violent, giving a bad name to all those in attendance and creating problems rather than solving any.

People of Toronto and those surrounding areas who choose to protest, I respect your passion for policy change and the criticism of corrupt or power-abusive world leaders and bureaucracies, however I implore you to stay home and take a passive approach towards this year's G20 Summit. Let's laugh at the security precautions and waste of taxpayer's money, not be the laughing-stock ourselves for our sophomoric behaviour.