As most Torontonians, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon glued to my television watching the events unfold in downtown Toronto, my jaw on the floor for most of it. I could not believe what I was watching. Looting. Vandalism. Violence. Cars on fire ... Hospitals and malls on lockdown. Transit systems shut down. Thousands of police in riot gear ... What the hell was going on?!? Was this REALLY happening in Toronto??
Photo Credit: Saul Porto, Reuters
It looked like a scene out of a war zone that, to be perfectly honest, scared the shit out of me.
Considering all the disturbing images I was seeing, nothing was more startling then what Mayor David Miller said during his numerous television appearances. He was stressing that the city is safe and to go about your regular day. Go out and enjoy the Jazz Festval events, the various soccer celebrations, and spend time with friends and family.
Huh? Excuse me? Are we seeing the same things unfold, or are you in another dimension? Had I gone about my "regular day" yesterday I would have been trapped in The Eaton Centre with no way to get home. Mayor Miller: YOU take a look at the pictures from yesterday and tell me if YOU would feel safe going about your regular day yesterday, even if it was in a totally separate part of the city. Would you want your children out and about last night? How 'bout your wife? Would you feel confident that you would be able to get home on the TTC? Would you feel comfortable knowing that 4 of the city's major hospitals were on lockdown? And what about today -- will you be out with your family "enjoying what our city has to offer?"
Now what I'm watching on CP24 is a huge police raid on the U of T campus. A number of arrests have been made in connection with the violence yesterday and many bags of evidence have been collected. So tell me this: will this violent behaviour disappear when the G20 is over? If this raid is happening at a major university campus, how can the Mayor say that the events that took place yesterday were caused by "outside sources?" How can I feel confident that I can run errands downtown this week?
I know that everyone has a right to protest, and I would be the last one to disagree with that. But what's NOT acceptable is the level of violent behaviour that took place yesterday. There were families peacefully protesting yesterday that were suddenly in this mob of violence. Children people!!!! THINK before you ACT!!!
I'm from a small town where you don't see police in riot gear, cars ablaze, and "gas deterrents" being fired into crowds of people. I don't know about the rest of you, but this Torontonian will need some time before she feels comfortable again. I was already speculative of the safety in our city, and the events yesterday certainly didn't help.
While your article was good; I feel you are being dramatic. The events were isolated to a specific part of downtown and perpetuated by cowards who took advantage of legitimate protestors. Mayor Miller was quite correct in every statement he made and I agree with him. With respect to a raid on U of T, most idealists are younger, perhaps simple police work pointed to a group of students who acted out in a negative manor. Regardless, I think the police handled the events in the best possible way by maintaining their parameter and acting defensively only when required. Toronto is still safe; if you are afraid of people rioting, avoid the protest zones, even though you shouldn't have to.
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