Hamid Adem
Contributor
The rising global Occupy movements are definitely a positive step, stemming from the initial Occupy Wall Street protest which called for equal distribution of wealth.
In essence, these movements are meant to express the people’s opinions and have their voices heard. But ultimately, is the Occupy Toronto movement going to have the same effect as it has for our southern neighbours? I followed the crowd for the protest, which began October 15 and is still continuing today.
Most protesters view the police as a problem or an opposing force. But I had a very different experience with them this past Saturday.
At one point, I asked three
stationed officers nearby where the nearest bathroom was. Very courteously, they helped me find one. It’s easy to have a biased view of police at protests, but they were there to keep the peace. It was a very far cry from police behaviour at the G20.
Along the way I stumbled into a delightful muffin shop called “Mystic Muffins”. The owner was serving a variety of baked goods to many protesters, even staying open two hours after the shop’s closing time.
The store was so quaint and comfortable that you didn’t want to leave. Even after running out of ingredients (cookies, samosas, and falafels were first to go), the owner continued to operate and offered other delicious wares in place. This bakery is definitely a place I’ll come back to in the near future.
One of the surprising faces I saw in St. James Park was Bob Rae, interim leader of the Liberal party, who was being interviewed by various news media outlets. It seemed a bit odd for him to be at the protest. But his presence showed that he supports the protesters, or at least wants to identify with them. He left briefly after some interviews.
The weather, on the other hand, was not supportive at all. Despite it all, protesters camping out at St. James Park remained resilient.
Dave Vasey, a recent York graduate with a masters in environmental science, was one of the volunteer marshals. When asked how long the group will remain camped in the park, he simply replied, “until capitalism collapses.”
As I type this from the comfort of my bed, I can only hope that they keep warm in their overnight tents and sleeping bags.
In an interesting twist of events, there was also a wedding going on in the church next to where the protest was being held. After realizing this, the volunteer marshals from Occupy Toronto quickly helped clear the sidewalk for the wedding party. Even the police stationed to keep an eye on the protesters had a hand in helping out. This will definitely be an interesting story for the bride and groom to tell their future kids.
Overall, will this protest accomplish something? Or will it end with an unexpected police intervention? There are still many unknowns concerning the future of Occupy Toronto.
The fact of the matter is that we are not in the same economic situation or crisis that the US, or even Europe, are facing. Moreover, that fact that Canadians can protest without fear of violence is a testament to how respected our democratic rights are in this country.
I would say we are doing a lot better than most other countries, both economically and democratically.
But the central message being represented here in Toronto is that the people ultimately have a choice to stand for what they believe in and make a change, one day at a time. And although their message is being criticized in the media for being weak, I commend their determination and efforts to exercise their democratic rights.
