By Mark Taliano and Tori Crispo
“You Gotta Go To Know.”
New York Times reporter Thomas Freidman’s truism has been resonating recently. One would think that with the rain and cold, the Occupy Toronto movement might have lost its momentum. Not so. On October 15, the first day of the protest, there were 60 tents at St. James Park. One week later, there were 180. “You gotta go to know” though, because this wasn’t in the corporate papers.
One of many signs from the Occupy movement at the Toronto camp
The park has transformed itself from a rag-tag assemblage of hastily assembled tents to a vibrant community with a library, legal center, medical center, music center, sign-manufacturing area, garden areas, and on and on. Even more impressive, it is inhabited by a group of democratically-oriented, peaceful, and goal-directed people. You won’t find apathy here, but you will find plenty of interesting ideas.
Hira, a young “occupier” offered that everyone in the community, though different, (like the five fingers of a hand), is a Leader. It’s a refreshing notion, especially compared to the world outside the park, where it’s sometimes difficult to know who’s really “pulling the strings”.
A procession of about 1,400 people left the park in the early afternoon, wound through the barren financial district, past the Eaton’s Center, where shoppers were invited to join in (consumerism apparently trumped grassroots democracy on this day), and on to Nathan Philip’s Square.
Once there, a number of speakers, including Michele Landsberg (wife of Stephen Lewis, Canada’s former special envoy to the UN) spoke, and the grievances expressed were the same as those of many Niagara residents. One man explained that his job at a nursing home, where he is responsible for cleaning, de-contaminating and sterilizing areas, is at risk of being outsourced to lower paid, less trained workers. Such an arrangement, as has happened in Niagara, puts long term care residents at high risk. Another bemoaned the disempowerment of collective labour – another Niagara issue. The rally ended on a high note though, with Michelle Landsberg’s support of the crowd and her observation that “these movements do make a difference.”
The global “Occupy” movement is gaining traction. It is, according to Harsha Walior, in her letter to Occupy Together Movement, “creating a sense of purpose, connectedness, and emancipation in a society that otherwise breeds apathy, disenchantment, and isolation.” It’s also creating a better educated society that is craving a higher degree of social justice. These are not welcome words in corporate circles, but if they lead to a more generous, less polarized society, they are goals well worth pursuing. Corporations might prefer us not to go, but an increasing number of Canadians are discovering that they “gotta go”
Mark Taliano and Tori Crispo are Niagara area residents and contributors to Niagara At Large.
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Maybe the “Occupiers” should consider hunkering down at Friedman’s 11,000 plus square foot Palazzo Ipocrita outside Washington D.C.. I have absolutely no problem with this protest, as guaranteed under our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What I do have a problem with is the loss of public space in a municipality that prevents others from enjoying that space.
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The Friedman quote relates to journalism and reporting, and in those domains he excels, although I don’t agree with all of his positions, especially as they relate to Israel. I don’t know much about his personal life, except that he owns a hybrid vehicle. I found his book Hot, Flat And Crowded quite excellent, as are his “Green Revolution” ideas.
You noted that it is public space, and that is important from a symbolic point of view. The public is occupying what it essentially owns. I realize there are some legal issues relating to the “occupation”, which is why protestors need to maintain adequate levels of hygiene etc. I would also think that in this case the constitutional rights to assemble and the right to free speech trump municipal issues, especially since it is an open, peaceful, and inviting community.
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The taking over of this land whether privately or publicly owned is deemed as “Adverse possession” and therefore illegal. Symbolism while convenient for the cause is irrelevant, however, willingness to enforce of the law becomes paramount here.
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The Very Reverend Douglas Stoute, (rector of St.James Cathedral, located St. James Park) approves of the “occupiers” setting up camp there. He observed that “the movement is constructive, it is useful, and it is necessary.”
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Since St. James Park is a City of Toronto park it makes no difference that the Very Reverend has given his approval.
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The Pope supports the “Robin Hood Tax” (Financial Transaction Tax). There will be a huge “Robin Hood” march this weekend.
France and Germany also support it.
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The Very Reverend is married to Ontario Superior Court Justice Benotto and while he may personally support “the cause” should know that his spouse has sworn to uphold the law and this occupation is by definition illegal. The morality of the circumstance is another issue.
Certainly, we have seen in the last two hundred years, religious denominations advocate against injustice. I’m currently doing family research on my father’s side. Both sides of my grandparents family were American who came to Canada at different times and under different circumstances. One side were Philadelphia based Quakers and the other Loyalists who were Wesleyan Methodists from Connecticut. There is a rich history of abolitionism with both these groups. I relish that history as one of the great movements towards the elimination of slavery.
The question I would ask, since Mark has invoked mention of an Anglican minister, is this movement a 21st century comparable to the abolition movement or perhaps equally important, the suffragette movement?
P.S.- sorry for the digression into some family history.
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Well, one of the keynote speakers was Michelle Lansberg, who, I understand, espouses feminist causes, but she doesn’t represent the movement, nor does anybody, which is part of the movement’s strength.
The movement itself is not a “counter-culture” type movement, because the demographics show that it basically represents the whole culture, including unions, and probably members from all political parties.
The movement can’t be pigeon-holed, but it is also about democracy, and our obligation to demand a strong democracy. The “permit” issue ties in with this. Naomi Wolf, for example, sees permits (for park assemblies) as a stealthy tactic to erode democratic rights by trying to deny people a place to peacefully protest. How can a society have a right to peacefully assemble and protest if there’s nowhere to do it? It’s a complex issue.
John, your family’s history seems to tie in with these issues. Not only is this Anglican minister entering the “fray”, but now the Pope of the Roman Catholic church is supporting this proposed “Robin Hood” tax.
These are interesting times.
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Where the law is concerned the views of Naomi Wolf mean as much as the views of the socialists Michele Landburg or the approval of Reverand Stoute. That would be nothing.
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I can’t help but respond to a few of the comments here that seem so stubbornly fixated on the legality of camping in a park. Aren’t we losing sight of the much larger picture here?
The other day I was talking to one of the managers of two newly opened fast food restaurants in St. Catharines, Ontario – a Harveys and a Swiss Chalet. I was told that about 1,000 people of all ages competed for less than 100 mostly part-time and minimum wage jobs. That is not surprising. I have attended big job fairs in this region over the past few years where literally thousands of people over the age of 40, who have seen their decent-paying jobs in this region disappear due to out-sourcing, are competing for the kinds of jobs that would typically go to young people working their way through college or university.
My 20-year-old daughter and her friends are lucky if they can find any part-time work in this region these days, and often can’t as they build up debt for their schooling unlike anything previous generations of post-secondary students could have imagine. They have all put given up on any hope that they will be able to enjoy the same opportunities people of my generation did when we were growing up in this region.
But some people apparently don’t think those kinds of issues, which are fueling this “Occupy” movement are as important as niggling around over the legality of some of the protesters camping in a park. There have also been reference to “socialists” and so on as if they are the only ones who believe we, as a society, are facing some serious economic challenges here at the middle and lower class levels.
I must add that I have talked to and interviewed just as many conservatives these days who are suffering the loss of decent jobs and fearing they may also lose much of what they have worked for.
I would respectfully suggest that people stop turning this into some cartoonish left-wing versus right-wing business and focus on the larger issues facing all of us. Doug Draper, Niagara At Large.
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It is sad that some people do not believe that the rule of law is not a large issue. It is the very basis of our democratic society. It is what separates us from anarchy and dictatorship. I think that the law should be obeyed until changes to the law are enacted by the will of the people at the voting booth. If the occupiers want change they should vote in legislators that agree with them. This should not be a problem because they encompass 99% of the people. Don’t they?
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