#OccupyToronto Day 20–This Shit is Real
After being on the road for a week I was interested in seeing what had happened, and what was going on at the end of Occupy Toronto’s 3rd week in St. James Park.
The first thing I saw didn’t delight me:
I assume they were being responsible and sorting the recycling because the city won’t haul it if the blue bins are filled with mixed garbage (something we learned at Toronto Taste a couple of years ago.) However, while it may be at the edge of their village, it’s right in the middle of mine and not a delightful thing to encounter as you come into work. Though to be fair a couple of hours it looked like this: 
A couple of things I’ve been waiting to see have started popping up around the park:
And there are some Yurts now serving as meeting spaces and the library has been relocated into one.
Based on the Occupy Toronto website, it looks like they are starting to winterize. I even saw one guy chopping some of this wood down into kindling. (I don’t think he had done much of this before.)
Another full week in and they are looking more organised and are settling in even further. I do wonder how long this is going to last.
I had a chat with a cop who expressed some of the same concerns I had for the 1% who use this park as shelter and a home. He said that at least once the police had been asked to removed some people from the park who he figured are park regulars. He also mentioned that some of the people who normally attend St. James Cathedral are not going to church because they are afraid. That sucks.
But the community continues to develop and I had more friendly interactions with the people who are now my ersatz neighbours.
[if you are reading this anywhere but on unsweetened.ca you are missing out on the cool slideshow below.]
“He said that at least once the police had been asked to removed some people from the park who he figured are park regulars.”
By whom? One of the occupiers?
“He also mentioned that some of the people who normally attend St. James Cathedral are not going to church because they are afraid.”
Of what or whom? Why are they afraid?
As for the mess, I’m afraid there’ll aways be those who lack respect for the common, even when they’re a part of it. I saw that at the Toronto Zombie Walk; teens and 20-somethings walking in the road saying “Zombies don’t obey rules.” A good way to prevent another walk next year, friend. But of the 8,000 who attended, they were but a few. Perhaps the trashers are in the same number. One hopes.
Carol, thanks for pointing my imprecision. The officer I was chatting with was just chatting with me, so I intentionally tried to be loose about what I repeating since I didn’t take notes or record it to make sure I was accurate… in fact I hadn’t really intended to include that detail until, well, I was including it.
1. “He said that at least once the police had been asked to removed some people from the park who he figured are park regulars.”
Carol asks: By whom? One of the occupiers?
Lex replies: Yes. The cop said the occupiers has asked to have some people. I can’t quote him accurately but it was something like ~ we were asked to remove some crazies ~ but again… that is not an accurate quote of him or of the request!
2. “He also mentioned that some of the people who normally attend St. James Cathedral are not going to church because they are afraid.”
Carol asks: Of what or whom? Why are they afraid?
Lex replies: the implication was that they were afraid of the occupiers.
3. The mess – I mentioned in a previous post that I always see someone in the park cleaning up. This time too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lexnger/6316009086/in/photostream But I was pretty surprised to see the recycle bins just dumped all around a park bench and no one actively working on the mess.
The occupiers have been pretty responsible and kept the park in good shape given that it has become a tent city.
Thanks for asking for clarification!
Sorry, I did’t mean to sound snarky. I understand that it was chat, not reportage. It’s too bad that people are afraid of their neighbours, albeit temporary ones. And it sucks that people drawn to a seemingly progressive protest/demonstration see fit to kick out the folk who make it their home on a regular. I suppose in these ways the occupation truly does the 99%: microcosmic “NIMBYism.”
Carol, you didn’t sound snarky at all. I just wanted to respect the fact the cop didn’t intend to be making a statement, just chatting with a neighbour. And be clear I am responsible for this wording not him.
Greetings!
OccupyToronto Day 20–This Shit is Real
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