G20 Breakdown

From RabbleTV

I love this comment on the YouTube page for the video:

I could play this video 100 times and it would never get old. Naomi speaks the truth and it saddens me what Ottawa and David Miller allowed to happen to Toronto.

June 28, 2010 10:00am Alternative Media Centre

The Alternative Media Centre, Toronto Community Mobilization Network and Movement Defence Committee held a joint press conference to present first hand accounts of the events that have been taking place in recent hours involving mass arrests, police violence and intimidation across the city.  Here are those accounts (click to go to video).

Intro to Press Conference

Jesse Rosenfeld: The Guardian, Independent Journalist (and in the video above)
Amy Miller: Alternative Media Centre, Independent Journalist
Adam MacIsaac: Alternative Media Centre, Independent Journalist
Sharmeen Khan: Toronto Community Mobilization Network

Claire O’Connor OPIRG-Toronto (I don’t have the video, anyone?)

The speakers highlight the ongoing and politically motivated targeting of journalists and community organizers, as well as the profiling of people on the basis of clothing type, for carrying phone numbers of the legal aid hotline or for residing in certain neighbourhoods. They also reported on the cruel and brutal conditions under which people are being detained, arrested and imprisoned.

Press Release from the press conference

See a bunch more here.

From Toronto Media Coop.

Watch them all, democracy in action.

Update 7:30pm Police left the convergence centre!

Mass arrests possibly going down at convergence centre. It’s blocked off. No one can come in or out. Please go support. 1266 queen street west

live feed at convergence centre: http://qik.com/jesse

A few of the best articles and interviews I could find:

Firsthand report of arrests, tear gas, beatings of peaceful demonstrators at detention centre  Interview with independent journalist Stefan Christoff

Jail solidarity action attacked by Toronto police
Members of prisoner support rally outside G20 prison beaten, arrested by police

Excessive force used on protesters, int’l media AWOL

The Erosion of “Rights”: a quick descent: a few highlights for serious consideration

and keep checking 2010.mediacoop.ca for more

Please go here for on the street coverage from today.  I was out today, but somewhat restricted in where I could be and what I could report by my newly broken wrist.  Follow my tweets and retweets for my latest at this point. Follow @g20mobilize and #g20report as well.

100′s have been arrested (unsure of exact numbers at this point), including many tonight at the Novotel.  Jail solidarity tonight has many out at Eastern Ave.

Apologies for the rambling nature of this post, but it’s late and I’m tired after a long day

It was something else out there today, and in a sane world, no one would think that a few smashed windows and cars is even in the same universe as the police state out there. They are clearly scared that people are waking up to the bull we are being fed.

People can debate all we want about tactics and property damage, etc… but this police state and what it represents is a much more serious issue. For example, the constant wounding and killing of Afghani, Iraqi, Canadian, and American soldiers and the unknown number of deaths of Iraqi and Afghani civilians make ‘property violence’ discussions seem quaint, naive, privileged and disconnected.  If we are going to show each smashed window in minutia, maybe we should show images of the carnage of war on TV daily, hourly as they happen.  That might just stop the wars.

Not liking the idea of a few smashed windows is one thing.  But it has to be seen in perspective to the much bigger issues at hand. Please. Don’t buy the media’s obscuring of the real issues.

Here are a few comments I found online that helped me put it all in perspective:

Paul Burrows said: “All this fuss about smashed windows and burnt cop cars? You’d think the protesters had overthrown the democratically elected government of Haiti, and invaded and occupied Afghanistan, directly killing hundreds, if not thousands of civilians over the last decade. Oh wait, that was ‘our’ government.”

Tim McSorley: The real violence in the world is the 6 million children who die every year of preventable malnutrition while $1 billion is spent on security and G8/G20 leaders make promises but do nothing. Please don’t talk to me about broken starbucks windows and destroyed police cars.

@stevenpage Now let’s see 10000 cops head down to Gulf to arrest BP execs for 11 murders + damage to property. #BP makes #G20 look tiny.