Meow everyone. I have been working on this series now for over a year to get as much information as possibly can , and, while I may never get everything I wanted , I will do my best ti fil in the blanks with what i hope is at least, the best possible hypothesis , I can I will cover the very start of the downfall of this city with respects to where, and when the radicals were given free reign over this city, seemingly uncontested , as well , who the players were behind this demise of law and order .That famous Tamil protest, the occupy movement , the radical student strikes, Idle no more , black lives matter Toronto will all be covered here . In some cases , I will republish previous articles I wrote on the specific subjects because they are both accurate and since many of these events have already taken place, there is not historical change to them. However, their relevance to this series is important enough to remind people of what took place and who were the ones calling the shots, as well as how these events shaped future events .
I have asked this in other articles I have written but will once again send this out there .. I WELCOME input , opinions, thoughts , corrections and any other feed back from my readers . I would especially love to hear from present , and former police officers , ( anonymously is fine ) , from front line , senior officer and command officers . who can either add , or correct anything I state here .
Today we start with the Tamil protest of 2009 . First , here is the chronological order of the events that lead up the major blockade incident that forever changed the way this city , and our police services handle protests .
( sourced from here )
Jan. 29
It started out as a demonstration along University Ave. Thousands of Tamils from across the GTA gathered carrying signs and waving flags. Their message: family members, friends and relatives are all dying back home in a brutal conflict. They want someone to notice and take action to stop it.
It was the first time many in the city had seen anything like it – a massive human chain that stretched along Bloor to Yonge, down to Front and up University. Tens of thousands of Tamils gathered to garner attention about the troubles overseas. While it was a visual distraction for drivers heading home along some of the city’s busiest downtown streets, the protestors stayed off the road and made their point in what officials would call a remarkably peaceful demonstration. Later descriptions would not be quite so charitable.
The daylong demo dispersed by the rush hour, but many of those taking part didn’t go home. They wound up heading towards Union Station instead. Up to 10,000 eventually swelled Front St. and police were forced to close the road during the rush hour, as those exiting from the busy hub tried to get by on the sidewalk.
It was so bad, even reporters couldn’t reach the scene. CityNews’ Francis D’Souza was forced to walk to the area from one of our camera trucks, because the mass of humanity wouldn’t allow any vehicles to get through.
Less than a week after the first remarkable protest comes another one, this time outside the Sri Lankan Consulate near St. Clair and Yonge St. The area was thrown into chaos as thousands showed up, staying for a candlelight vigil they hoped would drive their message home. That was about the only driving that was going on that day. The always busy intersection was paralyzed during the afternoon rush with too many people and not enough space for cars.
After a few weeks of relative calm, another huge protest is launched in Toronto, this time outside the U.S. Consulate at University and Dundas. Demonstrators are demanding President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper intervene in the ongoing carnage in Sri Lanka, shouting their message that the world can no longer wait. The gathering started on a Sunday afternoon. No one dreamed it would go on for almost an entire week.
Monday dawns but the protestors are still there, forcing police to close off the busy stretch of University between Queen and College. It’s the first hint it could be a long siege. “We’re not moving until something is done and proper action is taken,” vowed protester Arani Sivakumar.
The first signs emerge that the protestors may be losing the goodwill of the public, as drivers complain about the ongoing blockade of University Ave., now in its third full day. Police have so far refused to move them off, and despite a small scuffle, it remains peaceful. But many wonder about the wisdom of shutting down an area so close to many hospitals.
After days of tension and a standoff involving thousands of people, push finally comes to shove between police and the protestors. When some of them move onto Dundas St. and start blocking traffic there, cops wade in. During the mini-melee that follows, several people are arrested and a few hurt. Fifteen are taken into custody, as cops succeed in pushing the crowd back onto the sidewalk. But the road remains closed, further angering drivers. It finally reopens to full traffic the next day.
Tensions rise again in the city after news that another Tamil protest is planned for the downtown core. But when the protestors receive some attention from the government in the form of aid to Sri Lanka, it’s called off.
Feeling their voices still aren’t being heard, Tamils descend again on the U.S. Consulate on University Ave. in a pouring rainstorm. A march eventually winds up at Queen’s Park, with wary police keeping an eye on what’s happening. One man goes on a hunger strike on the grounds, vowing not to eat again until something is done about the carnage in his homeland.
In what organizers claim was a spontaneous and unplanned effort, thousands of Tamils march onto the Gardiner Expressway onramp at Spadina. They’re met by a few bike cops who try to form a barrier to keep them out, but the surging crowds eventually break through, with surprised drivers narrowly missing them on the road. By the dinner hour, there are thousands of them standing on the highway, leaving fuming motorists trapped for more than six hours.
The presence of women and small children in strollers forces police to be extra cautious and they refuse to move in on the demonstrators, fearing a riot might follow and someone might fall off the raised ledges of the Expressway.
Cops are forced to close part of the DVP as well, as traffic congestion and chaos grip the downtown core. Many accuse the police of giving into blackmail and angry GTA residents begin to vocally turn against the Tamils and their cause. Despite that, Major David Miller insists authorities acted properly to keep the peace.
The demonstrators insist they had to take drastic measures to keep their plight in front of the public. They refuse to leave until a government representative meets with them, a tough request on a Mother’s Day Sunday night.
Finally, a member of Liberal leader Michael Igantieff’s staff comes down and assures them the Grits will bring up their concerns in Ottawa. After more than half a day, the group finally disperses, assuring the highway will open in time for Monday’s rush hour.
But some say they’re not finished, vowing to take future demonstrations onto one of the 400 series of highways.
When the crowd leaves after the very long day, not all of them go home. Many head to Queen’s Park to continue their campaign there.
But whatever the Tamils gained by their tactics, they may also have lost. A sea of angry email floods into the CityNews inbox, roundly condemning the group for holding the city hostage. And Chief Bill Blair decries the standoff as an irresponsible act that not only endangered the protestors and motorists, but led to a crunch on police resources, pulling officers away from other neighbourhoods where they were needed.
With the echoes of the Gardiner protest still ringing in many ears, the Tamils promise yet another rally on the streets of Toronto. Organizers promise they won’t block traffic or cause disruptions. But wary cops remain on standby just in case.
Here are examples of the highway blockade in question :
The radical student unions who are members within the CFS are of course very much like minded . These radical student unions who make up the members ship are lead by hand picked staff and executives whos sole duty is to forward CFS agenda . These radical student unions are not the least bit interested in working for the students they are supposed to represent. The CFS are , for lack of a better description, very much in bed with only the most radical of politicians . The CFS does not even bother to hide their support for terrorist organizations, as seen in this video. The video, while shot in 2013 , clearly shows a member of the CFS claiming their support for the tamil tigers, a known , international terrorist network . Here is that video :
Rioting, among many activities is not an uncommon practice for the CFS , something I will be covering extensively in this series. . One of the key organizers of this tamil protest in question is a lady named Angela Regnier . She was the sole person arrested during this highway blockade , but her charges were later dropped . Angela was, at that time, the executive director of the U of T student union , one of the CFS affiliated radical student unions.
The above photograph is an image I shot of here giving an anti police speech during the G20 , in front of Toronto Police HQ.
Over the course of the past year or so , I have been speaking with many front line police officers to get a perspective on the the way policing has evolved in this city . As a long time resident of Toronto, I have seen an evolution where, cops would bust criminals and the public was happy to see these crooks off the streets. Somewhere between those old days and today, we now see that cops are the targets of hate , abuse and vicious lies, while the criminals are made out to be the heros and , depending on which nut case you speak with, even the most vicious and dangerous criminal is now, according to the radical left, simply being oppressed by white males, hence, the reason they act out .. it is seemingly to act out against their oppressors who have kept them ” down” for all these years. . Now, I’m not exactly sure how some drug dealing, murdering, gang bangers are actually able to claim to be acting out against some make belief oppressor as they are selling drugs , murdering people in the process and robbing innocent citizens .
Some of the officers I spoke with were part of a team of officers , known as the ” Public Order Unit ” , or known by most people simply as the riot squad . The riot squad is made up of some of the most dedicated, bravest officers we have on the force. However, quashing riots, while part of their training, is most certainly NOT the sole and main function of these officers . In fact, clearly, we dont have riots daily, but these officers may be required to keep protests and various factions within them , apart , to ensure that there is no riot, or, crowd control duties at large events . So, with this illegal tamil protest blockade on the freeway , where were these officers ? In fact , they WERE THERE . However, the political will of the city which was let by an equally radical mayor at the time , David Miller . In my opinion, this guy ran the city like a clown act , where every nut case was free to be, well, nuts. He hated the police , but then , as an NDP member, he was already a radical . So, this tamil protest was a great way for him to remove powers of the police to break up this illegal blockade , while freely allowing tens of thousands of citizens to be , in essence , held hostage by a bunch of lunatics . Many an officer I spoke with, who were members of the public order unit turned in their equipment and went back to assuming regular police duties as a result of the utter lack of support and will from the city. Thanks to David Miller and his band of brain dead politicians , the city was handed to the professional protestor who were then, and continue today , to have free reign over this city .
If there was even a more clear example of the sheer and utter , WILLFUL incompetence of this city and its politicians , the G20 would prove to be the new standard from which the cities incompetence was going to be measured against . Part 2 will begin tackle the G20 , and In part 3 , I will continue on thee G20 , but I will focus my attention on how the cities politicians failed us as citizens and failed of police officers …. INTENTIONALLY . In fact, I am going as far as to say that they threw one front line officer under the proverbial bus , referring to the officer on queen street who was attacked while still in his car , as well as command officer Fenton , who was made the scapegoat for the utter , total and willful incompetence of city hall, the Mayor of the day and the highest levels of police command . ….. stay tuned …..