A small group of Occupy Toronto protesters stood outside the Stock Exchange Monday morning. As opening bell approached, a high-ranking police officer sauntered over to the activists to deliver a message. “If you need anything, let me know,” said Inspector Howie Page.
“Just ask one of my officers. I’m not hard to find.”
“Thanks,” one protester replied. “We definitely appreciate this approach. It’s better for everyone.”
It was a bizarre exchange in post-G20 Toronto, where the perception is that a police officer would sooner give an activist a swift kick and a night in jail than a helping hand.
Faced with the largest demonstrations since the summit and daily traffic-snarling marches, Toronto’s Finest might be expected to take quite a different approach. Have they learned their lesson from the G20?
Not everyone’s convinced. Certainly not Anna Willats of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition.
“I’d say their tactics are half PR and half biding their time to see what the movement turns into,” she says. “Police reserve the right to use force, and if they choose to use it people should not be surprised. If they come up with some reason why they need to shut down Occupy Toronto, they will. And if people resist, they will escalate.”
From the start, how far to trust the police has been a touchy issue for the occupation. In planning meetings before it launched, there was heated debate about whether to open up lines of communication with the cops.
“We have people in here who’ve had violent experiences with police, who don’t want to talk to them,” says Taylor, an organizer who asked that only her first name be used. “They remember from the G20 and other experiences the brutality that’s possible.”
While no consensus was ever reached on the issue, in the end Occupy Toronto created dedicated liaisons to deal with the police, the theory being that it’s better to have designated activists speak with officers than allow random interactions.
Still, they’re hardly cozying up to the force. “The police are an institution of violence,” Davin Charney, one of the liaisons, told the general assembly in St. James Park on Monday.
“This is not a criticism of the police this is the role the police play in our society.”
So far, organizers say their interactions with law enforcers have been surprisingly positive. While cops are out in force wherever the protesters go, they aren’t exactly cracking skulls. As 100 protesters roamed the streets Monday evening at rush hour, police patiently followed them and cleared the way, even though the group had no planned route and frequently halted to discuss where they wanted to go.
Officers told them they could block intersections for as long as they wanted on the condition that they let streetcars through.
Police have also maintained a 24-hour presence on the outskirts of St. James Park, but have only entered the camp at the request of protesters inside.
Despite the apparent cooperation, activists are not letting their guard down. A team of hawk-eyed legal observers is in the camp around the clock and accompanies every march, keeping close watch. So far, the organized actions have come off without incident, but some remain concerned that a culture of impunity is too prevalent among Toronto police.
“They haven’t been held to account for the G20,” Willats warns. “Unless we get serious about truly holding police accountable, whether it’s as individuals or for systemic problems, then there really is no incentive for them to change their behaviour.”
news@nowtoronto.com
