Every table at the sports bar next to the Metro West Etobicoke Courthouse on Finch West is packed Monday afternoon, August 23, with accused protesters killing time waiting for their very brief moment before a judge.
Police officers, too, are here to grab a bite. It’s an uneasy peace.
Two months after the G20 policing debacle, just as the various probes are beginning and victimized protesters are putting the final touches on the narrative of what happened to them the June 26 weekend, the saga of dthe 304 facing actual charges has only just begun.
Well, by the end of Monday that number has gone down some. There are 58 withdrawals of charges, and six people have pled guilty.
Many here believe the evidence against them is flimsy at best, and they don’t look especially scared. Those waiting their turn to appear chat with fellow accused – that is, if bail conditions don’t prevent them from talking to peers.
At the far end of the hallway, much of the talk is in French. In the morning, a contingent of Quebecers arrived in style on a school bus. Out in the parking lot, free snacks are served up from the back of a car by allies of those who have business inside.
The corridor is like a runway show of uncharacteristic courtroom attire – suits are few and far between, and many sport baseball hats, untucked shirts and visible tattoos, violating the old adage “Never have ink where a judge can see it.”
Near the courthouse exit, photojournalist Brett Gundlock has set up a backdrop to take “G20 prisoner portraits.” He himself was arrested during the G20, and on Monday his charges are dropped.
By the end of the day, 227 of the accused have been given return dates in the fall. Many are scheduled for October 14, but the 17 so-called ringleaders, including Alex Hundert and Leah Henderson, have a date before a judge on September 27.
Questions of who is accused of doing what are still up for debate. But listening to the stories, it’s hard to avoid the police credibility chasm.
As lawyer Peter Rosenthal, who’s representing long-time activist Jaggi Singh, puts it, “Many of the charges had such a frail foundation that they were withdrawn. Some of those against whom charges were not withdrawn may be found guilty, but it’s my opinion that the most serious crime committed during the G20 was the massive police action that limited protests.”
Adds Macdonald Scott, speaking for the Movement Defense Committee, “The effect was to scare people. For many arrested, there’s just no evidence.”
Nathan Abotossaway, who was picked up alone on Queen Street in the early morning of Sunday, June 27, is surprised today to learn that he’s been charged with conspiracy. He was aware of his charge of disguise with intent, as he was arrested for having a kart-racing mask in his bag.
He had the balaclava in his bag, he explains, because he races go-karts, and consented to a search assuming he had nothing to hide.
In October, he gets to come back to find out more details about what he is accused of.
This morning, 22 opt to take “diversion” deals. By agreeing to donate a small amount of time or money to a charitable cause, some of the accused can essentially choose to admit responsibility (though not guilt) and in exchange have charges withdrawn.
It’s an uncomfortable trade-off, and the chatter around the courthouse is that it’s just an easy way for the Crown to drop charges without revealing what evidence – or lack of it – they have against the accused.
Not everybody takes the bait.
“I don’t think I should pay $50 to charity to make the city look good when I didn’t do anything,” says Matt Almeida, who was picked up on charges of unlawful assembly and police obstruction at Queen’s Park on Saturday, June 26.
“It’s a way of brushing it under the rug without admitting they were wrong,” he says.
There are five withdrawals of charges in exchange for peace bonds. Those are problematic, too, though, since they entail making an agreement to maintain “good behaviour” for a year – again, a tacit admission of wrongdoing.
On the benches outside the courtrooms, parents look over the disclosure documents detailing the crimes their children are accused of having committed. Martin Robillard came down from Montreal for his son’s court appearance. It will likely be the first of many trips down the 401. Emmanuel Robillard Lamont is accused of conspiracy, throwing projectiles at police, breaking windows and setting fire to a police car.
Despite the severity of the charges, Robillard says his son is innocent.
“This is Kafka’s The Trial, and he’s K,” offers Robillard, referring to the 1925 novel in which Joseph K. is arrested by clandestine authorities and placed on trial despite never being told what he is accused of.
news@nowtoronto.com
FARCE BY NUMBERS
• 1,105 people detained
• 304 people faced charges on August 23
• 227 now remain with charges still before the court
• 31 unconditional withdrawals
• 22 diversion withdrawals
• 5 peace bond withdrawals
• 6 guilty pleas
• 4 court no-shows
