Occupy Toronto: Aw, Rob Ford Doesn’t Like You

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is telling the protestors occupying St. James Park they need to clear out.  Ford’s seemingly non-confrontational approach to the eviction of the Occupy Toronto group is most likely due to the political and social backlash seen across America from violent evictions, particularly Oakland, California.  The thing that Mr. Ford doesn’t seem to understand is that Occupy Toronto isn’t about giving up and going home, it’s about not bowing down to the bloated head of government.

The Occupy movement is about making the government uncomfortable and making life more difficult for the people who have continually pissed on the little guy.  We’ve grown up in a society where we’re told the only way to be a success is to follow one specific path and individualism is shunned amongst the masses.  At protests everywhere we’ve seen self-sustaining environments built from the ground up.  Everyone has an equal voice and everything is voted on. If you need clothing and can’t afford any there’s 10 people who will donate to you.  Hungry, ask and ye shall receive.  This movement has shown that even in large groups the ideas of an anarchy can work.

For some reason, the idea of Canadians coming together to form a new society free from the oppression imposed by the current government scares the leaders.  If the curtain came down and we all the saw the Wizard for who he truly is we would no longer follow him blindly through Oz.  We would rise and decide that we’re taking Oz, start melting down the gold and feeding the hungry.  Throughout history major changes have come to be because of protest, and they all start out small and they all involve a certain level of civil disobedience. I’m not talking petty window smashing or tagging “Eat the Rich” on a building, I’m talking about non-violent confrontation of social ideals that need to change. France was able to bring about major change with the first wildcat general strike in 1968, a tribute to the power of solidarity.

So, while St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan is saying to keep occupying and just follow the laws, Mayor Ford appears resolute to get those out of St. James Park.  My call to the Toronto protestors is to stand strong and don’t give in until the police have to drag you out.  And to the police of Toronto, think, these people are no different than yourselves.  When you’ve beaten us into submission then who will stand up for you when they come for you, because know that once they’ve got us down you’ll be right behind us.  You are there to protect the people and you should be protecting us from them, not the other way around.

Mayor Ford, I just hope that you will see there is no stopping the free flow of ideas and emotion.  If you close down the protest then we will just find another way to do it and if we finally realize peaceful protest goes punished as well as violent protest, which way will we start to lean more toward?  Chances are if they are as sick and tired of the injustices that see everyday like myself the hatred won’t allow for peaceful protest and you’ll be staring down the barrel of a revolution.

Ideas of places to occupy Rob Ford will never find you:
Toronto Libraries (we know Ford hates those things and would probably never look there)
A vegetable crisper (same reason as above, he’ll never find you)
Newtonbrook Secondary School (the school Rob Ford coached football at until he allegedly assaulted a player)
The gym (guess why he couldn’t find you there, just guess)
Margaret Atwood’s house (the Ford’s are the only Canadians who don’t know who she is)

Viva la Revolución, Viva Canada, Viva humanity.

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