A Day in Toronto: The G20

Throughout yesterday and this morning, I've been involved in several discussions and arguments about the G20 summit and the protests which turned violent yesterday and continue today. While everyone can have their own opinion on this, I did live it. I saw it. I witnessed it (and I have pictures). I can tell you, this was not "orchestrated by the police and government to discredit the protesters" and it was not "only minor destruction". It also wasn't "those asshole protesters". Sure, I hate the disruption more than anyone, but the people who have taken my city hostage are not the same people who marched with banners, props, chants, flowers, children, pamphlets.... these people were Anarchists calling themselves the Black Bloc. Angry young people hell bent on destruction. They make those people exercising their right to protest look like terrorists, and that is far from the truth.

Here's how I spent my Saturday:

2:00PM: I decided that, surely, the protests couldn't be that bad, and that I would take the TTC to the movies.

2:10PM: The bus stops, and cannot go any further. This isn't unusual as there is a lot of construction on King St. I hail a cab.

2:20PM: After driving around aimlessly, the cabby tells me that he can't get past Spadina, and he doesn't know what to do. I thank him and pay him ten dollars for taking me nowhere. He tells me he's giving up and going home to Mississauga. Good plan!

2:25PM: I decide to walk up Queen. I am delayed at Queen and Spadina as a huge, never-ending line of protesters marches towards the large police blockade on Spadina between Queen and King. They all seem peaceful enough, and most of the crowd on the sidewalk are people like me, shocked at the sheer numbers and taking pictures on their phones. There is also a lot of media trying to get the million dollar shots.

2:35PM: I manage to break through and cross the street: quite a feat. As I continue the thick crowd of people stops me from walking again. I'm still at Queen and Spadina, only on the Eastern side now. Shopkeepers come out of their shops looking scared. The tension in the air is growing, and the men clad in black mixed into the crowd are ominous. I see a waterbottle thrown from the crowd hit a bystander in the gut, buckling him to the ground. A group of officers corner me near a shop doorway. Wait, they tell me. It's not safe to go yet. Finally, they part and tell me I can keep walking. But do I want to?

The tattooed shop owner next to me (who looks like she would fit in well with the protesters) peeks around the corner to where the protest escalates. "Lock the store, guys!" she says urgently to her workers. "Do not let anyone else inside. Stay close to me!" She is scared. The crowd can feel the air getting thicker as the screams of the crowd get more and more frenzied. The thousands of people have met the blockade of police and are taunting them. I leave and keep walking up Queen street where the protesters still trickled West to Spadina.

I later learn from the news that moments later, flares were lit. And 30-40 minutes after that a police car was set on fire and violence erupted. Dodged a rubber bullet there, didn't I?

2:45PM: The police protect Much Music, City TV and various other stations that have headquarters on John St. with a large barricade. Further south, the leaders meet at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

2:50PM: University avenue has a police bicycle fence, quite a sight. Nearby a man in a loin cloth sits perched on a statue, perhaps protesting clothes? Or statues? No one is sure, but he was quite amusing.

3:00PM: I reach Yonge street. Anticipating the violence, the entire subway service south of Bloor street has been shut down, the stations evacuated. A mass exodus of ordinary people walk the streets, trying to go about their daily business despite the fortified buildings around them. Every single business or building, regardless of its importance or size, has at least one security standing sentinel outside. Unfortunately, these guards are more for show and can do nothing to stop the anarchists once they get started. Queens park is a ghost town, with the exception of the Toronto Jazz festival which probably should sue Harper for lost revenue. Truly deserted.

3:15PM: Finally, I can see my destination in the distance. AMC Dundas Square, tiny lights spurring me forward. A small chinese woman about my age stops me and asks for directions. "I need Bloor subway please". I tell her that she'll have to walk, because nothing is running here. I suggest she keep walking with me up Yonge, and she'll reach Bloor station in about 20 minutes. She groans, and we begin to walk and chat. That's one thing I like about days like this: unexpected friends.

3:25PM: I leave my companion and rush to the box office. My movie starts at 3:30PM, and I have just enough time to get my well deserved theatre treats and ascend the labyrinth of escalators to take my seat as the trailers start. Toy Story 3 has a very small turnout, but there are still delightfully innocent children cooing excitedly as the movie starts. It's a really nice change for a few hours: no one screaming, burning, throwing, smashing, hating, crying.... peace and innocence.

5:30PM: I leave the theatre. I can tell from the second I get to the main floor, something has happened while I was inside. A security guard flags me down: "This door ma'am, please, hurry up". The mall is in lockdown. The Starbucks is closed; this is my second clue. They only close Starbucks early when something really bad is happening.

I walk outside. Everything is relatively calm, but there are so few people it's shocking. The detritus on the ground suggests that a hoard of people has run through in the past few hours. I turn to walk further north up Yonge street, shadowing the path of my Chinese friend earlier today. I hope to myself that she's okay.

5:35PM: I notice people with cameras gathering near a security guard. He is keeping the public away from the Rogers Wireless store that I frequent. The windows are smashed to bits. It is then I start to realize that I missed something really big.

As I walk up the street, I see that almost every shop has been destroyed. This is a wealthier part of the city, for those who don't know Toronto. The trendy shops, restaurants, even the strip club, have been attacked with paint, rocks, bricks, anything these people could find.

One lone protester remains, holding a sign declaring that his immigration rights were violated. The destruction around me is punctuated by his cries: "I am a human being! I am a human being!"

People around me have a varied reaction. Some, like myself, gasp and cover their mouths in horror. Others laugh, taking photographs of the destruction to send to their friends. Others, journalists, run around frantically trying to document as much as possible and catch up with the hoard. They realize they missed the money shots.

When I finally reach a zone where the destruction seems to have stopped, I call my dad. "Where are you? What's that noise? Are you safe?" he says to me as he hears the sounds on the street. The news of the violence has made it to him in Ottawa.

I was safe. I was lucky.

7:00PM: I return home and turn on the news. My city is burning. I look outside. My beautiful panorama view of the Toronto Skyline is marred by large plumes of black smoke which rise above the buildings. Cars are still on fire.

This morning I woke up to find that almost 500 people were arrested as I slept.

No matter what anyone tells me, I refuse to believe that this type of violence was necessary. Inevitable? Perhaps.

Nor do I believe that it is the fault of the Toronto police. They are doing an incredible job. They kept me safe yesterday, and they managed to prevent any serious injuries up to this point. They are facing a hoard of angry, lawless young people who want nothing more than to see them burn. So, since no one else seems to be saying it, THANK YOU.

Our Prime Minister has let us down. He let his own vanity and arrogance destroy my beautiful city. He has been quoted as saying, when asked months ago about the inevitable damage to the many businesses in Toronto, "insurance will cover it". Will insurance cover the damage being done to the cities morale?

I say, we need an inquiry. I say, Harper needs to give us some answers other than "these people being violent are hooligans". Take some responsibility. What did you expect to happen? We're the largest city in the entire country, and you've held your little meeting in the middle of our downtown, the centre for our infrastructure, transportation, residence, businesses: you endagered us, your people. The people you vowed to serve. Good Luck next election, sir. You should be ashamed of yourself.

That's all I got, folks. Check out my pics, and I'll mix in some journalists pictures that capture the moments I missed!

Be safe out there!

Kate