Occupy Toronto

The five week long occupation of St. James park by Occupy Toronto was shut down by police today, following a decision from a judge to uphold a City of Toronto trespassing by-law order. Although often muddled by media, the movement's cause is to work towards "drastic changes to economic systems that are destroying our business, social liberties, and environment." In a city where I've been beaten up once and charged for trespassing multiple times by cops just for taking photos of my friends skateboarding, I can fully empathize with Occupy after being evicted on a trespassing by-law. There seems something quite wrong to me when the right for people to have their dogs shit in the park without having to see protestors could possibly equate or somehow supersede the people's right to civil disobedience. After a few campers were dragged off and arrested from St. James park most of the protestors peacefully packed up, allowing the police to gloat in the idea that they had actually done something somewhat peacefully for once. The cops were soulfully congratulated by mayor Rob Ford who told media outlets he wanted protestors " gone NOW"