https://twitter.com/timabray/status/1489299364598235139
My new op-ed in the Citizen. A tale of protests, neighbourhoods, freedom… and the erosion of our vital public institutions.
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/abray-as-protesters-take-over-downtown-ottawa-police-wave-the-white-flag
Abray: As protesters take over downtown Ottawa, police wave the white flag
Here we are, violently occupied by one group of people, self-described as 'protesters,' while being led by another group who can only be described as incompetent.
This past Monday afternoon, with the sun shining, the birds singing, and the air crisp and fresh, I walked into a popular downtown park and was assaulted by three men. They didn’t want my wallet. They didn’t want any of my belongings. What they wanted was my city. And now, five days later, it looks like they have succeeded in stealing it.
One week ago today, trucks and cars and minivans began rolling into Ottawa and set up camp in the heart of our city. Our city officials had been warned that this demonstration was not going to be like other demonstrations. They were warned that, beneath the cries of freedom and personal choice, there was a black heart of violence and hate. Instead of heeding those warnings, our police service rolled out the red carpet and welcomed the demonstrators into our neighbourhoods, giving them free rein. They’ll get tired of this, they said. They’ll protest, pack up and go home they said.
Now, our city is an occupation zone. Calling it anything else is wishful thinking or naïveté. At a press conference on Wednesday, our police chief barked at city officials and residents alike, blaming them for his predicament. He threw up his hands and waved a metaphorical, pathetic white flag: “There may not be a policing solution available.” He surrendered without a fight, an exchange of harsh words or even a consistently enforced bylaw. He abandoned us while the mayor casually looked on, seemingly unable even to pay proper attention to the questions he was being asked by understandably perplexed reporters.
So, here we are, violently occupied by one group of people, self-described as “protesters,” while being led by another group who can only be described as incompetent.
To be clear: the protesters’ demands are unintelligible and anti-democratic. They want to be in charge. That’s basically it. They don’t like democracy, they just like “FREEDOM!!!” Putting the contradictions aside, they want what they want and they are willing to threaten and terrorize until they get it. And most of our public officials seem more than ready to give it to them. Certainly our chief of police is.
In his news conference, Chief Peter Sloly told us the protesters are so dangerously violent that they cannot be safely policed. He alluded to rumours of weapons and intentions to violence. He waved an arrest, many miles away, as proof of his concerns. He is right to be concerned. Those rumours are disturbing. They are cause for alarm and caution. But they are not cause for inaction.
Despite the chief’s dire warnings, we are asked to continue living with the protesters as unwelcome neighbours. We are told to stay indoors, avoid public areas and deal with the constant deafening blare of horns and the constant terror of being unsafe on our own streets. They are dangerous, we are told. There may be weapons, we are told. Their vehicles alone are a great menace, we are told. And yet, while warning us of the dangers of multi-tonne vehicles as weapons, our police service continues to accommodate this encampment of weapons of mass destruction as they facilitate the transfer of large amounts of gas and diesel into the so-called Red Zone (I prefer to call it “down the street”).
Let me repeat that: the protesters are being supplied with fuel, all while threatening violence so dire it has our chief of police throwing in the towel and calling for a political solution. And still, the parade of jerry cans continues, delivering flammable liquid to the doorstep of our duly, democratically elected government. It boggles the mind. And as a resident, a friend, a parent and someone who believes in the importance of real democratic engagement, it enrages me. And it should enrage you, too.
Tomorrow, this problem will only deepen. More protesters will rejoin the crowd (hotels are fully booked). By all accounts, the police will continue to stand around, doing little, allowing public trust to erode even further. They will watch as our civil society is repeatedly assaulted, in broad daylight, while the sun shines, and the birds sing. Freedom? I don’t think so.