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My friend and I had planned to attend the G420 parade and peacefully demonstrate, unfortunately we were late arriving and the GO train stopped running to Union Station and we had to get off at Danforth, take the subway, then walk south to the protest area. While doing this a few unmarked SUV's raced into an intersection, blocked it off very forcefully yelling at people that they cannot walk down the street, I believe it was North of the protests on Yonge. We took a right turn and saw more police down the street and went down an alley which was unguarded. We were in! We walked around for awhile looking at some of the broken windows commenting how sad it was that people would be so violent and completely unproductive.
Eventually, we found a march which we joined up with, it was a mixture of groups including CAW, first nations and water rights. We marched peacefully chanting for some time until the riot police in full gear stepped out into the street and stopped us. We chanted let us through for some time and then a parade ended up on the other side of the street too also facing another line of police. After an hour, maybe less, all four sides of the intersection had a protest group blocked by police. The police then went about bullying people and splitting the group by use of riot police. I cannot stress enough everything here was entirely peaceful, probably 15,000 people.
After that I went for dinner at a friends downtown apartment and watched on TV. We saw what was occurring on Queen street and made sure to avoid that type of violence. We found another protest parade who was holding a sit in and had been surrounded by riot police, blocking in the sitters. Crowds started forming chanting "let them out, let them out" which the riot police eventually did and everyone started to march and chant. We managed to get down by the fence where we had a very small demonstration then continued to march. We marched over to the Novotel Hotel, where the French delegation and possibly a German delegate were staying. We sat down right in front of the hotel and began a demonstration. After 5-10 minutes riot police showed up in front of us and demanded we move. We told them this was a peaceful sitdown protest and nobody would be leaving. After some negotiations and many threats on the part of the riot police, who were all dressed up in gas masks and all, it was agreed that if everyone in the crowd gave the peace sign the riot line would step aside and allow us to continue to march. Unfortunately this was just a trick to keep everyone there, in the time it took us to get everyone to give the peace sign at the same time another police line formed behind us trapping us. The lines then began charging forward and grabbing people. They eventually arrested everyone, 200-300 peaceful protesters, including 2 reporters, 1 for the National Post and an independent one. The NP reported received some facial damage, a cut or a black eye, there were so many people who were injured I forget which was on who.
So now begins the saga and the G20 Detention Center which I have named the G20 Torture center. When I arrived the entire bus of innocents I was with were placed in a holding cage which did have a bathroom and we were provided with water, at this point everything was OK. As the night went on the place got busier and busier and the conditions got worse and worse. Up to processing everything was O.K. they were very unorganized keeping tracked of everyones personal belongings though. Once through processing things took a hard U-turn to torture town. In the area I was in 6 people forced to sit a 6 foot by 9 foot concrete slab covered in an 8 foot high cage. Every person got 2 square feet, not even close to enough room to sleep, therefore we were deprived of sleep and forced to sit in incredibly uncomfortable positions, I believe this is called torture.
In addition to the basic conditions bathrooms were hard to come by the same as water, both you had to beg the guards for. Then the guards would laugh and snicker and eventually take you to the bathroom, water you had to wait for the set times for it to be handed out. Then you would get a very small sytrofoam cup (of all things), and only 1. In addition, there was no access to lawyers or the telephone. I argued for 20 hours before I was allowed to speak on the phone to tell my family I was OK and not dead. I had been told 1 minute before going to the phone that they were being used then a different officer took me, one I had built a relationship with over the course of his shift and had been asking to use the phone the entire time, so he relented. There were about 15 phones and nobody was on any of them. I was told they didn't have enough guards to allow people to use the phones. I doubt I need to point out by access to a phone is a Charter Right and cannot be denied.
Now I will talk about the guards personally, some were extremely nice people and I felt bad that the ISU would put them into such a position, but others seemed to revel in torturing the protesters, one officer dressed in riot gear told me and I quote "I enjoy bashing the heads of protesters." But please keep in mind many of the guards were extremely nice and treated me and the other protesters with the most respect possible, and it was returned for the most part.
After speaking to a lawyer I was released a couple hours later since they were nearing the 24 hour limit of holding me without charge, I would point out they told me all day they were waiting for paperwork to release me which is total bullshit. Coincidentally everyones paperwork arrives nearly 24 hours after they were arrested, bullshit. When I left I was pleasantly surprised by a waiting group of protesters whom cheered and gave me some proper food. The food in the torture center was a piece of processed cheese on a bun, nothing else, no nutrition at all.
My friend was also arrested and was placed in a holding cell with 40 people zip tied for 24 hours, with a 15 year old kid. I haven't had a chance to talk to him much to get his story but he said he is going to write it up so I will share that as well.
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