After being warned that the camp would be cleared, a number of protestors left. The remaining hard-core people barricaded themselves at the fountain.
On Monday the police came in and posted eviction notices everywhere and taped notices to the tents.
At two in the morning today the police moved in. 100 police for the two dozen remaining protestors.
No pepper spray or anything. Nine of the protestors who didn't leave on their own were arrested and then released, and given tickets for trespassing.
A big encampment in Toronto was also cleared out yesterday. Most Canadian Occupy camps are now gone. An exception is Windsor, where the mayor says he doesn't want to "stir the pot".
Montreal remains, but the English-language paper, the Gazette, says they're on "borrowed time". (Or maybe burrowed time, considering the snowfall last night...)
Ottawa Occupy people are planning protests. They thought they could hang in there, and even participate in the Winterlude activities scheduled in the park for early in the new year. Personally, I'm think it's just as well - winter camping, brrr. They maybe should do what I've read that the Detroit Occupiers are doing - find some free/cheap office and living space. Of course, there are lots of empty buildings in Detroit and not so many here...
I guess, at least up here, it's time for the Occupiers to move on to the next stage, whatever that might be.
The Canadian magazine, Adbusters, which was the original inspiration for the Occupy movement, is promoting the idea of Occupy Christmas, with the idea that people should refrain from holiday shopping. I think that may be futile - those who have money will shop and those who don't won't be shopping anyway. (I've been doing Occupy Xmas for years).
Anyway, Occupy Ottawa is gone gone gone. Here's what the park looks like now:
Well, actually that's what it looked like first thing this morning. It has been re-opened now for its normal use - which is mainly, especially at this season, a walkway between bus-stops.
Meanwhile, some Ontario lawyers are filing a complaint with the U.N. (lotsa luck).
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And for your excellent "Occupy" coverage.
I've been thinking for a while now that, with winter and other developments, OWS is going to go dormant for a bit. Not dormant exactly (hopefully), but perhaps shifting to something more doable and productive than defending little plots of ground like the Japanese did on Iwo Jima. Whatever happens from this point forward, the Occupiers have done far more than most of us ever do; they got off their asses, took to the street, and got people talking about some critically important issues. In this era of a terminally apathetic and deluded electorate, that's very good work indeed.
I wish I could say we do better........but we're only 'better' because smaller-scale...
Nana - they even got Palin stealing their lines! And many commentators have said they've got the public political talking points shifted from deficit to inequality. I hope that winter and eviction (and efforts at co-opting) won't mean an end to this movement...
Alysa - I'm depressed too. Wish I'd managed to get there one more time. But I read a good phrase somewhere, about the fetishization of the literal occupying...tho on the other hand there was an interesting community happening there... I hope that a new stage is coming out of the chrysalis...
Boanerges - ah. But also the civic authorities there may have the same idea I had - that the best way to get rid of the occupiers would be to ignore them. Esp. here. Wanna camp all winter? Knock yourself out.
Protesting to the wealthy, that you're poor, means nothing to them.
Protesting to the government, that they aren't doing their job, means they'll vote themselves a pay raise and increase your taxes.
Protesting about the environment means nothing if you ride home in a motor vehicle and turn on the lights, heat, hot & cold water, phone, etc.
Protesting, everything, as in "Occupy", without having viable solutions to those problems to put on the table, means you're just whining.
Protesting, as in "Occupy", without clear cut, common, definable goals, is just plain ridiculous.
Yes. We CERTAINLY DO very much need to protest all of the above - and more - but unless we lodge that protest with the right ends in sight, and offer the MEANS of achieving those ends, we are, as Shakespeare said, "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!"
Come back in the spring. Come back with goals and the means/methods to achieve them. Come back with a plan; then you'll have something to say that others will hear and heed.
Until then all you do is, ".....strut and fret (your) hour upon the stage" as though you'd "done something" of worth and value.
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I just posted on Dawn Bell a bit about what I have in mind, based on how a lot of people out my way get along on very little income - they heat by firewood they cut themselves, grow a lot of their own food, live in old cheap houses (mine cost $17,000), work for each other, and get a lot of their clothing, furniture, household goods, building materials etc. from the the 're-use centre' at the country dump. Looking to TPTB to respond to our needs, as you say, ain't gonna work - if we're not useful to them any more, they'll ignore us. So let's us ignore THEM.
"Occupy Ottawa demonstration broken up by Canadian police in unspeakable orgy of violence: Eight people received tickets, one was helped to hospital and three others had their feelings temporarily hurt"
I so love the "Back To The Land" concept - in theory. But I'm such an ancient ol' fart that I have lived the way you are talking about in my youth. If you do indeed do this, it will definitely be without me. I'll wish you good fortune, but I've been there, done that, and hated it.
Imagine the pollution if our present-day population all burned wood for cooking and heating!! Imagine also how quickly most of the wooded areas near to our highly populated areas would be de-nuded of burnable trees!
The vast majority of our population is urban. They have absolutely no knowledge of, or interest in, living in that "rural" manner. Trying to turn back the clock to an earlier, simpler day is not my idea of a viable solution. To my thinking, we need a social/economic/political system that meets our needs in 2011 and onward. One we design for that purpose and initiate on our own. A REAL "of the people, by the people, for the people" system - NOT the mockery of that fine principle we have now.
But if you wish to try it, why fill yer boots!
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Anyway, necessity/mother and all that: things will evolve, people will adapt.
We're supposed to consider this a democracy?
Seriously? The Conservative govt considering GAI? I think you're right that it would be more efficient and I think it would be a Good Thing. I'm not in favor of the tar sands supporting it...