G20 Live: Saturday (From Torontoist.com)
This weekend, Torontoist is covering the G20 summit live, all day and all night, both from the streets and from the inside. Updates—from our reporters, photographers, and readers—are in reverse-chronological order below.
SATURDAY
6:16 AM: Just published: a collection of photos of a chaotic Saturday on the streets of Toronto, with some of the best shots from Torontoist's photographers (and a few of our readers as well). One of those photos:
4:57 AM: Christopher Drost sends these photos, of arrested protesters outside of Eastern Avenue's temporary detention centre being put into the back of a police van:
The photos were taken after 3 a.m. this Sunday morning. DT
2:42 AM: Our live coverage for today is winding down, as you can no doubt tell if you've been following us sincethis morning. At Eastern Avenue, outside the temporary detention centre, some protesters are now being arrested, reported Sarah Barmak moments ago; our Chris Drost and Chris Bird, also on the scene now, are confirming that arrests are being made.
2:42 AM: Our live coverage for today is winding down, as you can no doubt tell if you've been following us sincethis morning. At Eastern Avenue, outside the temporary detention centre, some protesters are now being arrested, reported Sarah Barmak moments ago; our Chris Drost and Chris Bird, also on the scene now, are confirming that arrests are being made.
1:53 AM: From Eastern Avenue, we're receiving reports that Jesse Rosenfeld's parents and girlfriend are with other protesters outside of the temporary detention centre on Eastern Avenue. Protesters are right now outnumbered three to one, reporter Sarah Barmak is tweeting from the site. Earlier, there was dancing. DT
1:14 AM: Just circled Queen's Park, both north and south, and it's deserted. No cops at all, and no people except for two guys smoking on a park bench. Oddly, no litter at all. It's like today never happened. (Although there is some horse poop.) ES
1:01 AM: As best as we can tell, the city is quieting down again. An hour ago, Kelli Korducki, at Queen and Augusta, reported back to us about a "gigantic bloc of riot cops...with no protesters." At 12:51 a.m., John Semley spotted "no fewer than thirty bike cops at Augusta and Dundas, apparently waiting for some group coming down Spadina." Over at the temporary detention centre on Eastern Avenue, meanwhile, it's "protesters protesters protesters," tweets NOW. DT
12:07 AM: We've learned that the reporter arrested at the Novotel Hotel earlier tonight, who Steve Paikin claims he saw "assaulted," is Jesse Rosenfeld. Rosenfeld is a Guardian freelancer, on assignment with the U.K. paper; on Friday, he filed "Rejecting G20's consensus of the few" for the paper. DT
11:59 PM: Steve Paikin, host of The Agenda on TVO, was at the demonstration at the Esplanade earlier, and says he witnessed a "totally unneccessary" assault by police, on a reporter claiming to be with The Guardian. Right now he is tweeting @spaikin. Some of those tweets:
i saw police brutality tonight. it was unnecessary. they asked me to leave the site or they would arrest me. i told them i was dong my job. • they repeated they would arrest me if i didn't leave. as i was escorted away from the demonstration, i saw two officers hold a journalist. • the journalist identified himself as working for "the guardian." he talked too much and pissed the police off. two officers held him.... • a third punched him in the stomach. totally unnecessary. the man collapsed. then the third officer drove his elbow into the man's back. • no cameras recorded the assault. and it was an assault. • the officer who escorted me away from the demo said, "yeah, that shouldn't have happened." he is correct. there was no cause for it.
i can appreciate that the police were on edge today, after seeing four or five of their cruisers burned. but why such overreaction tonight? • the demonstration on the esplanade was peaceful. it was like an old sit in. no one was aggressive. and yet riot squad officers moved in. • police on one side screamed at the crowd to leave one way. then police on the other side said leave the other way. there was no way out. • so the police just started arresting people. i stress, this was a peaceful, middle class, diverse crowd. no anarchists •literally more than 100 officers with guns pointing at the crowd. rubber bullets and smoke bombs ready to be fired. rubber bullets fired • i was "escorted" away by police so couldn't see how many arrested, but it must have been dozens.we must make a distinction between the "thugs" who broke store windows and torched cop cars and the very reasonable citizens who • .just wanted to remind the authorities that the freedom to speak and assemble shouldn't disappear because world leaders come to town.
Individual tweets within the space of a paragraph above are demarcated with a • symbol. DT
11:34 PM: Protesters outside the Novotel Hotel on the Esplanade are being arrested en masse, according to theGlobe's Anna Mehler Paperny. Global's Mark McAllister tweeted that police are trying to break the protest up.DT
11:31 PM: One more update [from Queen Street West]: the police, with a small mounted regimen, are moving west on queen. Beyond Cameron. Wondering how far west this will go? KK
11:16 PM: Biking through Allan Gardens—nothing left of the tent city except wet banners and overflowing garbage bags. ES
11:11 PM: Deborah Mensah-Bonsu sends this report from Queen Street West, where she was earlier this evening (and left at 10 p.m.):
"It started with a police car on fire on Queen Street near Spadina. I got there at about 8:30 p.m. At first there were no police anywhere in sight, but a large crowd assembled, and it didn’t take too long for the police dressed in riot gear to show up."
A police car burns in the foreground, while police in riot gear stand in the background. Photo by Deborah Mensah-Bonsu/Torontoist.
Police, she reports, "began pushing the crowd east on foot, and were then joined by police on horses. These charged the crowd at intervals and everyone started running. Some people were hit with batons. Protesters were throwing things like water bottles and rocks at police, as well as breaking windows. The entire front of the Starbucks at Queen and John Streets was smashed, and a few people went inside to do more damage and steal water bottles. More riot police began advancing from Richmond Street, and the cops on Queen continued to push the crowd east."
Kelli Korducki, at Queen and Cameron now, says that "not too many people [are] left...apart from agitated row of riot cops." Police, she says, are "beginning to slouch at Cameron. One gives the order to 'Hold this line'....no-one anticipated that this would go west of Spadina, but those predictions appear already to be proven wrong." DT
10:56 PM: TTC Chair Adam Giambrone tweets that the "subway and all transit south of the [Bloor–Danforth] line will remain closed tonight and reopen @ 9am" on Sunday. Shuttle buses on Parliament and Bathurst are still running, and are still free. DT
10:51 PM: Line of riot cops on Queen continues pushing westward against increasingly agitated crowd. "Disperse or you will be arrested," shout cops. Arrests now happening at Cameron and Queen. KK
10:31 PM: Torontoist's Kelli Korducki reports: "Riot cops at Cameron and Queen, west of Spadina for the first time today. Crowd chanting before them."
Meanwhile, in Yorkville, a report from reader Stephen Otto, who was "having a drink at the Hazelton" patio at 9:45 p.m. "Police officers," he says, "came along Yorkville [patios] asking patrons to please move inside or make their ways out of the area in the event, as seemed possible, that protesters would choose to march that way...after the warning [I] had the chance to pay my bill and scram, so took it." DT
10:16 PM: According to the Integrated Security Unit, the total number of G20-related arrests as of 9:30 p.m. tonight is 130. DT
9:45 PM: When the first police car was set on fire in the midst of protests at King and Bay at 3:45 p.m. today, Torontoist's Ryan Walker was there.
9:44 PM: Openings and closures: Bloor Station now fully reopened, the Metro-Central YMCA announces it will be closed tomorrow. HD
9:41 PM: Tensions are apparently flaring on Queen near John, says Deborah Mensah-Bonsu. At about 9:35 p.m. mounted officers charged the crowd and people started running. HD
9:27 PM: Bill Blair is currently updating the media on police activities. "Saturday has proven to be a difficult day," he said, "and it remains a challenge tonight and tomorrow." A total of seventy-five people have been apprehended so far and are being held in detention facilities. Blair confirmed that tear gas has been used but did not confirm the use of rubber bullets, despite numerous reports that these had been fired. He also blamed the Black Bloc for escalating protests to the point of violence, and estimated the total number of violent protesters to be between twelve and fifteen hundred. "We have never seen this wanton destruction," Blair said, his tone firm and even angry. CB & CD.
8:47 PM: Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy is reporting that Queen's Park north has now been reopened. 680News, meanwhile, has spotted protesters heading east on Bloor near the ROM. HD
8:37 PM: Protesting can be joyous, too. For many people and much of the day, it has been:
Top and bottom photos by saBEEshots; middle photo by Greengrrl313, all from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
We'll continue updating from Queen's Park and elsewhere as events unfold. HD
8:23 PM: At Queen's Park South at around 6:45, the mood was calm, and police were standing in two lines, not interacting with protesters. Then at around 7:20, without warning, some police broke apart from the lines and ran north into the crowd on foot at seemingly random intervals, some grabbing individual protesters and dragging them back behind police barricades (where I couldn't see them). Police hit some of the protesters that they grabbed with batons, and other police officers kept advancing towards the crowd and pushing it further north towards the Legislature Building.
Five minutes after first rushing the crowd and having already removed some protesters, a few groups of police ran forward with batons, and began hitting some protesters. Several unarmed men were beaten to the ground as they curled into the fetal positions—some were crying—while some of those onlookers who begged police to stop were hit with batons themselves. While quickly running away from police seconds after I saw the men on the ground, a male officer who I had my back to hit me in the side with a baton, above my hip. A medic from a volunteer group stopped to make sure I was alright after the police stopped advancing; others were far more in need of medical care. As I was leaving into the north half of Queen's Park, the police rushed into the crowd again, and pushed protesters to the north side of the legislative building. WBM
Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy's bruise, about an hour after she was hit by a police officer with a baton. Photo by Ryan Walker/Torontoist.
8:15 PM: We are hearing scattered reports from our readers about pepper spray in Queen's Park and an escalation on Queen Street West. HD
7:39 PM: Some police officers have their batons out now at Queen's Park, says Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy. At least a few protesters have been hit. HD
7:24 PM: Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy is among the protesters at Queen's Park. Police have started charging the crowd, and are dragging some protesters off the scene. HD
7:13 PM: Earlier today, protesters smashed windows and threw feces into the American Apparel store at Yonge and Dundas:
Photo by an American Apparel employee from inside the store at Yonge and Dundas.
We'll have additional photos of damage later this evening. HD
7:17 PM: At the McDonald's at Yonge and College, an elderly person marvels: "Usually the washrooms are loaded with bums. Today, it is cops." KK
7:05 PM: More news from the fence: tensions are growing a bit, and a small but growing contingent of protesters has been asked to head north by the police, says Deborah Mensah-Bonsu. HD
6:51 PM: Horses charged the crowd [at Queen's Park]. Lots of wild running. Probably more people getting hurt from the stampedes than anything else. AL
6:43 PM: One of our readers just sent images of another police cruiser on fire, this one on Queen near Spadina:
6:31 PM: If you're just joining us, the hot spots right now are Queen Street between University and Spadina, and Queen's Park. HD
6:26 PM: Deborah Mensah-Bonsu is down near the security perimeter, where so far things are quiet and calm. At York and Wellington right now, she says, it is "just pedestrians walking around, one guy with a boom box, and a few dudes dancing to rock tunes." HD
6:21 PM: An update from the TTC: shuttle buses are now running from Bathurst Station to Front Street, and Parliament buses are running between Castle Frank Station and Front Street. HD
6:13 PM: One of our photographers, Andrew Louis, is at Queen's Park. He is reporting that rocks are being thrown, and clouds of smoke are popping up. Unclear if these are tear gas, flares, or something else.
5:53 PM: "Toronto is exceptionally safe," reiterates Miller. He advises people to exercise care downtown, but also points out that our neighbourhoods are full of people celebrating World Cup games and going about their ordinary lives. HD
5:43 PM: Mayor Miller's just finishing a press conference, expressing anger at what is happening in Toronto today. He's asking everyone to stay calm, and is outraged that a small group of more violent protesters is hijacking the more peaceable protests of the majority. Said the mayor: "People have a right to freedom of speech. The sad fact is that there are some groups—they call themselves anarchists though I don't know why, I think criminals would be a better term—who are using this...I don't think you can blame organisers of a legitimate protest for any of that."
When asked by a reporter to comment on the sense some people have that the police have been heavy-handed, Miller responded with a strong defence of Bill Blair and the TPS: "I think we should be very proud of the Toronto Police Service. I think they do a commendable job. These are difficult circumstances." HD
5:41 PM: Two reports filed earlier today in our G20 Dispatches series, by Christopher Bird and Christopher Drost: the first's about Jack Layton, who we ran into in the International Media Centre washroom; the second is about how true stories (whether they're about protesters or police) get turned into something less than truthful.DT
5:37 PM: Toronto Police Sergeant Tim Burrows has confirmed to 680News that despite wide reports to the contrary, no firearms, pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets have been used thus far. HD
5:33 PM: A representative from Mt. Sinai hospital is just updating CBC Radio on injuries. The hospital is under lockdown, but is allowing patients to enter. So far four protest-related injuries, all minor. HD
5:15 PM: Torontoist's Nick Kozak files these photos, shot between 1:51 and 3:43 p.m. today, of some less intense moments in today's protest:
5:09 PM: The Star is reporting that a few shots were fired at College and University. Toronto Police Services is now saying that earlier reports of tear gas being deployed were mistaken. HD5:03 PM: CP24 and CityNews are confirming that tear gas has been released at College and University. HD
5:01 PM: Christopher Bird and Deborah Mensah-Bonsu are both reporting from King and Bay. There is a crowd of what looks like at least fifteen hundred. Classic protest chants, so far peaceful. HD
4:52 PM: Hundreds of protesters at Yonge and Adelaide shouting "let us walk" and (at police) "Who do you serve? Who do you protect?" Many of them are now heading west on Adelaide. DMB
4:37 PM: And because there is actually a summit going on right now, at which people are discussing important issues and making important policy decisions, here's an interesting way to check up on the progress made at the G20 summit itself: the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto has a blog. On the blog: a compliance department that is scoring the various leaders' commitments in real time, as well as a group of civil society analysts looking at protests and interviewing different NGOs.HD
4:36 PM: So, despite a few flare-ups, so far the protests have overall been peaceful, and the police have overall been restrained. Toronto is, despite a few unfortunate exceptions, hanging in there. HD
4:23 PM: Riot police are getting out of vans and forming a line on King between University and York. DMB
4:21 PM: The Eaton Centre is now on lockdown. Hearing reports than nobody is being let in or out. HD
4:13 PM: There's a group of protesters at Bay and Adelaide, chants of "no justice, no peace." Cops now hammering their shields. CB
Police cruiser on fire at King and Bay. Photos by Ryan Walker/Torontoist.
3:49 PM: Christopher Bird is reporting that people now sitting a few feet in front of the cops at Richmond and University. Protesters aren't chanting, it doesn't seem to be an organized group, but gradually more are showing up. Police are looking increasingly tense. HD
3:46 PM: The scene on Queen just east of Spadina a few minutes ago:
Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
3:43 PM: Meanwhile, things are considerable quieter at Queen's Park. "The worst party in the world," says Peter Saltsman. "Even the cops are leaving." HD
3:42 PM: Fifty to one hundred protesters are standing in a line right now straddling University south of Queen, about twenty feet away from the cops. Some more damage: a CBC truck, a CIBC branch. CB
3:31 PM: Scotiabank at Queen and Duncan smashed up. Some overturned mailboxes. Cops still acting with restraint, providing exits to protesters who want to leave. CB
3:22 PM: Blockade on Queen is steadily retreating east, the police seem to be trying to give the protesters breathing room to tire themselves out. Blockade on John holding firm; one officer has a tear gas launcher at the ready. All the cops at the intersection have donned their gas masks. CB
3:18 PM: Protesters are steadily advancing against a police blockade at Queen and Peter. Protesters now attempting to smash storefronts. CB
3:12 PM: Violence is flaring now: a few physical attacks on cops, some bottles thrown. Queen and Peter. CB
3:10 PM: The cops on scene now are saying they didn't deploy any devices at all—it was the protesters who set off flares. CB
3:07 PM: There is currently a white cloud hovering near Queen and Spadina. Though many people jumped to the conclusion that it was teargas, right now the CBC is reporting that the police have fired off flares. HD
3:36 PM: The scene at City Hall a couple of hours ago:
Mounted police near City Hall, 1:13 p.m. Photo by Ryan Walker/Torontoist.
2:54 PM: Christopher Bird is at Queen and John, right outside the MuchMusic building. A row of people with the Canadian Labour Congress is standing between the protesters and the cops, encouraging people to keep on moving, and generally trying to maintain order. They are getting yelled at by protesters for taking away their rights to protest. Which, given that the Labour Congress contingent is trying to act as a shield for the protesters, is perhaps somewhat ironic. HD
2:48 PM: The protesters trying to move down John Street have been stopped and police have taken the signs and banners they were trying to use as weapons. A small army of riot police has amassed at John and Richmond. SM
Spadina and Richmond around 2:45 p.m. Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
2:44 PM: Also at Queen and University, a nearly naked man scaling the war memorial statue in the centre median:
Photo by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.
Nearly Naked Man's objectives are thus far unknown, reports Christopher Bird. HD
2:41 PM: Despite the strong shows of police force, so far it seems that things are staying calm. Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy reports that the protest is now winding down at Queen and University—there have been no visible clashes or arrests thus far. HD
2:34 PM: Stephen Michalowicz is reporting from the intersection of John and Richmond that police just donned gas masks and what looks like tear gas guns to confront the protesters that are trying to
charge down John Street. Similarly, Deborah Mensah-Bonsu is seeing riot cops at every intersection looking south from Queen. HD
charge down John Street. Similarly, Deborah Mensah-Bonsu is seeing riot cops at every intersection looking south from Queen. HD
2:29 PM: If you are thinking of heading downtown, be advised that the subway is no longer running on the Yonge-University-Spadina line between St. George and Bloor stations (so the entire downtown loop). The TTC is also saying that streetcars are not entering the downtown core.HD
2:07 PM: Kelli Korducki, who was at yesterday's Ontario Coalition Against Poverty protest, reports from today's (larger) protest, currently on the move: "Much better communication between police and organizers today. Am seeing much better cooperation than there had been yesterday. It also helps that the riot cops are less visible. They're still all over, but keeping some distance."
Emily Shepard, at Queen and Simcoe, sends this photo of riot cops (though it does not, unfortunately, include a photo of the person who moments ago mooned them):
Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
Our minute-to-minute coverage is collected over on our Twitter. DT
1:46 PM: One of the big stories so far today has been the overnight raid by police of a house where some protest organizers were staying. The Globe is reporting that police arrested several people staying at 114 Westmoreland Avenue. Some protesters who were also at the house but not arrested spoke to the National Post from Allan Gardens; they claim that the police failed to properly show a warrant, and that the arrests are illegal. HD
1:41 PM: During this afternoon's protest, which is now starting and which is expected to attempt to head towards the security fence, we'll be posting minor, minute-by-minute updates to our Twitter; major updates and photos will be here, in this post. DT
1:34 PM: What's going on right now, according to Torontoist reporters on the ground across downtown:
Kelli Korducki, with the mass of protesters at Queen's Park, says: "Samba Squad is playing in Oxfam group and people seem more positive than yesterday despite rain." There are "more children visible today, notably among pro-Tibet and Uyghur protest groups." Stephen Michalowicz is reporting that cops "have started clearing people off University and onto the sidewalk as the protesters begin to march."
Deborah Mensah-Bonsu, at University and King, at the fence some protesters are planning to march towards, reports that it's a "literal ghost town. A few pedestrians, some taking photos of the fence and the non-action, lots of security standing around in groups." Two "massive military helicopters flew overhead—apparently Obama's; they're sending five or six, and he's in one of them."
Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy, at Queen and University, reports: "plenty of police but not a protester in sight. When I asked police what they'll do if the protest splinters south towards the security zone, they told me it was the first they had heard of it and asked where I got the info. Seemed genuinely shocked! One cop said with certainty, 'I can assure you they will not be going south.'"
Suzannah Showler sends this update from outside the temporary detention centre on Eastern Avenue: "Nada at Eastern—security is hanging out, reading Metro, etc. Nary a protester. One officer just joked to me: 'See, we're ready for ya.' Cops also teased me for jay-walking. They're obviously bored."
Peter Saltsman, at Union Station, reports there are more cops than passengers. "Most of them discussing lunch." DT
12:54 PM: Around downtown, protesters are collecting, and starting to make their way to Queen's Park, and to University. Christopher Drost sends these photos from forty-five minutes ago, of a smaller group at Bloor and Spadina:
Photos by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.
Our Stephen Michalowicz spotted one group, protesting "crimes against humanity in the Ethiopian region of Ogaden," on their way down University at 12:35 p.m.—police, then, were keeping them on the sidewalk. DT
12:30 PM: There is a deceptively light police presence on University Avenue between College Street and Queen Street West. Hundreds of police officers are keeping dry in nearby buildings and in their SUVs and minivans.SM
12:25 PM: A few hundred at the Greenpeace building at 33 Cecil building. Handing out disposable ponchos. OH THE IRONY. ES
12:18 PM: One small but notable mistake, which we've corrected in previous updates: the name of the deaf protester arrested yesterday and being detained at 629 Eastern, according to the Star, is Emomotimi Azorbo; we'd been spelling his first name "Mototimi." DT
12:05 PM: And the Globe and Mail is reporting that there have been thirty-two arrests so far, with fifty-one charges—though for most of them, police have released no details, which has led Globe reporter Siri Agrell to question the lack of transparency. DT
11:44 AM: Via the Star, an excellent tip sheet put together by journalists Jim Rankin and Stuart Laidlaw, to "Surviving the G8/G20 Protests." Explicitly for media, it's useful for just about anyone. DT
11:39 AM: 680News is reporting that the G8 in Huntsville has "wrapped up"; world leaders will be on their way into Toronto shortly. The Globe (with whom we are partners) have more from Huntsville on their G8/G20 page.DT
11:07 AM: Emily Shepard files this report from "Shout Out for Global Justice!", held last night at Massey Hall.DT
11:04 AM: The Star profiles today's protest, which starts at 1 p.m. at Queen's Park, and is expected to be the largest demonstration of the weekend. DT
10:57 AM: On a rooftop near the Don Valley Parkway, near Queen Street East, a group attempted to stage a protest of the now-infamous G20 airspace restrictions, which include a ban on kite flying within fifteen nautical miles (or about twenty-eight kilometers) of the Summit. The plan was to fly kites within view of the highway, and, presumably, the authorities.
Chris Chopik, the ringleader, whose office is in the building where the protest was set to take place, told us he hadn't planned on protesting until he heard about the kite ban. "It's one thing not to be able to wear a suit downtown," he said. "But to have a fifty kilometer no-fly zone around the summit..." He gesticulated with his kite, which was plastic, with a picture of a salamander. "It shows a lack of sensitivity to the populace."
This morning's rain had kept turnout low. There were two protestors on the roof: Chopik and his publicist. There were also two photographers, two reporters (including us), and a Rogers satellite truck parked by the DVP, recording video. SK
9:53 AM: One last photo from yesterday's OCAP protest that we can't not share, by Harry Choi, of riot cops facing down protesters at University and Elm. DT
9:32 AM: Just published, Chris Drost and Chris Bird's short piece about how gross the International Media Centre is getting, as a result of the journalists there. DT
8:49 AM: Published late last night on Torontoist was "Full of Sound and Fury," a look at yesterday's protests—including the one that saw protesters outside of the temporary detention centre near Filmport before midnight, demanding that Emomotimi Azorbo, a deaf protester arrested on Friday, be given access to a lawyer and an interpreter.
Protesters outside of 629 Eastern Avenue on Friday night. Photos by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.
The article—written by Torontoist's Christopher Bird, with photography by Christopher Drost—is here. DT
8:40 AM: Torontoist's Ryan Walker was in the midst of Friday's Ontario Coalition Against Poverty protest at its climax:
Photo by Ryan Walker/Torontoist.
8:01 AM: From yesterday's OCAP protest, Torontoist's Nancy Paiva files these photos:
Photos by Nancy Paiva/Torontoist.
REPORTING BY: David Topping (DT), Hamutal Dotan (HD), Christopher Bird (CB), Christopher Drost (CD), Nancy Paiva (NP), Ryan Walker (RW), Emily Shepard (ES), Stephen Michalowicz (SM), Suzannah Showler (SS), Kelli Korducki (KK), Deborah Mensah-Bonsu (DMB), Peter Saltsman (PS), Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy (WBM), Andrew Louis (AL), and Steve Kupferman (SK).
Photos by Ryan Walker/Torontoist, Andrew Louis/Torontoist, and Nick Kozak/Torontoist.
Photo by Andrew Louis/Torontoist.
Jimmie Simpson Park at 5:45 p.m.: "No anarchists. Only dog walkers and badketball players. Police waiting around." Andrew Louis/Torontoist.
Photos by Andrew Louis/Torontoist.
Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
Queen and Noble. Photo by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.
Photo by Alixandra Gould.
Photo by Remi Carreiro/Torontoist.
Photos by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
Photo by Deborah Mensah-Bonsu/Torontoist.
Photos by Nick Kozak/Torontoist.
A bus full of police officers unloading at the Eastern Avenue detention centre at about 12:10 p.m. Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
Photos by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
Photo by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist.
SUNDAY
5:09 AM: From across downtown on Sunday, a collection of some of the best photos from Torontoist's photographers and readers. Two of those photos:
Photos by Ryan Walker/Torontoist, Andrew Louis/Torontoist, and Nick Kozak/Torontoist.
After a full three days, our live G20 coverage ends now, though we'll have much more about the G20 in its wake in the days and weeks ahead. This weekend's end is just the start. DT
4:25 AM: The Toronto Star, among many others, is calling for an inquiry of the entire G20 weekend. DT
1:07 AM: The streets have quieted down for the night, but we'll have more coverage over the next couple of hours, including a gallery of photos from today and Ryan Walker's video of the police charging the crowd at Queen and Spadina late this afternoon. HD
12:45 AM: A few hours ago a call went out on Twitter: people were being let out of the Eastern Avenue detention centre, some without their shoes or belongings, and needed rides home. Others on Twitter who have cars started driving down to the makeshift jail and have been giving people lifts home ever since. HD
12:12 AM: The Toronto Police Service has just announced that the perimeter fence has been opened. HD
11:46 PM: People across the city are wrestling with the causes and implications of police actions today. Just spotted perhaps the first Facebook group: "Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20." Pressure mounting in anticipation of David Miller's press conference tomorrow morning. (We'll be updating from there shortly after 11 a.m.) HD
11:05 PM: Staff Superintendent Jeff McGuire of the Toronto Police Service held a press conference to address questions about police actions this evening at Queen and Spadina. He said that police took the actions that they did (roughly: charging the crowd and detaining many people for hours on site without charge or explanation) because they have received information that Black Bloc protesters were in the crowd as well as "people who chose not to disassociate themselves" from them. HD
10:30 PM: Global is reporting that the total number of arrests for the G20, according to the Integrated Security Unit, is 604 as of 10:15 p.m. on Sunday. DT
10:22 PM: From the Star, and from the lips of Stephen Harper: “We obviously deplore the actions of a few thugs. But the reality is, unfortunately, that these summits attract this element and [that] has been a problem, as we know, around the world....That said, I think that goes a long way to explaining why we have the kind of security costs around these summits that we do.” DT
9:56 PM: It may well be a long night. Jackson Proskow of Global reports that the detention centre has "busses full of detainees arriving"; the Globe reports that "extra officers will remain in the city at least until Monday night" and the security perimeter fence "will remain in place a little longer." DT
9:40 PM: At Queen and Spadina, reports Steve Kupferman, "TTC buses are being used to hail away arrestees"; police are loading them on now. DT
9:34 PM: From OpenFile, a short interview with Jesse Rosenfeld, the Guardian freelancer who Steve Paikin says he saw assaulted by police officers last night. Rosenfeld was released earlier today. DT
9:28 PM: Amnesty International is "call[ing] on the Canadian government and the government of the province of Ontario to cooperate in launching an independent review of the security measures that were put in place for the G8 and G20 Summits. The review should include opportunities for public input and the results should be released to the public." HD
9:22 PM: Two of the National Post's photographers—Brett Gundlock and Colin O'Connor—were arrested and in custody for twenty-four hours, including an overnight stay at Eastern Avenue's temporary detention centre. ThePost has more, including photos of Gundlock as he was tackled by police officers. DT
8:56 PM: Torontoist's Andrew Louis files this photo of Selena Flood and Seamus Parker from 7:45 p.m., just after both were released from the Eastern Avenue detention centre:
Photo by Andrew Louis/Torontoist.
Flood and Parker, reports Louis, "had just been released an hour before without being charged. They were acting as medics in the protests yesterday and got detained," and are pictured here picking up the "personal property bags that the police put [their] possessions in....They were waiting for the streetcar to go home after getting a coffee. They were all happy and talkative." DT
8:41 PM: TTC buses arriving north of Queen on Spadina. They say "chartered." Officer says TTC buses are for cops. SK
8:33 PM: At least one thing will be back to normal tomorrow: the TTC. Adam Giambrone just tweeted that "TTC expects to run regular service tomorrow morning across the city including downtown." DT
8:15 PM: Spacing has just posted a video they have found of police charging the crowd at Queen and Spadina.HD
7:47 PM: Police are gradually releasing more detainees from the Eastern Avenue facility; they have apparently run out of space for them all. HD
7:20 PM: A fresh report from Ryan Walker: no tear gas has been fired but police are wearing their gas masks. Plainclothes officers are detaining, and in some cases tackling, some of those assembled at Queen and Spadina. HD
7:17 PM: There seems to be something going on with telecommunication at Queen and Spadina. Chris Bird keeps calling us but cannot hear when we talk, the CTV news feed have stopped, others are reporting that friends in the area have suddenly stopped tweeting. Trying to ascertain what's going on. HD
7:01 PM: Christopher Bird is also now in the vicinity of Queen and Spadina. He says that the intersection is completely locked down and police are on all sides. Media is being escorted out of the area. HD
6:51 PM: Our photographer Ryan Walker just called in from Queen and Spadina. The crowd broke out into "Oh Canada," police stormed as soon as song was done, people fleeing. HD
6:38 PM: Things still extremely tense at Queen and Spadina. CityNews is reporting that the police are preparing to use tear gas in a few minutes. HD
6:29 PM: Some more helpful reading: the National Post has a good primer on the Eastern Avenue detention centre, as well as an assessment of how the protests here compare to other G20 summits. (Short answer: ours are, relatively speaking, "no big deal.") And the Star has an update from the courthouse on Finch Avenue, where detainees are being processed. HD
6:21 PM: Huge crowd and lots of police now gathered at Queen and Spadina. The sound cannon has been spotted. HD
6:09 PM: Nancy Paiva has just returned from the prayer vigil at King and Bay. A riot officer there told her that they will let organizer Maggie Helwig and other participants remain as long as they want, with no plans for arrest as they are not breaking any laws. HD
6:06 PM: Back at detention centre. No riot police. Traffic on Eastern Avenue going through. Lots more people being released to loud cheers. Very calm crowd. AL
5:55 PM: More TTC updates: the 504 King streetcar is still on diversion. There is also now no service on the 501 Queen car between Church and Roncesvalles. The 510 Spadina line is holding at Queen Street. HD
5:51 PM: In official summit updates, Harper has now delivered the official G20 summit statement; the Globe and Mail has a full text copy of it. HD
5:37 PM: Nick Kozak just called in from Queen and Noble: protesters and police have largely dispersed and the street seems to be returning to normal. And Ryan Walker, who is at Jimmie Simpson park to check out a planned protest there, has a similarly quiet update. "Lots of police buses and vans. No anarchists." HD
Jimmie Simpson Park at 5:45 p.m.: "No anarchists. Only dog walkers and badketball players. Police waiting around." Andrew Louis/Torontoist.
5:28 PM: An update regarding Jesse Rosenfeld, the reporter who had been filing stories for the Guardian and was detained last night: he is confirmed to be at the Eastern Avenue detention facility, and is expected to be released from there at about 11 p.m. tonight. HD
5:11 PM: Expect traffic delays in the hours ahead: official G20 summit proceedings are winding down, and motorcades are on the road transporting many of the attending officials. HD
5:07 PM: No arrests [at Eastern Avenue] yet. A few more detainees let out—lots of cheering each time. Riot police calm, visors up. Some of the bike group has left. AL
5:04 PM: The 504 King streetcar is now being diverted between Church and Spadina due to police activity; we are hearing that riot police are now on scene at the prayer vigil at King and Bay. HD
4:48 PM: Cheering and singing [at Eastern Avenue]: "solidarity forever, united we are strong" to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic. Police have given five minutes to leave "or you will be arrested." AL
Photos by Andrew Louis/Torontoist.
4:28 PM: A much-needed protest of violent protests, photographed by Emily Shepard at Queen and University earlier:
Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
The next protest expected this afternoon is the "Fire Works for Prisons" demonstration, congregating at Jimmie Simpson Park in the city's east end, at 5 p.m. The organizing group has something of a distaste for prisons and for media. DT
4:20 PM: And Nancy Paiva, with the (thus far altogether peaceful) prayer vigil at Bay and King, reports that organizer Maggie Helwig has been asked by police to leave, but has told police she won't. DT
4:16 PM: Protester representative Michael Lessard [who is not a police representative, as we mistakenly said earlier 6:02 P.M. CORRECTION] now tells Torontoist's Chris Bird that there have been two official detentions made, but no arrests, at Queen and Noble. More as we get it. DT
Queen and Noble. Photo by Christopher Drost/Torontoist.
4:08 PM: More from Chris Bird on arrests taking place at Queen and Noble: earlier, a bus was leaving from Nobel, bound for Quebec City. Police officers arrived, stopped the bus, and herded everyone off it, detaining twenty people, and arresting two or three (not a half-dozen, as we previously reported). About eighty people are standing around at the intersection right now, reports Bird. DT
4:05 PM: The bike parade has made its way to the Eastern Avenue detention facility, where protesters are now facing off with police. We are hearing some reports of arrests. Much chanting: "Whose streets? Our street!" and "Free our friends!" Torontoist's Nick Kozak is on his way. HD
4:02 PM: Some of the protesters who have been detained by police and held at the Eastern Avenue facility are now being released via the courthouse at 2201 Finch Avenue West. HD
3:53 PM: We hear from Christopher Bird that arrests of at least a half-dozen apparent G20 protesters are taking place right now at Queen and Noble, shortly after a protest group—it's not clear yet which—gave a makeshift press conference. It's relatively calm ("some people are chanting a little bit" and fifty or so people are watching, reports Bird), with more than a dozen police officers on the scene. DT
3:47 PM: Final update: the prayer vigil is still praying, and police have contained the small, seated group on Bay just south of King. Even though there are a lot of gawkers, there is not much going on. ES
3:24 PM: Yesterday was busy, with rapid-fire updates from morning until well past dark. Our Christopher Bird offers a complete run-down of Saturday's protests—as many of them as he and photographer Christopher Drost were able to see—to provide a big-picture overview. HD
3:15 PM: Sixteen hours after Torontoist reporter Wyndham Bettencourt-McCarthy was struck by a police officer with a baton yesterday outside of Queen's Park, she sends this photo, of the bruise above her hip, which she says is "much more intense" than it was yesterday:
Photo by Alixandra Gould.
DT
3:12 PM: The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is denouncing what it is calling "sweeping arrests" of G20 protesters. Among the organization's concerns: the arrest of reporters and CCLA monitors, detainees not having access to lawyers, and suspension of the presumption of innocence. HD
3:05 PM: Some Sunday afternoon reading, about how the G20 summit will shape the world economy, how much it will help poor nations in need of aid, what the protests mean for Toronto, and whether future summits should even be held at all. HD
2:58 PM: Right now, the prayer vigil, stopped at Bay and King, is (as expected) "praying, and the cops are giving the seated protesters some space," says Emily Shepard. Stephen Michalowicz, also on the scene, notes that "some participants are now sitting as they sing. Number of cops and media people surrounding the protest is ridiculous." "Basically all that is happening is a responsive prayer led by the seated woman with the megaphone about peace, war, etc. Totally calm," reports Shepard.
Remi Carreiro, who was with the bike protest as it passed Robarts Library on U of T campus at 1:30 p.m., sends this photo:
Photo by Remi Carreiro/Torontoist.
DT
2:45 PM: Emily Shepard sends these photos, of the prayer vigil proceeding along King:
Photos by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
Sheppard reports that "cops [are] stopping us south on Bay. People sitting down." DT
2:31 PM: At the King and Church prayer vigil, "we're actually waiting for the cops to escort us," reports Emily Shepard. DT
2:15 PM: At King and Church's prayer vigil, Emily Shepard reports that the stated "guidelines for the vigil [are] no threatening behaviour, no abusive language, no damage to property, no covering of faces with bandanas or masks. 'We do not need to hide our faces.'"
The vigil, she says, "will walk west on King to Bay, and south on Bay to the Wellington [security fence] barrier," though "We're not moving yet. Some prayers being handed out on paper—none said aloud. I'd say 100 to 150 pray-ers. Very mixed in age, and no one dressed to intimidate."
"Those planning to risk arrest are to fill out a personal information form to facilitate legal representation. This is remarkably subdued. There are maybe three cops."
Stephen Michalowicz, also there, agrees—one speaker earlier told that crowd, he reports, that "we will not attempt to go through the police barricade...if they stop us, we will sit and pray." DT
2:10 PM: When the (very peaceful) bike rally made its way to Queen's Park earlier, riders yelled "Whose street? Our street!" says Stephen Michalowicz. Our Deborah Mensah-Bonsu shot this photo of a cop shooting a photo of her on his iPhone, at Bloor and Spadina:
Photo by Deborah Mensah-Bonsu/Torontoist.
Meanwhile, at the prayer vigil at King and Church, reports Emily Shepard, "I think there is more media at this vigil than protesters. We're at least on par." There are plans to walk to the security fence later—which Stephen Michalowicz is now reporting there is "absolutely nothing happening along....Things are pretty boring down here." DT
1:35 PM: Critical Mass directed off Spadina by cops with gas masks, tear gas guns in hand, etc. The mass occupied Spadina for a few short blocks. ZZ
1:21 PM: The latest from the Critical Mass ride at Bloor and Spadina, from Suzannah Showler: "police on bikes [were] blocking Critical Mass from starting," and were met with a "giant chant of 'Let us ride!'"—police have since done so, and the protest is on the move now. DT
1:19 PM: After we featured this photo on Saturday, by Harry Choi, of a line of police in riot gear on University, Twitter follower Jim Kelly demanded a reworking of it, Abbey Road–style. Thanks to Twitter user @kvantum, wegot one yesterday. DT
1:16 PM: From Suzannah Showler, with the bike protest at Bloor and Spadina now: "Guy stood up at Critical Mass to ask that things stay non-violent. General agreement of bell-ringing in response." DT
1:12 PM: Travel alert: 680News is reporting that the westbound Gardiner, from the Don Valley Parkway to Highway 427, is closed, including all on- and off-ramps. HD
1:01 PM: A few cops arriving [at Bloor and Spadina]. Their badges say Saskatoon. They're just chatting with people so far. SS
12:54 PM: About fifty people have started to gather for a planned bike parade at Bloor and Spadina, reports Suzannah Showler. HD
12:48 PM: The protest was broken up by police using batons and rubber bullets. Tasers were drawn, but not used. Some people were arrested. No tear gas reported. ES
12:33 PM: The scene outside the Eastern Avenue detention centre at 11:58–11:59 a.m.:
Photos by Nick Kozak/Torontoist.
12:25 PM: According to the Star, also at the detention centre: "Arrests are taking place. A coachload of police officers arrived at scene. Group of protesters chants: 'We are peaceful, how about you?; Police charged group, hitting two with batons. Riot police continue to hold position, hammering their shields with their batons." HD
12:17 PM: Protesters are on Queen trying to go south on Pape...police line blocking the protesters from moving south. No tear gas deployed. It was a smoke bomb, according to the CCLA observer beside me. ES
A bus full of police officers unloading at the Eastern Avenue detention centre at about 12:10 p.m. Photo by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
12:04 PM: The protest at Eastern Avenue is heating up. Riot police are gathering and tensions are high. Though a couple of minutes ago reports indicated that tear gas had been deployed, CBC Radio is now saying that the cloud visible on the scene is not tear gas. HD
11:57 AM: The Toronto Police Service has just issued a press release announcing the creation of a "G20 Investigative Team to examine all crimes committed during the Summit." More from the release:
Chief William Blair said, "There is a small group of criminals, whose only motivations are violence and destruction, who have appalled those who came to express their views in a peaceful manner. We will investigate every crime committed at the Summit, and track down and charge all those responsible. I would ask those who have information, images, or video to work with us to hold accountable those who have chosen violence."Anyone with information, images, or video is asked to send them to corporatecommunications@torontopolice.on.ca, or take them to any Toronto police station.
We're surprised that TPS is using their corporate communications email address to solicit tips, and not sure why they would direct anyone with information about criminal activity to a communications department. HD
11:29 AM: Police removing people from UofT a few minutes ago:
Photos by Emily Shepard/Torontoist.
11:10 AM: I am at the raid site at Huron and Bancroft (a lane leading into the GSU/Bancroft building). Major operation underway—no one coming out yet but there's a police bus on hand for loading. ES
11:03 AM: Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) commenting on yesterday's violence on CBC Radio: "it was beyond sad, it was beyond anger, it was something many of us have never seen before." HD
10:56 AM: On Queen Street today, tense police officers and lots of clean-up:
Photo by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist.
Photographer Michael Chrisman reports that he was stopped while biking down Queen multiple times: twice to have his identification checked, and once to have his bag searched. "Attitude out here sucks," he summarizes.HD
10:45 AM: First protest of the day: solidarity march from Jimmie Simpson Park to the Eastern Avenue detention centre. People gathering at the park now. HD
10:35 AM: Officers' moods are much worse out here today. Presenting press credentials (upon request) still gets you told: no photos. MC
10:33 AM: Regarding the police action at UofT, the CBC further says that fifty people were arrested. HD
10:27 AM: Protests beget signs, and signs beget stories: Stephen Michalowicz reports on one of our favourite finds. HD
10:16 AM: Breaking news out of the actual summit: the Canadian Press via the Globe and Mail is reporting that Canada has successfully convinced other countries not to mandate a bank tax and instead let individual nations decide how to "make sure that taxpayers are not stuck with the bill when banks fail." HD
10:07 AM: Reports of a police raid on the University of Toronto campus, near the forestry building, on CBC radio.HD
9:38 AM: Proceeding normally today: World Cup (Germany plays England this morning) the Toronto Jazz Festival, farmers' markets. All excellent ways to spend your time if protesting and summitteering aren't your thing. HD
8:50 AM: Total arrests thus far: 412, according to the Globe, including two journalists with the National Post andone with the Guardian. At least some are expected in court today. HD
8:38 AM: Clean-up is underway this morning on Queen street. City maintenance staff swept up broken glass and other refuse overnight, and some operations have already begun replacing windows and cleaning up graffiti. HD
8:26 AM: Our photographers have been out all weekend documenting events as they unfold. Here is a tiny sampling of yesterday's images:
8:18 AM: The TTC has just announced that full regular Sunday service, including subways and surface routes, will resume at 9 a.m. (Translation: the TTC has likely been told that huge protests aren't expected today.) HD
8:03 AM: Good morning everyone. Right now, the streets are quiet in an early morning lull. If you are travelling today be advised that GO is still suspended, and will remain so until further notice. TTC service south of the Bloor-Danforth line (both subway and surface vehicles in the downtown core) remains suspended until at least 9 a.m., at which point authorities will make a decision about when to resume full operations. HD
REPORTING BY: Christopher Bird (CB), Remi Carreiro (RC), Michael Chrisman (MC), Hamutal Dotan (HD), Christopher Drost (CD), Nick Kozak NK), Steve Kupferman (SK), Andrew Louis (AL), Deborah Mensah-Bonsu (DMB), Stephen Michalowicz (SM), Nancy Paiva (NP), Emily Shepard (ES), Suzannah Showler (SS), David Topping (DT), and Ryan Walker (RW).
