The Toronto Star reports this evening, “After police posted eviction notices on tents in St. James Park, the court granted Occupy protesters an injunction Tuesday against the city’s eviction efforts. Protesters were told they could remain in the park – provided no new tents were pitched – until the judge’s decision was made this Saturday at 6 p.m. Thursday afternoon, two days before the decision was to be announced, Judge David Brown told the city that decision would be pushed back another two days until Monday, Nov. 21 at 9 a.m.”
Take action!
The Council of Canadians is encouraging its members to support Occupy Toronto by participating in a rally and march this Saturday November 19 at 2 pm. The rally will be gathering at St James Park, between King St. East and Adelaide St. East, and between Church St. and Jarvis St. Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow says, “We proudly stand with Occupy Toronto and the hundreds of other Occupy movements worldwide who are demanding real democracy. These occupations have created a space to talk about how our society can be designed to serve our common goals and aspirations and to draw attention to the corporate control of our economy and the resulting wealth inequalities, austerity measures, environmental harm, loss of democratic rights, and the exclusion of popular voices. I am inspired to see this civic engagement, especially because so many of the people involved are doing this for the first time. we must support them in every way we can.”
Return of the Occupy
Just two days after riot police launched a 1 am raid on Zuccotti Park, Occupy Wall Street returned with a massive direct action in New York City.
The Associated Press reports, “Hundreds of Occupy demonstrators marched through New York’s financial district Thursday in an attempt to block traders from reaching the New York Stock Exchange… ‘All day, all week, shut down Wall Street!’ the crowd chanted, clogging the streets as they neared the stock exchange. Police said about 50 or 60 people were arrested, including several who sat on the ground one block from Wall Street and refusing to move. Some of the police hit protesters as they resisted arrest. Most of the marchers retreated. …The New York group announced it would rally near the New York Stock Exchange, then fan out across Manhattan and head to subways, before gathering downtown and marching over the Brooklyn Bridge.”
The Canadian Press adds, “More than 1,000 protesters gathered near the New York Stock Exchange and sat down in several intersections. Helmeted police officers broke up some of the gatherings… Officers allowed Wall Street workers through the barricades, but only after checking their IDs. …A crowd of several thousand people, led by banner-carrying members of the Service Employees International Union, jammed Manhattan’s Foley Square and then marched peacefully across the Brooklyn Bridge on a pedestrian promenade. …At least 200 people were arrested in New York. Some were bloodied during the arrests.”
Additionally, “Occupy Wall Street protesters clogged streets and tied up traffic around the U.S. on Thursday to mark two months since the movement’s birth and signal they aren’t ready to quit, despite the breakup of many of their encampments by police. …The demonstrations — which took place in cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston, Washington and Portland, Ore. — were for the most part peaceful. Most of the arrests were for blocking streets…”
