Just wanted to mention that in Canada, there are Occupy events planned for this weekend.
And if the planning meeting for Vancouver BC is any indication, this could have a mighty fine turnout.
A meeting to organize the Occupy Vancouver protest next weekend attracted more people than many protests themselves as hundreds of people converged on the Woodward's building Saturday afternoon.
The size of the varied crowd – some who had not attended protests before – gave an indication of just how big the actual Occupy Vancouver protest might be at the Art Gallery on Saturday.
"I met a guy sleeping outside my bank; I brought him breakfast, I told him to come out," said newcomer Jason Wettstein, who also brought his daughter. "It's as much their fight too."
I suggest that anyone going, should keep in mind that the Vancouver Police Dept probably still has the "toys" they purchased for the Owelympics just last year......
The Vancouver Police department has spoken with organizers of the protest, and say they will continue to do so. “We have already engaged in dialogue with self-identified organizers and we expect that we will communicate further with them in the coming days,” said Cst. Jana McGuinness.
Concerns have been raised about the event from downtown business owners and the VPD is also liaising with them.
The protest will begin at the Art Gallery on October 15, and from the general meeting it appears that some are prepared to get arrested.
Protestors say they are prepared to occupy the space for as long as possible.
It appears that Occupy Toronto also had an excellent turnout for their planning session.
Same warning for Toronto, the Toronto Police have their own "toys" from that G20 meeting last year where they kettled and mass arrested about a thousand peaceful protesters. And shoppers, and random people going to and from work.
Most of the charges were later dropped.
Has anyone in the great white north attended a meeting? What was the attendance and the feeling like out there?
Why are Canadians looking towards joining this movement?
The Toronto organizers acknowledge Canada doesn’t have the same problems that sparked the ongoing protests south of the border in lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park.
“In America, you have the foreclosure crisis, the bank bailouts, massive amounts of unemployment and the Wisconsin union destruction,” said Bryan Batty, a 25-year-old college business student and spokesperson for Occupy Toronto
But Canadians have lots to be mad about, including the government’s growing debt load, high youth unemployment, and environmental destruction by big forestry and oil companies, he said
I looked at a few reasons the other day. Funny thing, while we have no corporate donations to parties anymore, (and unions also are no longer allowed to contribute) personal donations roll in to the Conservative party from the only people who have money anymore. Their supporters in the top percent....In the meanwhile, the Harper Conservatives are going to end public party subsidies.
Publicly funded elections...Isn't that something that many in the US want?
Austerity is a word that PM Harper also likes to toss around.
I would say that we have far more in common than we don't. Like most of the world, the rich are richer, and the poor are poorer. And it isn't going to improve until we band together.
Solidarity.