Monday 26 September 2011

The hordes descend on the 'Curved Castle'

 'The masses are off their asses' 

Thousands of trade unionists and community members massed outside Toronto City Hall for a peaceful but spirited rally on the evening of Monday, September 26. Following the rally a symbolic 'gravy social' (mashed potatoes with the aforementioned garnish were served to attendees) was organized by Toronto Stop The Cuts Network.

On several occasions Nathan Phillips Square and the City Hall buildings were completely surrounded as mass picket lines were formed over the course of the event. Once again Council member Giorgio Mammoliti revealed the workings of his lizard brain when he described the huge crowd of ordinary Torontonians as 'the usual suspects'. (Yeah, right, Giorgio.)

As well, a massive banner was dropped from the elevated walkway on the south side of the square, remaining in place for close to an hour before organizers safely retrieved it. (pretty rare when it comes to banner drops - usually the cops get to them first!)

'Gravy Social'

A special session of City Council is currently examining the recent Core Services Review that recommended devastating cutbacks to many essential city resources.  While most of the cuts have been deferred until budget development begins in about two months' time following hundreds of deputations opposing them from members of the public, essentially nothing has changed - Ford and Co. are simply getting craftier in maneuvering their agenda through.

Last week a number of actions  happened at City Hall in response to the Ford agenda - on Thursday dozens of kids and their parents set up an affordable daycare outside the Mayor's office before invading Council Chambers and inducing Council members to 'pinky-swear' not to support the cuts before offering them snacks.

Last Friday members of AIDS Action Now! staged a mock funeral procession and die-in both inside and outside City Hall to protest planned cuts to HIV/AIDS resources in Toronto. This event was also well-attended despite driving rain.

Banner drop - I think this
made the message perfectly clear!

Saturday 24 September 2011

Major shit going down on Wall Street all day!

Thousands of people have peacefully occupied New York City's financial district since last Saturday. Today, protesters were met with a frightening outburst of sheer brutality from the NYPD.

I'll let these YouTube vids speak for themselves.










Photos can be viewed here.

Friday 23 September 2011

The heat is on - better listen up, Mayor Ford!

 'Daycare' space established outside Mayor Ford's office!

Supportive Council members line up for snacks and to 
'pinky-swear' not to support the cuts!

More pics can be viewed here.

Creative and powerful actions are underway in response to massive cutbacks to core services looming at the hands of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his band of bandits.

On the morning of September 22 a large group of children, parents and supporters descended on Council Chambers to demand that child care subsidies not be cut - the kids took the lead in a big way here, bringing snacks to city council members and imploring them to 'pinky-swear' (take an oath while linking little fingers together) not to implement these cuts.


Musicians and 'Grim Reaper' lead funeral procession

 'Die-in' in City Hall rotunda

 Chalk memorial is drawn outside City Hall doors

More photos can be viewed here.
A video clip can be viewed here.

On September 23 a solemn mock funeral procession and 'die-in' by AIDS activists delivered a similar demand regarding funding for HIV/AIDS resources.

Led by musicians and a giant 'Grim Reaper' puppet, nearly 100 people collapsed in mock death inside City Hall's rotunda, then proceeded back outside where the 'die-in' was repeated, with people drawing chalk outlines around each others' prone forms. Flowers and candles were then left within these images.

Earlier in the week hundreds of Toronto residents signed up to deliver a virtually unanimous message against further assaults on city services  at another marathon session of Mayor Ford's executive committee.

In the wake of this meeting many of the proposed cutbacks were deferred until the budget process begins in November, with still other items being sent to the various standing committees for further review. Only a few relatively innocuous items will come up for vote at the current session of City Council.

While it is clear that Ford and Co. have blinked, this fight is far from over. Everything is still on the table - it  simply appears that sneakier methods are likely to be utilized to push this agenda forward.

We need to be vigilant; to keep up the momentum that has been built throughout the year and be ready to confront these people when they try yet again to impose this devastating plethora of cuts  upon us!

A massive rally will be taking place at 5:30 PM on Monday, September 26, 
when thousands of people are expected to descend on Nathan Phillips Square

Sunday 18 September 2011

It's strange they don't call it 'violence'...

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' when daily they send people to their deaths by deporting them.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' when they send thousands of poor people to kill (or be killed by) other poor people in one senseless war or another.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' when it seems that almost daily their uniformed agents gun people down in the streets for the 'crime' of having the wrong skin color or for being in emotional crisis.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' when daily people are forced to accept the Hobson's choice of either paying the rent or putting food on their families' tables.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' when so much of the world's wealth is controlled by so few.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' that our Mother is possibly within a single human generation of dying in agony due to thoughtless, reckless, greedy human activity.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' when the true guardians of the land (in all parts of the world) are being relentlessly displaced and having their cultures destroyed in order to make way for thoughtless, reckless, greedy human activity.

It's strange that governments don't call it 'violence' that discriminatory policies affecting immigrants, Indigenous people, women, LGBTQ folks, people with (real or perceived) disabilities and poor people in general are a standard part of every government's stock-in-trade.

It's stranger still that governments condemn 'violence' so loudly when the actions of some individual are (in fact) only emulating the words and behaviour of our political leaders.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???

(Reposted Facebook note from January 2011)

'Mental Health Overhaul' = Big Brother will be walking large in Ontario

 Something to consider with a Provincial election pending...

Once again the Province of Ontario is contemplating a revamp of how it delivers mental health 'services'.

The claim being made by the government is that the existing resources 'lack co-ordination' - essentially meaning they haven't yet successfully managed the task of surveilling and intervening in the lives of psychiatrized persons on a 24/7/365 basis from cradle to grave.

The current system (even without 'increased co-ordination') is a miasma of unscientific, repressive undertakings against vulnerable populations that should horrify anyone who cares about freedom and democracy. But it's sad to say such concepts go out the window when talking about folks who bear one of the DSM's pejorative designations.

As psychiatry's focus has gradually shifted from within the asylum walls to the outside world where most people live, love, work and play, our neighborhoods, community meeting places, social agencies and even our very living spaces are seeing a slow metamorphosis into a giant open-air psychiatric prison.

Within this environment literally all citizens are becoming inmates experiencing varying degrees of privilege or restriction in accordance with their level of compliance with unwritten social mores which while they have no basis in law, nonetheless wield enormous power over our daily lives.

With the continuation of this shift the very idea of 'community' has become corrupted. It used to be that 'communities' were a voluntary association of human beings who chose to work together, live with and offer support to one another within a framework and spirit based on co-operation among equals.

Now 'community' has become the misleading buzzword for the disparate, open-concept jail that has been steadily ensnaring us, with virtually all concept of co-operation, trust and mutual benefit having been extinguished.

The 'mental health' system has played a leading part in this with its pathologizing of human behavior, beliefs and perceptions of the world, its fostering of pervasive bigotry towards those of us who see the world with different eyes (or who have been too outspoken or loud about the pain it has inflicted upon ouselves and others) and the smokescreen of false medical compassion it uses to justify its excesses.

Any 'mental health overhaul' in Ontario (or anywhere else) carries the potential to knit this nightmarish but relatively disorganized infrastructure into a seamless web of control from which there will be literally no escape. When viewed in the context of existing social values and factoring in the sophistication of the technology being used for control purposes, this outcome appears inevitable if not met with a firm challenge.

It could become a structure within which anyone with a label could realistically expect to face lifelong surveillance and regular, unexpected, unwanted interventions. It can also be anticipated that the system will be perpetually looking for new human fodder upon which to justify and sustain itself.

The various components of this have already been forming or evolving over the years with varying speed according to who wields power at the time. Thanks in particular to former Ontario premier Mike Harris introducing community treatment orders and ACT teams to this province in the late 1990's and early in 2000, Ontario's 'mental health' infrastructure has become an ever-more pervasive force against anyone who bears a label, with even the relative safety of our own homes (for those fortunate enough to have one) now having been stolen from us.

Then there's the scary boondoggle known as 'community crisis teams' which pair a police officer with a 'mental health' professional (usually a nurse) on patrol.

Introduced as a pilot project during the late 1990's in Toronto's east downtown before quietly being deployed city-wide, these teams are literally the Thought Police. Despite the stated purpose for introducing these teams, they have accomplished nothing in terms of reducing the number of fatal encounters between psychiatric survivors and law enforcement.

The police have long been an integral component of the broader 'mental health' system and now potentially serve as one of the primary means through which people will come into contact with it.

With cop culture being predicated upon legalized use of deadly force, coupled with the existing prejudice and fear against people who bear a label (this being especially strong among police officers) is it any wonder that encounters between police and pychiatrized persons so often turn fatal?

Even when this doesn't happen the result is almost invariably an innocent person being taken in shackles to a place of confinement where they will be stripped of all autonomy and dignity. Why is it that persons guilty of no offense under the law are being subject to interventions of a nature that are usually reserved for the punishment of criminals?

This makes it clear that the 'mental health' system is in truth a system of punishment.

This assault on the freedoms of those who have committed no crime ought to automatically raise a red flag and horrify anyone who still believes in democracy – yet it is incredible how frequently even people who think of themselves as 'progressive' will either turn away from the abuses or themselves resort to the false medical litany which is used to justify them.

Such folks have either been taken in by psychiatry's con job or are simply unable to admit to (much less face) their own biases toward those perceived as 'mad, crazy', 'seriously mentally ill' (or insert whatever other term best suits the occasion).

The estimated numbers of those who could be expected to experience 'mental illness' in their lifetimes has grown steadily over the years, from one in 100 to one in five, while at the same time the DSM has expanded in dimension until it literally equals the physical mass of a large Ottoman.

Does 'improved research or knowledge' have anything to do with all of this? Noooooooooooo... decisions on the contents of the DSM are political in nature, as their inclusion has always been subject to a vote by a committee of the American Psychiatric Association. This process seems to be framed in accordance with current (and ever-changing) social and political values. New 'diagnoses' have consistently appeared (and old ones sometimes disappeared or been modified) as the socio-policical winds have shifted.

Psychiatric labeling has always played a major part in suppressing dissent and we are seeing an increase in this role nowadays. But while people screamed in outrage when this took place in dictatorships like the former Soviet Union, the same 'justifications' as those once employed by the Kremlin go seemingly unnoticed when they occur in 'democratic' countries.

As a tool of social control psychiatry knows no borders – so why is it these practices are decried when used by authoritarian regimes yet accepted and even encouraged in 'democratic' nations? Why is it that practices or doctrine that prompted world outrage when used in Russia are seeing increasingly broad acceptance in Canada?

The answer would appear to reside in the success of the sugar-coating applied rather than in the practices themselves, as these differ little across geological or political boundaries.

When viewed within the context of an authoritarian regime the true nature of psychiatric doctrine and its application becomes plain to see – yet the identical ideology and function goes seemingly unnoticed when the false veneer of 'democracy' is applied.

We need to stand up and speak out, NOW – before this noose has the chance to tighten inexorably around our lives. We need to vigorously challenge the status quo and the falsehoods underlying it as well as taking a zero-tolerance approach to the prejudices which are used to justify it, including when they are expressed by our own peers.

The underlying profit motive fueling aspects of the system needs to be exposed and confronted, and psychiatry's medical model revealed for the fraud it is. The state (and especially law enforcement) needs to be removed from the equation altogether when it comes to dealing face to face with people experiencing crises in their lives.

We need to be creating the kind of supports for ourselves that are capable of making a real difference in peoples' lives, not just by chemically masking the visible manifestations of their pain or removing from public view (and participation) those whose perception of the world differs from the mainstream.

And perhaps most of all, we need to be working in our own communities to systematically dismantle the inequalities and abuses which so often lie at the root of what gets called 'mental illness'.

Ultimately, this system (like any other in society) exists because a sufficient number of people have consented to its existence. The time has come to withdraw that consent – once and for all!

 (Reposted Facebook note from December 2010)

And so, to the ballot box we will sleepwalk once again...

 'Our dreams don't fit into ballot boxes'
May 1, 2011 - day before the
Federal election

...And once again will come the onslaught of pseudo-civic emotional blackmail around voting vs. not voting.

I will never understand why so many supposed 'advocates for change' keep aggressively promoting the 'same-old-same-old'. Is it due to a personal agenda, a fundamental lack of understanding of human nature (and how the pols shamelessly manipulate it to their own advantage) or simple fear of the fact that real change requires substantial risk and the likelihood of getting dirt under one's nails?

So-called 'democracy' has boiled down to nothing more than a symbolic signing away (through the ballot box) of our inherent, natural personal right to directly make and carry out decisions on our own behalf.

The election campaign itself will consist of an onslaught of snippy, self-serving, insulting info-bytes designed to play to humanity's baser instincts while belittling the intelligence of even the slowest among us. The pols will not be willing to put forward and defend their own party's positions but will devote tremendous amounts of air-time and cold cash to snidely demonizing 'the other guy' in true kindergarten style.

And can we count on whoever finally wins this particular horse-race not to betray the trust placed upon them by the voting public?  Painful and oft-repeated history has proven the only answer to that question can be a resounding 'NAY!!!!!' from all thinking, feeling human beings.

Now, what would a true 'government of the people' look like? Are communities, neighborhoods, even members of individual households not capable of independently deciding how to best conduct their own affairs and manage their own resources, in co-operation with other like-minded communities, neighborhoods and households?

What would a true, horizontally-structured, direct democracy look like without the constantly looming presence of a centralized 'nanny state' as now exists, whose primary reason for existence is to ensure a continued smooth upward flow of resources while keeping the uppity lower (sic) strata firmly at heel with the constant threat of  harsh punishment?

With the erosion and fast-approaching disappearance of the so-called 'middle class' (itself another artificial distinction designed to keep the masses in check) the carrot no longer even seems relevant. Instead the harsh stick in the form of violent uniformed thugs and mass human warehouses will become the sole reality in the lives of the majority.

So what will it be, folks - another slow zombie-walk to the local polling stations on the second of May - or will people finally realize they've been had, and reclaim their lives and right to make their own decisions on all matters directly affecting them?

Think about it.

(Reposted Facebook note from March 2011)

Saturday 10 September 2011

Live from Dufferin Grove - This is what democracy looks like!


Saturday, Sept. 10 - crowd gathers in Dufferin Grove

Saturday, Sept. 10 - hundreds of people are gathering in a city park for the purpose of collectively drafting a 'Toronto Peoples' Declaration' against the disastrous cutbacks to essential services we will be facing in the near future.

This is a unique experiment in mass democracy and an opportunity for activists and concerned citizens to meet, to talk, and to plan. 


'Breakout' discussion group - Toronto East Downtown

The City's pathetic attempt to alienate us from park 
staff and the local community - didn't happen!  :)

Planned 'breakout' sessions will decide on the key points impacting their specific issues and communities, which will then be compiled into the Declaration. The key points will then be voted on one by one for the final draft.

There is to be a solid week of actions over the span between the next Executive Committee meeting (Sept. 19) and the full City Council's final vote on the Ford Regime's disastrous slash-and-burn budget proposals.

Stay tuned - lots more to come!


 For Toronto residents: the declaration may be viewed and signed here.

Friday 9 September 2011

The 'Thought Police' Strike Again...

 APPARENT 'MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION' IN TORONTO...

I was headed out on an errand about four P.M. this afternoon.  About a block from my place I saw two cop cars at the curb, lights flashing. As is my wont I crossed the street to give them sufficient berth.

Then I spotted the focus of their attention. A young woman, perhaps five-three and 120 pounds. Four large (200 pounds+) cops standing in close proximity,  hemming her in. She was clearly agitated, angry, scared - waving her arms around in the air and yelling. While the cops weren't physically restraining her at this point, two of them had donned blue latex gloves so an... intervention was clearly imminent.

I started to walk away but then a loud cry of anger or fear stopped me in my tracks. The cops had closed in... but then they backed off once more, leaving their young prey strutting back and forth, still clearly upset. At this point I fished out my phone and shot some video but unfortunately I was standing too far away to capture anything useful on low-res and I didn't dare draw too near.

There must have been about twenty spectators gathered on the sidewalk by this time and the comments were revealing indeed. Most were joking about what was going on, several expressed varying degrees of irritation with the cops - and one young guy said to me as he walked past "there's someone who didn't take their meds today!" Classic stereotype. 

I left the area at that point to take care of my own business and when I returned the police had left and there was no sign of the young woman they'd been apparently tormenting. I'm hoping she's OK... but given how the cops tend to act in these instances it's hard to say.

This kind of shit goes on every damned day, in cities around the world.  'Mental health' legislation in most jurisdictions empowers law enforcement to take innocent people into custody for (basically) 'daring to be different in a public place' or displaying inward torment too visibly in the presence of 'normals'.

Psychiatrists have been getting the cops to do their dirty work for years. And police powers in this area are expanding, especially with the introduction of 'community crisis teams' that mean even one's own home isn't safe.

Instead of a police officer having to witness 'disordered' behavior for themselves, now anyone can call the cops on some innocent soul who allows their facade to slip in the view of others so the pain shows too graphically.

Back to the 'community crisis teams' - these pair a cop with a psychiatric nurse on regular patrol. First introduced as a pilot project in my own neighborhood back in the late 1990's, there are now a dozen of these 'Thoughtcrime Units' operating in Toronto.

I had a run-in with these people myself in April of 2009 thanks to a misinterpreted Facebook posting that sent one of my 'friends' into a 911-dialing tizzy. fortunately several of my other friends also responded, saving me from potential incarceration. But at one point eight or more armed, uniformed cops had crammed themselves into my tiny apartment. Luckily I had stepped out  before they arrived and avoided a direct confrontation, plus my friends had my back. Most people are far less fortunate in these situations.

Psychiatric personnel have no more right to enter another person's dwelling without consent than does anyone else. By pairing them with a police officer, all they have to do is claim a 'medical emergency' exists in the home in question to authorize forced entry by the cop.

The most recent, highly publicized incident with one of these units involved a nine-year old boy who was handcuffed after the police were summoned to a daycare center for special-needs children. The youngster had been on the receiving end of bullying from peers and was clearly terrified. Then  the police came in and responded to his terror with handcuffs because daycare staff felt he was 'out of control'! (Gee, I wonder why....................?)

As for the young woman on the street this afternoon - this may well have been someone who had experienced violence in the form of sexual assault or otherwise, and here she was, surrounded by four big men on the street. I can't begin to imagine what must have been going through her mind...

Most psychiatric survivors have experienced violence or related traumas in their lives, with sexual abuse/assault being rampant among these. How the hell is it supposed to ease one's state of mind by responding to them in a manner that only replicates the traumas they have already experienced? I fail to see how this kind of aggressive, overtly intimidating approach could possibly contribute to a better state of mind in anyone.

Yet this is what happens constantly at the hands of the police, who operate with virtually complete impunity. It happens in institutions and general hospital psych. wards, out of the public view - and who really listens to 'crazy' people anyway when they try to shine the light of day on mistreatment? It is also further reinforced by clear expressions of public bias like the sentiments shared by the young man I mentioned earlier.

All these officially-sanctioned actions only serve to re-traumatize people. And this needs to stop.