I wanted to share the observations of a Facebook friend who lives near the downtown core. It pretty accurately describes the scene, and offers some insight on what's to come.
As someone living near downtown, I’d like to share some firsthand observations about the “Freedom Convoy” that is occupying the city, as some people continue to believe it is a peaceful protest for truckers:
• There are some semi trucks, but the vast majority are pickup trucks. 95% of them have Ontario or Quebec plates: they did not drive across the country, they largely came from nearby.
• The occupiers are 99% white and 90% male. I’m told that 90% of Canada’s truckers are vaccinated. The occupiers don’t represent truckers or the broad population of Canada.
• The signs and rhetoric do talk about “dropping the mandates”, but many of them also believe COVID or the vaccines to be some kind of conspiracy or hoax. These people do not seem to believe that the pandemic is real.
• The honking is constant, going on about 18 hours a day in the core. It’s deafening at the street level and a constant irritation even from inside. It is much more stressful than you would imagine. We don’t get as much honking where we are, but there have been loud helicopters circling above most days for 6-10 hours.
• Going anywhere near the occupiers practically guarantees harassment. They yell at anyone wearing a mask and will sometimes try to remove it from their face. Health care workers have gotten some of the worst of it. My wife and I did a 20-minute walk from Centretown back to our homes on the weekend and were yelled at a handful of times by occupiers, even though we took side streets and were not wearing masks.
• Police are, quite simply, not enforcing any laws for the occupiers. I’ve had several friends report things from property damage to threats and harassment. They call the police and are told some variation of “We’re busy, call back if your life is in immediate danger”.
• A lot of the trucks have “FUCK TRUDEAU” flags or writing on them. Many contain unhinged conspiracy theories about the pandemic. More than you would expect have death threats on them, against Trudeau, the government, or vague enemies like “traitors”.
• There are minor crimes constantly being committed. If they were done by someone homeless, the cops would immediately shut it down and fine them. This includes open fires, treating every street/alley/park like a toilet, setting up tents (in the streets), sleeping overnight in idling trucks, and drinking on the streets. These aren’t necessarily putting anyone’s lives in danger, but the selective enforcement of laws is infuriating.
• The occupiers seem to delight in making residents as miserable as possible. People living downtown have no means of changing federal policy, but have been enduring constant hardship since the occupation started.
• Many businesses in the core have shut down until the occupation leaves, including the Rideau Centre. This makes it even harder for the locals to get food or supplies, as well as the financial damage to business owners and employees after an already difficult 2+ years.
• People working in restaurants or other businesses that remain open are regularly harassed by the occupiers. Many of these are just young people trying to do their part-time jobs.
• The occupiers are building some structure in Confederation park and are stockpiling propane tanks and gasoline. The NCC, who manages the park, asked the police to remove this. The police reported that they had, then it turns out they didn’t and the stockpile is still there. The NCC doesn’t know what to do now.
• As the occupation goes on, it brings more right-wing extremists. Yesterday, a large group of Q-Anon supporters arrived, including a woman who has told everyone she is the queen of Canada, has secretly deposed the government, and called for the 70,000 people who follow her online to kill anyone trying to vaccinate children.
• The police have said that they suspect the occupation is being influenced and funded by American political actors. The police have also said that they suspect the occupiers have and are bringing in more guns.
• As a result of this, about half of my friends have left their central homes to stay with family or friends indefinitely. Most people do not have the privilege of having another place to go, and many have avoided leaving their homes unless necessary because of the street-level noise and harassment.
Just because nobody has been killed yet does not mean this is peaceful. The media has largely done a poor job of conveying what the experience is like living near the occupation. I don't advise that you visit the core to experience it, but I hope you'll understand the severity of this occupation on our people here in the city.
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