STORY about Police/PrisonsDirect Action posted on July 3, 2010 by dawn
Union Members question why CLC prez condemns "vandalism" but stays silent on police brutality
Open Letter to Ken Georgetti and the Canadian Labour Congress:
Also posted by dawn:
Also in Direct Action:
* Please distribuite widely*
We are union activists who were part of organizing against the G20 Summit in
Toronto and solidarity actions across the country. After the “Peoples First”
march, many of us remained on the streets throughout the weekend contesting
the unprecedented militarization of our city and the G20 neoliberal agenda.
We are disturbed and concerned to read the statement by Ken Georgetti,
President of the Canadian Labour Congress, issued during the G20 summit. The
CLC issued a statement condemning ‘vandalism’ and declaring their commitment
to working with the police throughout the summit; however, the CLC’s
statement is shockingly silent about the violence perpetrated by the state
and police, aimed at rendering the right of people to assemble, organize and
resist obsolete, brutalizing our sisters, brothers and children.
Union members and our allies in the community were victims of the organized
confusion that led to the massive violations of our basic civil liberties
including house raids without warrants, indiscriminate searches, and the
warehousing of activists, innocent bystanders and others for hours without
charges in a dehumanizing detention centre.
Thousands of union members and others gathered on the streets and in the
state and police-sanctioned “free speech zone”, otherwise known as Queen’s
Park. As the mainstream media was glued to unattended burning police cars,
protesters were being charged and trampled by police horses, subject to
indiscriminate arrests, rubber bullets, tear gas and various forms of police
brutality.
* *
The focus on vandalism and attacks on private property espoused by the CLC
statement and some mainstream media outlets, expels from the debate the
legitimate concerns and lived injustices of many within the labour movement
who turned out to protest the G8/G20. By commission or omission this limited
focus* *legitimizes the suspension of rights and liberties in this city,
including the right to assembly and the right to political protest.
Thousands mobilized in front of police headquarters on June 28th in
solidarity with the hundreds of activists still being detained and our
unions and union flags were absent. We believe union solidarity should have
been present. While we are encouraged to see the CLC's recent decision to
join the call for a public inquiry, we feel that the CLC and Ontario
Federation of Labour (OFL) must support our allies, call for the release of
all prisoners in the detention centres and jails, and resist the attack on
our human rights in all its forms.
We as a labour movement must commit to organize social movements along with
our allies in social justice, environmental justice, grass-roots,
anti-poverty, women, non-status, Indigenous, Queer and international
movements to challenge and resist neoliberal capitalist governments’
ruthless assaults on the working people in Canada and globally. We will not
and cannot win the struggle we face against the violent onslaught of
neoliberalism by abandoning our allies and our communities in the wake of a
massive crackdown on dissent.
Signatories:
Farid Chaharlangi, President CUPE Local 4772
Kelly O’Sullivan, President CUPE Local 4803
Adrian Smith, Justicia for Migrant Workers, Workers’ Assembly
Ilian Bubrano, Chair CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee, CUPE
Local 3393
Dave Bleakney, National Union Representative – Canadian Union of Postal
Workers
Tracy Supruniuk, CUPE Local 3903
Chris Ramsaroop, Justicia for Migrant Workers, CUPE Local 1281
Rachel Rosen, OSSTF District 12
Katherine Nastovski, CUPE Local 3903
Herman Rosenfeld, Retired CAW Staffperson, Workers’ Assembly
Lynda Lemberg, OSSTF District 12, Active Retired Member
Mohan Mishra, CUPE Local 1281
Giti Iranpoor, OPSEU Local 512
Alison Fischer, OSSTF District 12
Ken Luckhardt, Retired CAW Staffperson
Ryan Toews, CUPE Local 3903
Jude Welburn, CUPE Local 3902
Jim Reid, CAW Local 27, London Ontario
Nicole Wall, Justicia for Migrant Workers
David McNally, York University Faculty Association
Ali Mallah, CLC Alternate VP – Workers’ of Colour, Steward CUPE Local 79
Christina Rousseau, CUPE Local 3903
Gary Lawrence, 1st Vice-President, OPSEU Local 504
Caitlin Hewitt-White, Workers' Assembly, OSSTF District 12
Kaushalya Bannerji, York University CUPE Local 3903
Victor Saliba, OPSEU Local 526
Robert Allison, Member of OPSEU
Sean Starrs, CUPE Local 3903
Richard Roman, Retired University of Toronto Professor and Trade Union
Scholar
Laura Parsons, CUPE Local 1281
Vic Natola, Steward at the Federation of Metro Tenants Association, CUPE
Local 1281
Elizabeth Byce, Retired Member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Donald Burke, CUPE Local 3903
James Campbell, OSSTF District 34
Amina Ally, OSSTF District 12
Wendy Glauser, CUPE Local 3903
Ingrid Vander Kloet, ONA Local 97
Heather Dorries, CUPE Local 3902
Bruce Allan, CAW Local 199
Alex Levant, CUPE Local 3903
Peter Brogan, Workers’ Assembly and CUPE Local 3903
Sam Gindin, Retired Staff CAW
Denise Hammond, President CUPE Local 1281
Sarah Hornstein, CUPE Local 3903 and CUPE Local 1281
Kate Parizeau, CUPE Local 3902
Roger Langen, Teacher OSSTF
Baolinh Dang, CUPE Local 1281
Rodney Doody, York MA Student, CUPE Local 3903
Megan Cotton-Kinch, CUPE Local 3903
Ajamu Nangwaya, CUPE Local 3907, 3902 and Common Cause
Simon Granovsky-Larsen, York University CUPE Local 3903
Robert Morden, York University – Student
Wayne Dealy, Secretary Treasurer CUPE Local 3902 and CAW 385
Tyler Shipley, CUPE Local 3903
Paul Bocking, Executive Officer Occasional Teachers Bargaining Unit. OSSTF
District 12
Ian Hussey, CUPE Local 3903
David Camfield, Member of UMFA/NUCAUT
Patrick Vitale, Liaison Officer – CUPE Local 3902
Katie Mazer, CUPE Local 3902
Jacqueline Bergen, CUPE Local 3903
Tom Young, CUPE Local 3902 University of Toronto
Barry Weisleder, Member of OSSTF District 12
Joshua Moufawad-Paul, CUPE Local 3903
Chris Vance, CUPE Local 3903
David Lavin, CUPE Local 3903
Parastou Saberi, CUPE Local 3903
Noaman Ali, CUPE Local 3902
Rene Guerra Salazar, CUPE Local 3902
Jordy Cummings, CUPE Local 3903
Tom Keefer, CUPE Local 3903, Co-Chair of the 3903 First Nations Solidarity
Working Group
Evelyn Encalada Grez, Justicia for Migrant Workers
Richard Fung
Megan Dombrowski, CUPE Local 3903
Adriana Paz Ramirez - Justicia for Migrant Workers BC, CUPE 2278 UBC
To sign on to this letter please email clcopenletterg20@ gmail.com
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
Comments
"Brother" Georgetti's Response
What follows is CLC President Ken Georgetti's response to the open letter from trade unionists above (taken from the Toronto Media Co-op. Aside from noting that this is typical arrogant blather from a union bureaucrat, I'll leave the comments to others:
[CLC President Ken Georgetti's response]
From: Ken Georgetti <kgeorgetti@clc-ctc.ca>
Date: Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 7:52 PM
Subject: Re: Open Letter regarding the G20
To: CLC G20 Open Letter <clcopenletterg20@gmail.com>
I presume that you, whoever you are, are the author of this piece of fiction that some activists, retirees, and other parties have signed. As a courtesy to those who signed on to your misleading and slanted "open letter" I will set the record straight for them. I would hope you would have the courtesy to share it with them.
First, I report to a board made up of unions affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress. You should note that none of them signed your letter.
Second, if any members of a CLC-affilated union feel "disturbed and concerned" with statements that I or the Congress make, they should take up their concerns with the heads of their respective unions.
Third, let's get the facts and chronology corrected. Weeks before the G8 and G20 happened, the Canadian Labour Congress was making public statements, speaking at Union and public forums, and appearing in the media about the unprecedented police presence and the chilling effect it would have on the public's right to express themselves at these events. We went further and joined with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and went to court where we challenged the police use of sonic cannons at the G20. We were successful in having their use limited.
We expended the lion's share of staff and financial resources for the huge civil ,peaceful protest on Saturday involving an estimated crowd of 40,000 people. Most all of them were there to demand the world's leaders focus on the issues of jobs, maternal health, peace, the environment, the list goes on. Unfortunately, all of that attention was stolen by a small group of thugs who instead wanted to destroy street cars and public property and vandalise and steal from small store owners on Queen and Young Streets. We issued our statement, you refer to, at 5:00 PM that day. The CLC does not and will not condone that kind of behaviour or tactics perpetrated by a few and must disassociate itself from it when it appears to be part of our action. People and groups who loot and steal and vandalise are not those whom we want as allies. Many other labour organizations and national unions issued similar statements ,and I note you did not send your open letter to them.
For the record, as soon as the Civil Liberties Association was satisfied that a public inquiry was necessary, they informed us and we were the first labour organization to publically support the call.
I find your letter slanted and predicated on misleading and incorrect information, and I hope my correction of the facts gives you and the signatories some comfort to know that the CLC is always in the lead on the important issues.