cultural aversion
My brain is made of mush, alongside all these brains stuff. I believe in sustainable living not out of environmental consciousness but more so in vue of a possible apocalypse and due to my ever growing disdain for human beings.
I like the song Big in Japan by Alphaville.
Born in the 70s. Montreal resident. Ex-Ex-Pat. Ex-Philadelphian, Ex-Las Vegan but ALL VEGAN.
Beagle gal pal and lover of the cervidae family.
Honorary graduate of Starfleet Academy.
June 11, 2012
Original French Text: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/hpq5u1
This Sunday, June 10, 2012, I attempted to take part in a protest-action: over the course of a few hours, I would take the metro back and forth from Berri to Jean-Drapeau station to peacefully protest my disagreement with the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which in my opinion promotes sexism.
Dressed in a flowered dress and with a bag full of dangerous objects such as an apple, a bottle of water and three books, I wanted to draw attention to the heightened police presence and the actions of the SPVM [Montreal police] who have themselves been like terrorists from the start of this conflict. I would read George Orwell’s 1984, a novel describing a society overtaken by a police state.
After having my bag searched upon my arrival at Berri-UQAM metro station, I took a seat in a subway car headed to Jean-Drapeau station, my book in hand. On my way back, I read facing a police officer and a woman was reading with me, over my shoulder. We had our picture taken and the police officer, seeing that we were two dangerous people, called for backup to meet us properly at Berri. With the other passengers in the car, we were placed against the wall and were subsequently taken outside, by the emergency exits, where we were told not to come back or we would be arrested. The police gave no answer when I asked what was wrong with reading in the metro.
I commited a terrible act of civil disobedience by going back down into the station and returning to read in a subway car. When the police officers saw me eating my apple, they shouted at me that they recognized my tattoos and came after me. I asked them what I had done wrong, other than peacefully reading, and they said that I had disobeyed police orders. I asked my question again, asking what was wrong with reading in the metro, and I got no answer. I was put under arrest and the two police officers did a high five to congratulate themselves on their good work. I was transported, as if I were a criminal, to the SPVM detention centre in downtown Montreal, where they took mug shots. After confiscating my personal belongings, the officers took me took cell 52, where there were already three other women. I spent the day behind bars, in a cell with a dirty toilet, sleeping on a bench, without knowing when I would be released. All this for reading in a subway car, and then repeating this revolutionary act. Around 3:30 PM, I was released with a citation telling me that all this circus was for a charge of refusing to circulate.
Police state? I’m ashamed of my Quebec.
Marilyne Veilleix, graduate student of Information Science at the University of Montréal
Translated from the original French by Translating the printemps érable.
*Translating the printemps érable is a volunteer collective attempting to balance the English media’s extremely poor coverage of the student conflict in Québec by translating media that has been published in French into English. These are amateur translations; we have done our best to translate these pieces fairly and coherently, but the final texts may still leave something to be desired. If you find any important errors in any of these texts, we would be very grateful if you would share them with us at translatingtheprintempsderable@gmail.com. Please read and distribute these texts in the spirit in which they were intended; that of solidarity and the sharing of information.
You can find the post HERE
I actually shed a few tears after reading this. It has come to this my friends.
I am ashamed of my country.
May 28th - Montreal
A very powerful image taken during tonight’s protest where dozens of law practitioners participated in the nightly manifestations.
That cop’s smirk. I can’t even come up with words to describe it because I am completely baffled by its meaning.
Is he laughing because he feels like he is above the law and that this demonstration of support seems ridiculous to him?
Or is he, like I prefer thinking, failing to hold back a smile because he is one of the few who’s behind the movement but cannot speak up by fear of losing his job and he’s just rejoicing at the thought of having his fellow co-workers being publicly judged and outed for their unspeakable and unnecessary actions?
It’s a mystery but almost assuredly not the second stated possibility.
photo: David Champagne
Tonight, not unlike every night in Montreal for the past months, people are walking the streets of our city together in protest.
Pictured above are prominent members of the Bar Association (lawyers, judges and other law practitioners) joining them on their mission towards abolishing Loi 78.
To them I say, Thank you.
Yesterday we saw retired police officers wearing their police vest or jacket walking amongst the students in protest of the on going police brutality that has been experienced nightly.
To them I say, THANK YOU.
Now go bang on some pots!!
Photo: André Pichette, La Presse
Another video someone posted off of Facebook about the events of Wednesday which took place in front of the bar I work at. Unfortunately we are on the corner of the famous Souricière/kettle/trap aka St-Denis & Sherbrooke and this kind of event has been going on almost nightly. It’s double hard to have to deal with this on top of angry and drunk patrons.
I hate mounted police. Poor horses. It’s a double UGH moment for me.
Montreal Pots And Pans Video Of Protest Against Bill 78 Goes Viral
(Source: translatingtheprintempserable, via moearora)
What a police state (province) looks like.
In front of my job last night, taken by a customer behind police lines.
Our bar is on the other side of the line in what cop squads referred to as an occupied zone. This police barrage was set up on the corner of Sherbrooke and St-denis. Organized, this time, as not to repeat the mass chaos that ensued after riots broke out last Sunday on St-Denis and Ontario. Sunday night’s sight was much more violent but less people were arrested (though more were brutalized and hurt) .
After hours of peaceful protests around downtown Montreal and the Plateau, police squadrons (SQ and SPVM) created an ambush on the corner of Sherbrooke and St-Denis. The protest had been declared illegal from the get go but had been going on incredibly smoothly on both sides, protestors and police officers, and those who took part or those who watched via CUTV commanded the officers for their surprisingly, yet welcomed, peaceful presence. It seemed that everyone was doing it right on Wednesday night. No “casseurs”, no brutality, no abuse of power at the hands of Law 78. Then, apparently, a few rocks and a “fireball” (what is this, pokemon?) that turned out to be a candle or something ridiculously lame were thrown and pandemonium ensued.
Cops were ready. Police presence had been noticed all day in various locations grouping in usually empty lots. They had a plan.
Of course, they should have been ready and prepared for the worst, it’s their job. But what happened, once again, was an unnecessary and exaggerated mass arrest of peaceful manifestants.
They were all told to disperse. And as they tried to do so, they realized they couldn’t, that they had been caught in a kettle all along. Like bait. The authorities pretended to have given them notice and a choice but they didn’t have one. Nearly 350 to 400 were arrested in that very spot. All sitting peacefully, alongside various media outlets who also got caught in the net, surrounded by anti-riot squads.
What you see in that video is from the other side, St-Denis and Rigaud. You can see a woman passionately expressing her disdain towards the situation and trying to explain to officers what those protestors have been trying to achieve. She was arrested for speaking.
Welcome to democracy.
I encourage you to please protest peacefully and to not engage in any conversation or debate with police officers. As shown in the video above, stating your opinion can land you in jail. Your voice is better heard alongside the thousands who walk the streets with you every night. We need you on the front, not in jail.
