Toronto's brutal cops and their shit-for-brains enablers

Have you ever stewed about something for weeks, months on end, and never been able to put it into words? You keep turning it over and over again, picking at it like a scab, unable to leave it alone? And then someone comes along and crystallizes it in maybe two or three sentences?

CBC's fifth estate ran a documentary about the G20 a few hours ago. I wasn't home to watch it live, but it's still on their site for the moment.

One of the things that's pissed me off almost as much as the arrogance, sadism and smug air of untouchability evident among the cops is the sheer thickheaded ignorance of their apologists and defenders (Yeah, I know, I'm probably working thwap's corner. What can I tell you? Everyone needs a hobby) – you know, the non-reflective numbskulls who were obviously away the day God handed out the capacity for critical thought. These are the Sun readers, the ones who think everyone should just lie down, comply and meekly surrender fundamental freedoms without a peep.

The argument is always some variation of "well, you shouldn't have been there, you knew there was going to be trouble, you've got no one to blame but yourself, it's your own fault for going outside."

And much as I love to argue about policy and accountability and democratic governance and narratives, the absolute fucking fascist-enabling stupidity of this attitude almost always reduces me to sanctimonious pontificating, alternating with sputtering incoherent rage.

So when someone comes along with something like this ...

"if ordinary people had stayed away from the downtown core...". Can all of you suburbanites get it through your thick and media-numbed skulls that WE LIVE HERE. This is our home. This is where we go out to buy bread and milk. It's where we go to visit our friends, walk in the park, or go to a movie or a restaurant. It's where we work. It's our home. I guess we do not qualify as "ordinary people" by virtue of the fact that our homes and neighborhoods are in the area designated by police as a "detain, brutalize, and arrest everyone". I can't stand the suburban ignorance on this matter any longer. Imagine that thousands upon thousands of riot police descended on "your" neighborhood and violently arrested anyone they caught outside. Would you still think they'd done a great job?

... it deserves to be celebrated.

Boffo props, Fridgebuzz, whoever you are.