Occupy Toronto! Are You a Man or a Movement? (or a bad joke…)

Dave Vasey: "The Man" at Occupy Toronto

Dear Occupy Toronto,

I’ve spent the past few weeks avoiding writing this essay. Yes, I’ve addressed the actions of a few individuals but this is the first time I’ve written to call ALL of you to account. So please listen closely…

So, Occupy Toronto, are you a Man or a movement? No, I’m not being sexist here- I’m talking to both the men & women of the movement. In part this phrase is a play-on-words, but it is also directed to the miscreant at OT who started this in the first place. It was Dave Vasey who called for me to be excluded- though, he has yet to quantify any reason other than ‘he offended my friend, Harsha Walia!’

I that reason enough? On the words of someone who claims to be the leader of OT yet hasn’t attended a General Assembly in many months? If so, my friends at OT, then you are a man- not a movement…

Then, Krystalline (Krystal Ann) Krause took her shot at me. She showed people screenshots of her Facebook page that were altered to make it look like I was harassing her. She then stood-up at a General Assembly and screamed/cried that I hurt her. She also uttered threats to OT that the organization would be alienated from the ‘activist community’ . I’ve been told that Taylor (a.k.a PottyMouth) Flooke may have done the same…

The meeting was filled with many people who have never been to an OT General Assembly, or haven’t in many months. I learned last night that a number of people came running to the meeting because they were told there was a motion to ‘ban having squats’ any time in the future. The people who came for this reason were deeply upset to learn it was a sarcastic ruse.

This incident was, on more than one level, an act of violence. First, I was violently excluded from the meeting (by Alex Hundert, a supporter of Black Bloc violence who has never attended an OT meeting until that night). Next, the lies that were said were emotional violence towards me. And, last, an Occupy Toronto member (who has a disability) was severely disturbed by the proceedings.

What happened was also a serious crime…

Krystalline indicated during this meeting that she ‘may be filing criminal charges against Greg’. I was at the police department yesterday- these charges were never filed. Knowing that KK said I harassed her on Facebook, and knowing that Facebook NEVER erases content (it is all stored in servers for posterity), I felt highly confident filing charges against her & Alex Hundert. I spoke with the detective assigned to the case this afternoon, he appeared to be very helpful and engaged…

So, the last question for you OT. If under these conditions, you continue to try and exclude me from the organization- you will be seen by the world as a really bad joke. So, are you a movement for social, economic and environmental justice- or are you a joke?

I will be coming to attend General Assemblies from now on. I attended Sunday, and was warmly welcomed by the group there- they even had a vote to ‘tolerate’ my presence. All but one person (the same person who lied about me a few minutes earlier) voted yes. Now is the chance for OT to show the world we are who we say we are.

To those not involved in the crimes against me, please don’t look at this article as making judgement on you. As fellow occupiers, I love you all- even the people trying to destroy me. That said, now’s your chance to show you love the movement as much as the rest of us.

The whole world is watching…

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