Mike Roy and Sid Ryan at an Ontario Common Front meeting in December…
Update (August 15): Mike Roy complained to Ezra Levant yesterday that I said Food Not Bombs is often a front for militant actions. Just to be clear, I was talking about my experience in Vancouver, and what I saw in other cities- I have no evidence this is happening in London, but the people behind FNB there are unquestionably involved in ‘arrestable’ protests
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Last night London Ontario police raided the home of Mike Roy, and arrested Bailey Lemon (a.k.a. Bailey Goldman-Sagan) and Daniel Beaudoin. Charges included conspiracy, mischief and possession of drugs. During the raid the police confiscated computers, memory cards, hard drives, cameras and other electronic devices.
Roy was on of the leaders of Occupy London, and of an alternative media group called The Indignants. He’s a regular figure at RadLeft and union protests, and a member of the Ontario Common Front, a front group for the unions that includes many of the usual suspects covered on this website. Sid Ryan, one of their leaders, is likely to be very nervous today…
Bailey Lamon is a member of Food Not Bombs, an anarchist organization that often provides food at many protests as a cover for their radical activities. Food Not Bombs in Vancouver has been exposed participating in Black Bloc events when they led a blockade on the Port of Vancouver on behalf of the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
Bailey Lamon (left), Daniel Beaudoin (right) , and Curtis Nixon (far right) at a Food Not Bombs meeting…
Daniel Beaudoin is married to Bailey Lemon. Pictures found on Facebook indicate he’s also involved with Food Not Bombs. His facebook page includes pictures of him wearing masks, and a big interest in punk rock music. He is also a member of two support groups for people suffering from bipolar disorder.
An article in the anarchist led Media Co-Op has an interesting quote by American anarchist Sakura Saunders:
“a house raid and the confiscation of equipment is an overblown reaction to an eventual charge of graffiti on one wall. Mike and Bailey are social justice media makers, covering activist movements. It seems obvious to me that the police are using petty charges to violate privacy and gain intelligence on social movements.”
Saunders habitually underestimates the crimes of her fellow anarchists. During the trial of convicted G20 criminal George Horton she was quoted saying of his crimes “all he did was kick the door of a police car”. So, when it comes to anarchist criminality, she’s not the best source to quote.
Sakura Saunders at the Line 9 occupation last month…
That said, there’s a certain amount of truth to what she’s saying. Mike Roy is a pivotal figure in the anarchist/unionist movement- a leader, who has direct connections to many of the people involved with criminal actions across Ontario. Getting access to the information on his computers and hard disks will be a great win for the police, many people involved in his circles are likely to be rather shaken up today.
Mike Roy, Bailey Lamon and Daniel Beaudoin have now been released on bail. More information to come as the story develops…
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Mike used to be a member of some standing in the Truth Movement before he drank the Occupy Kool Aid and went over to the Dark Side of the force. Now lies and deceit are his way.
He used to be in the Truther movement? So you’re saying he’s a nutter?
Author
While the Truther movement (like all movements) definitely has it’s share of nutters, not all people involved are like that- many are just people who are out there asking questions. It’s good to ask questions, if everyone did that we’d have a better world…
You honestly think Sid Ryan is “nervous” because someone he knows got arrested for graffiti art? I think you’re letting your blind obsession interfere with good sense. It’s one thing if officers on the beat catch someone in the act and tickets them with a bylaw infraction but to actually have an investigation, a raid and criminal code charges for street art? I think most reasonable people would see the charges as ridiculous and the police as having wasted their time and resources that could have been better used going after actual criminals.
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I’m thinking that a whole lot of people are nervous because of what happened last night. Not because of the vandalism charge, but because the police got full access to Mike Roy’s computers including all of his files, emails, etc. If Roy is as deep in with this crowd as it appears, they probably have a lot to fear. Even Sakura Saunders said that…
If the confiscation of equipment in an alley that if full of murals and other art, gang tags, garbage, rotting food, with a dead end, on one brick.
This is police state.
It’s interesting, because Nuit Blanche was going on at roughly the same time this photo appeared on facebook, and people were painting walls all over the downtown area, some of which included just doodles on walls that are passed every day. This brick is in the back of an alley which hasn’t been maintained for years.
If they even did this, which is doubtful, this is proof of an over zealous police force that is over funded and over staffed.
Really Greg, supporting this police action reflects badly on you. Surely you can put aside your personal bias against anyone involved with Occupy and objectively see that the police action in this case is outrageous.
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Can you point out to me where I supported this action? I did no such thing, I only reported on what happened, and the potential results…
You call it “anarchist criminality” and respond to Sakura Saunders’ description of the incident by saying she “habitually underestimates the crimes of her fellow anarchists”.
I think the police can only search the computer equipment for evidence of the crime in question (i.e. graffiti art). Evidence they find of anything else couldn’t be used in court and, given the trivial nature of the alleged crime, the police would be in danger of getting into trouble for illegal search and seizure.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151774604225921&set=oa.176394369209081&type=1&theater
Author
Kind of interesting how Zach Ruiter is there, his anti GE-Hitachi protest has resulted in graffiti all across the neighbourhood of the plant:
http://www.genuinewitty.com/2013/06/12/anti-nuclear-protesters-spread-vandalism-across-west-toronto-feat-zach-ruiter-ge-hitachi/
Not related to the topic at hand.
You also left out the part where police bust down the door and assaulted the people in the apartment.
Police pressured them to sign release forms that called for non-association, not owning computers or cameras, no access to the internet. When they refused, police requested the crown push for that as terms of release. As soon as a lawyer was hired, the crown backtracked big time.
Author
Thanks for the update, I had no idea they had a non-association clause- very interesting.
They don’t. Police and the crown tried to force it on them.
They refused to sign a police release form to force a non association.
The crown pushed for it in the morning, and as soon as legal representation was hired, the crown back tracked because they knew it wouldn’t be legal, and would in fact be grounds for a lawsuit.
Author
That sounds more reasonable, a non-association for a graffiti charge sounds like a bridge too far.
Yet thats exactly what police wanted them to sign to be released, and pushed the crown to add restrictive prohibition on what they could do. If a lawyer was not hired, not only would they be forced to move from their apartment, they would not be able to own a computer, phone or camera, would be unable to access the internet, and were facing bail money in the thousands of dollar range.
That is what duty council said the crown was requesting.
When a lawyer was hired, the crown backtracked on all of that.
This is clearly targeting political social media. Who knows, next time you have a speeding ticket or inadvertently drop a piece of litter from your pocket, maybe all your electronics will be seized and threats of removing you from your apartment or from doing what you do will accompany assault in the process.
Better hope there’s no “marihuana” in your apartment or you might be up on drug charges too. The police generally don’t bother charging people for cannibis except, it seems, if you’re an activist of some sort.
it’s clear the police just wanted to do a census on the local dupes and fish the computer, which they have already done. I doubt that they give a flying toot weather the bogus charges stand up or not. They got what they wanted. Is it a police state? Of course it is and Mike Roy has known it since the G-20, I’m sure he is not surprised at all. You can get pissed all you want but don’t act surprised Zack.
London police do have a bad rep. They, along with Peel, are generally considered the most heavy handed departments in the province. This comes from a couple friends in law enforcement. It seems more than a little extreme that they would confiscate computer equipment. According to the London Free Press the police did so to see if there is evidence of the vandalism:
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/25/occupy-london-activists-charged-with-mischief
I think Lawrence is correct. Police probably had a directive to arrest one or more of these guys on anything so they could pump them for information. From what I understand of the law anything police find on those computers relating to any crime other than the vandalism it they would not be able to lay charges. I think they are trying to get out in front and see what these guys may be up to in the future.
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Yeah, I have no doubt they were. Regardless of if they could use this information to prosecute other crimes, they can certainly mine for information on actions and relationships…
Besides Greg don’t have to worry about this happening to him, we are all honest and transparent about what we know and do. We don’t lie to others and we don’t plan secret acts of violence and vandalism. Love is the movement.