On May 15th of this year, Toronto held it’s annual Goodlife Fitness Marathon. My friend was taking part in the 5km walk for MADD. That’s Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, for those not in the know. This event was very close to her heart, and mine as well. Having lost someone who was in my life for a long time that way (by a drunk driver) was extremely difficult, and the walk was a good way to remember how wonderful she was, and to support a good cause.
I figured that I would stand on the sidelines and cheer them all on, but then I had a better thought…why don’t I just do the walk with all the MADD supporters? I only had a week left to register, but register I did. For myself and Dave.
The morning of the walk, we walked to Keele subway station, stopping off at Tim Horton’s for a coffee and a little breakfast. See all of those things on the ground? Tree spit. It had been raining for DAYS, and the trees were ready to pollinate (is that right? Do trees do that?), so instead of flying here there and everywhere, the crap stayed on the ground. This stuff is killer to my allergies. Wet tree spit. My lungs are deflating just thinking about it.
While I haven’t actually been inside the thing — I’m told that it’s a bit of an engineering / acoustic marvel with the performance hall being isolated from the outer shell with giant damper supports; a building on stilts within a building — the spectacle inside doesn’t nearly match the drab outside. One day soon I’m planning to take advantage of the $12 standing-room-only admission, but I can assure you it won’t be because I’m drawn in by the architecture.
The Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building at the University of Toronto is reflected in the curved windows of the OPG Building. Corner of University and College Streets, Toronto, Ontario.
It’s mostly the rhetoric and misinformation guiding the protest that I take exception to. After all, people were just expressing themselves and exercising their right to peaceful protest which, much to John Clarke’s chagrin, ended up actually being peaceful. There were a few arrests made along the route, that’s true, but I suspect they involved the kind of people that would get arrested any old day, protest or not.
For most of us on the street the Friday afternoon was more like a parade.
Yes, the G20 protests are in full swing and there are photos and stories. However, I have another full day tomorrow and I somehow got myself involved with a Tweet20 meeting (you may be able to guess what’s that’s about).
So, until I get a chance to sit down and do it up properly, here’s the OCAP-led (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty), protest in hastily slapped-together videos.
My favourite was when the riot police came out in formation. :D
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