We live in a small town. Fer sure, eh?

In the midst of a meeting yesterday, I could hear shouts and general ruckus out from out in the neighbourhood. Since the meeting was one concerning feminist social change and leadership, all of us perked up and listened. Yes! A Rally! Nice one! But then one of us said - 'It's the Canucks' and we kind of groaned and looked at each other and got back to work, but not before talking about the newly emerging marches and rallies in the neighbourhood, mostly led by Filipino activists, and discussing pros and cons of taking the street, blocking traffic with less than 50 people. We were all sure it was quite ridiculous and also quite a lot of fun.

So after the meeting, we go out, and lo! A few short blocks away, there is a paddy wagon and a long line up of cops on horseys! Yay! we say, it is a protest! So we go down there and check it out.

The cops on horseys are protecting the entrances to the Heritage Hall, a building most folks hold dear for its relative beauty, attachment to history and well, it is a cheap, nice place to rent for events of the community sort. The protesters are in the middle of Main Street milling about and also on the opposite sidewalk handing out fliers. There are 30 altogether and me and my sisters in the struggle (Alice and Suzanne) look at each other and all say at once "APC" and then sort of laugh and then go stand well away from the horseys and motorcycle cops and the APC folks in black. It's their protest, likely righteous, but we don't know what's going on. Also the horses are big and the cops are racist. So the young APC woman with the bullhorn is shouting something inarticulate at people and there's that chant thing going on, but still, we can't tell what the heck. So I march up to someone I vaguely recognize and ask for a pamphlet.

It was the NPA AGM they were protesting, the political party of our most esteemed mayor and his cronies. Most excellent. The NPA is slumming it on the east side, but in a nice enough venue they can pretend to be of the people, in a public meeting, while still being their swank, exclusionary selves.

We didn't have to be there an hour earlier to guess what had happened. The protesters, in black and tear-wear, showed up to the meeting, rowdy before getting in, and were banned. That caused more rowdiness and general yelling and for the people inside to ask that they not be allowed in (that's the mayor's story and he is sticking to it.) People are homeless and poor and some of us aren't polite about it, and that is just in bad taste. So 'out' they say, and the cops get called. And since it is APC protesting, and since the cops new policy is APC= riot= bring out the horseys (everyone loves horseys, so much, much more than riot cops with pepper spray - the media/public relations cops are getting smarter) the horsey-cops arrive in style, and start moving huge animals in between skinny protesters and the doors. So then the skinny people get scared and protest louderand get mad about being herded (all of them are vegetarians and animal rights activists (most, anyway) so they won't hit the horses,) as they get pushed back into the street and end up blocking traffic. You see how it goes. This requires paddy wagons and traffic cops and lots of overtime hours since this all went on over shift change down at the cop shop. No one can ever tell me cops don't LOVE protests. Cha-ching!


Anyway, there were 100 people or something inside and 30 people outside and this part of the city got all blocked up for at least 2 hours. I don't think the NPA passed any motions changing their housing policy and for sure the media spin doctors were on overtime pay too, so the APC just looks like a bunch of rabble-rousers trying to bust into Versailles. The thing is, the APC is not that organized and Sam Sullivan is not the King. I know, I know, he is setting up his little monarchy, dismantling democracy, and it just very well may be that he will crown himself shortly, but it hasn't happened yet.

I love that the APC just keeps at it, even when they are wrong (which they weren't this time) and that the NPA doesn't get to have their little meeting in peace. I am all for letting legitimate business proceed, but frankly, not much going on in this city is legit right now, and everything needs to be disrupted until something changes.

I hope the APC adapts some sort of evaluation process so they can gather more people to them, but I don't think they will. Not many will join in the current circumstance, a lot because the cops have been effective at their own campaign to 'keep the peace.' Which is too bad.

I'd like to see more small actions that promote democracy and citizen participation and that do not let politicians and their cronies wine and cheese it while folks don't have enough food to eat. I think we can do it. Imagine the possibilities.

BTW - who won the game? Anaheim or the Canucks?... I honestly don't know...