OccupyTO’s momentum is still strong three weeks after the movement first hit the streets of Toronto.
A group gathered in front of the CIBC tower at King and Bay last Saturday and called for a “Robin Hood Tax” that would help redistribute some of the major banks’ wealth to the “99 per cent.”
The incident was the latest in a succession of small rallies that have been happening since the first major protest on October 15. Though the turnout was smaller, many protesters continue to camp at St. James Park. Approximately one hundred tents are spread across the park, located in the bustling heart of the financial district.
The group of tents has the beginnings of a small community, complete with a kitchen, bathrooms, a library, a logistical tent, a media area, a legal aid area for those facing arrest, and a free school offering classes from “Freud, Zizek, and Ideology” to “Keeping Warm.”
These communal facilities are supported by community donations. Those who have gathered to occupy Toronto don’t seem to be leaving soon.
A former U of T student, Bet, 22, supervises the free library. Frustrated by the 2010 G20 protests, he is taking civic action for the first time since the summer.
“I saw this as a great opportunity for expression. You can choose what you want to see in the world and just make it appear. That’s why I’m at the library… I believe in education,” he said.
Professor Emily Gilbert, Director of the Canadian Studies program at the University of Toronto, sees the Occupy movement as a significant form of expression for students.
“Students and young people in general find themselves disconnected from formal ways of engaging in politics,” Gilbert said, adding that the occupation provides a way to “express that dissatisfaction but demonstrate alternative ways of doing things.”
And U of T students have certainly taken advantage of playing major roles in the movement.
Peter Hogarth, a recent U of T graduate, has been actively involved since the movement began by organizing daily life at the camp as well as outreach. He explained that students of this generation are especially affected by the current economic situation.
“[The government] has been lowering corporate taxes to unheard-of levels while the rest of us are paying higher tuition fees,” said Hogarth, referring to students who enter the job market with record amounts of debt. “The outlook for us is [grimmer].”
However, the movement does not appear to be completely accessible and representative of all students.
Hogarth noted that the presence at camp has so far been “quite white and often quite male” — this is a troubling issue because the movement aims to be inclusive and representative of those whose interests are rarely acknowledged.
To remedy this, working groups have been devising ways to be inclusive of people of colour and the working poor who cannot physically be there but whose interests the movement claims to represent.
For participants, the Occupy movement is a statement of dissatisfaction about growing economic problems, highlighting “occupations” as an alternative form of protest.
“What’s exciting is that the tactic of occupation that has gained so much power… It is a way of fighting back, reclaiming space for the public,” Hogarth said.
But as winter looms, the park is becoming colder and less hospitable for protesters. With lack of heating and adequate shelter, the inevitable question is: does the winter mark the movement’s end?
Professor Gilbert doesn’t think so.
“Occupation may dwindle as weather gets colder, but the energies are there, [and] the collaborations will be sustained… They might emerge into something quite different, but the breadth of this movement, the international aspect of it, and the depth of the issues mean that there will be a much longer future for this movement.”
