Leaving detention centre.
Protesters leave the scene in front of the make-shift jail on Eastern Ave, June 27.
Photo/JOHN PACKMAN
This past weekend was a tense one in Leslieville, home of the G20 detention facility at 629 Eastern Ave. as well as several – at times violent – protests.
Early Sunday morning, June 27, a well-intentioned peaceful solidarity march turned ugly as protesters clashed with police, who made a handful of arrests before succeeding in dispersing the crowd of 150 or so people.
Groups of protesters also loudly rallied outside the holding centre both Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 nights as a show of support for those incarcerated there.
A small number of reported anarchists who congregated at Bruce Mackey Park, near Queen Street East and Degrassi Street, Sunday evening for the Fire Works for Prisons Demonstration failed to cause any problems.
Music producer Zack G, who lives just a few doors up from the entrance to the detention, decided to stay in town during the summit because he didn’t want to leave his house unattended should a window get broken or something like that happen.
The four-year Pape Avenue resident said this weekend was a little bit overwhelming.
“(Saturday) night was crazy. Riot cops were blocking off all lanes of traffic,” he said, moments before a Sunday morning rally escalated into violence and was quickly put to an end by officers from the Integrated Security Unit. “It was really intense. The cops are way scarier than the protests.”
Supt. Sam Fernandes of 55 Division said his officers constantly patrolled the community throughout the weekend to ensure nothing got out of hand.
“Several arrests were made. People were carrying weapons, fluids and firecrackers,” Fernandes said, noting more than 400 officers from various units from the G8/G20 Integrated Security Unit made their way to Leslieville Sunday afternoon to ensure the safety and security of those living and working in the community was maintained.
“Everything went on fine. We did as best as we could and we had more than adequate policing in that area,” he said, underlining the main thing to keep in mind is no one got hurt. “It was a very difficult weekend for the neighbourhood and the police, but we managed to get through it. It was tough for everyone to have a detention centre in the community.”
Leslieville residents Paul and Michelle Courria cut their Sunday morning brunch shortly after the violent protest broke out just a few blocks away at Eastern and Pape avenues.
“It’s just very frustrating. We thought we were safe away from it all,” Michelle said. “We had planned on spending the day on Queen (Street East). Now we’re just going home.”
Anita Hopper’s mission to get a java jolt was also thwarted by the protest.
“It feels a bit strange here. It just doesn’t feel like home,” she said. “We’re going to continue our walk. We’ll go another route.”
Trevor McIntosh and Trevor Gallant live just a few blocks west of the site near Eastern and Carlaw avenues. They were out with their two hairless dogs for a Sunday afternoon stroll along Queen Street East near Carlaw Avenue.
“(The detention centre) is a little bit much. Couldn’t it have been in a different place,” McIntosh said. “At night time all we hear is helicopters and police vans driving by.”
Gallant said he appreciates police are trying to do their job, but admits he feels “tense” in the community he now calls home.
Admitting local police weren’t at liberty to release a lot of early details about the G20 detention centre on Eastern Avenue, Fernandes said officers spoke to local business owners as well as area residents in the days leading up to the international conference and throughout the weekend to keep them abreast of what was happening in their community.
Because of that good relationship with police, he said management of the nearby Canadian Tire at Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East decided to close up shop early Sunday afternoon due to concerns about suspected protesters purchasing items from there that could be used as weapons.
Local retailer Leanne Poirier Greenfield, owner of The Bone House at 946 Queen St. E., said she was prepared to close the doors of her doggie boutique early Sunday in the event the anti-prisons protest took a turn for the worse.
“Starbucks is closed today and the TD Bank is boarded up. It’s just not worth it,” Poirier Greenfield said, adding she feels a little scared by the detention centre being in such close proximity to local businesses and homes.
Joy Bistro, which is located next to Jimmie Simpson Park and just a block or so away from Bruce Mackey Park, closed its western patio Sunday evening in anticipation of the anarchist rally.
“We don’t want to completely shut down. Our backup plan is to have guests in the upstairs dining room,” manager Paul Charuk said, moments after chatting with a member of the wait staff about plans for Sunday night dinner service.
Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher issued notice to her constituents Sunday afternoon advising them to be safe and avoid coming too close to any violent protests, notably the Fire Works for Prisons Demonstration.
“There was no trouble of any kind. It was all just very cordial and the protesters were very calm,” the Toronto-Danforth representative said Monday, adding police hoped for the best, but were prepared for anything that could arise.
“I really do have to thank everybody.”
Fletcher said she passed by the Eastern Avenue detention centre numerous times at all hours of the day and night this past weekend.
She said the surprising part about the facility was the sheer volume of both police officers as well as detainees coming in and out of there.
“It was a tough weekend. A lot of people knew what was going on and they left (for the weekend),” she said, adding she’s keeping tabs on the number of individuals still detained at the centre and when it’s slated to close down.