OTL Blog

Montreal is no stranger to graffiti, in fact some of the most celebrated graffiti artists in recent memory, such as Roadsworth, call or have called Montreal their home and some walls, especially in the Plateau neighborhood, boast some of the nicest underground art around.

Sadly, Montreal is also no stranger to police brutality, police repression and in particular police killings.  Yves Francoeur, president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood, said that “repression is our job,” which is a philosophy that seems to have guided their attempts to ban  masks at public protests and their actions at recent events such as the Anti-Police Brutality March and even the St Patrick’s Day Parade.  Sadly, last August, SPVM (Service de la Police de Montréal) officers carried out the ultimate form of repression when they killed 18-year-old Montréal-Nord resident Freddy Villanueva.

memorial graffiti in Montréal-Nord

Villanueva will not be forgotten and to make sure of that, an anonymous group of activists have given him a memorial on the spot in Parc Henri-Bourassa where he was killed in the form of graffiti.  The spraypaint simply states his name, age, the date he was killed, the fact that he was killed by police and a website, www.flics-assassins.net.

This right-to-the point approach has been employed all over the city to commemorate the spots where the 43 victims of police shootings since 1987 when 19-year-old Anthony Griffin was shot dead outside a police station in NDG.  On the website, you can see pictures of all of the memorials and read information and posts about police repression in Montreal.

memorial graffiti in NDG

The website makes it clear that it is merely a catalogue of this graffiti and does not condone any illegal acts.  Also, while it links to information provided by groups like the Collectif opposé à la brutalité policière (COBP) it makes it clear that the members of the linked groups have nothing to do with the website or in particular the graffiti.

It seems fitting that people killed by the police are being eulogized in a way that is in itself a challenge to the authority of those who killed them.  It also may be the only way for these people to get any sort of monument at all.

With the Tax Day Tea Party, it looks like Fox News and the Republicans have now embraced a form of activism: the theatrical culture jam.  Now co-opting activist tools for corporate purposes is nothing new, in fact stealth marketers have been doing it for years, but using an activist technique to bolster a right-wing message or in this case protest a tax hike for the wealthiest people in society is new.

early cultural appropriation: the Boston Tea party

This event taking place in several cities around the US today, is scheduled to coincide with American tax day and is modeled on the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773 where a group of colonists threw tea into the waters of Boston Harbor in protest of the British Parliament’s desire to tax them.  Not only was this an early example of cultural appropriation (the colonists who threw the tea overboard were dressed in Native garb) but the event that many consider sparked the American Revolution and eventually led to independence from Britain.

Now, the GOP is using this historic example of cultural appropriation as the basis for their appropriation of viral media and culture-jamming. This “collaborative grassroots effort” (yes, that’s what they’re actually calling it) involves people dumping the contents of coolers labeled “TEA” (stands for Taxed Enough Already) into bodies of water around the US.  Online, it almost looks like the real deal: there are several blogs all linking to a main page, viral YouTube videos, a live streaming broadcast and they’re even on Twitter and Facebook.

viral marketing for old ideas

When you look a little deeper, though, you’ll discover that this “new movement” is actually run by old Republican bosses and an attempt to slam Obama’s economic policies which actually cut taxes for all except the wealthy and make it look like he’s taking money away from your average American.  There’s even a YouTube video that ends with a little white girl pleading with the president to not steal from her piggy-bank.

That hasn’t stopped Fox News from jumping on the bandwagon, even to the point of denying that they are promoting the event and then, immediately following that assertion, promoting it, have a look:

While their bias in this case is not surprising, it is funny given their unconditional support of the Bush administration’s suppression of individual freedoms.

Regardless of your view on Obama and his policies, it is clear that this “rebellion” is one for more status quo, no matter how it looks online.  Let’s only hope that people can see through the façade.

The latest evictees in Montreal’s new Quartier des Spectacles aren’t sex workers, historic hot dog joints or even the homeless.  The latest residents forcibly removed by the city do have a history in the area, though. Each of them, in fact, has been living there for 45 years and their roots do run deep.  The newest evictees in this plan touted in the media as very green are the 67 crabapple trees chopped down by workers of the Martel Company last week.

eviction procedures (photo La Presse)

Clément Demers, Director General of the société Quartier international, the group responsible for the Quartier des Spectacles project, told La Presse that the trees, formerly found in Place Albert-Duquesne behind Place des Arts, aren’t part of the plan for the new Place de l’adresse symphonique which will occupy the space.  In fact, they would interfere with plans to excavate the space.  The trees were deemed too old to be transplanted.

The Quartier, which will be bordered by Sherbrooke, Rene-Levesque, City Councillors and Berri streets, has caused some controversy since being launched in the wake of the Montreal Summit in 2002.  Overall, the project uses three main things to deflect criticism: that it will offer mixed-income dwelling, that it will be a haven for arts and culture and that it will be green.

The lower part of St-Laurent boulevard is Montreal’s historic Red Light District and also home to several landmarks such as the Montreal Pool Room restaurant, not to mention many people with lower incomes.  Having already bought up several buildings, Angus Development is trying to buy up the rest of the block and adjacent Clark Street and turn it into a commercial complex with pedestrian walkways.

The trees in their prime, May 2008 (photo by Kate McDonnell)

They promise no chain stores and green and fair-trade businesses on the bottom floors but offices are supposed to occupy the upper levels.  This has some concerned that it will diminish the residential character of the neighborhood and force many people to find a new place to live.  Evictions have already begun.

While the area is home to several artistic venues, some are raising concerns that rents will be far too high for working artists to set up shop.  Other artists trying to add to the proposed creative expression that is supposed to inhabit the area had their Quartier de Contre-Spectacle speakers’ corner busted by the cops in 2003.

As for being a green project, one may wonder just how green it will be, given that one of the first acts developers took was to cut down 67 trees.

Abitibi-Témiscamingue is no stranger to mines, in fact, there are over 100 of them in this mineral-rich region in northern Quebéc.  Along with forestry and agriculture, mining is one of the most important parts of the region’s economy.  There is, however, one type of mine that has fortunately not found its way to the region yet: the open pit mine.  Now, that might change.

A company called Osisko Exploration is planning to build an open-pit gold mine in the city of Malartic and they are doing so without any public consultation.  That is rather alarming, considering that the company has already begun the forcible relocation of a fifth of the population, not to mention the environmental damage and health risks associated with open-pit mining that have become apparent since the process started spreading globally in the 1990s.

Open-pit mines are known for turning communities into ghost towns and destroying the lives of many citizens.  This process also has a history of being done without input from the public, with public opinion silenced or, as in the case of the Mexican village of Cerro de San Pedro, in a completely illegal manner.

The project in Malartic is one of four potential open-pit mining projects in Abitibi, considering the lack of public consultation and the fact that Canadian mining companies are some of the largest in the world and are also some of the biggest offenders when it comes to irresponsible mining practices and in some cases unethical business practices vis-à-vis the local population, people are starting to take action to ensure that these projects don’t turn Abitibi into a hole in the ground.

Their main goal is creating public awareness in Quebéc about what may befall their communities.  They have begun circulating a video on the internet that goes into detail of what is happening and what very well might happen.  Here it is:

If you don’t want to see an open-pit mine in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, please consider spreading this video to your friends and colleagues.

You may have noticed something a bit strange if you happened to pass a police officer yesterday morning.  No red cap, no camouflage pants, just an ordinary Montreal cop uniform. That’s because, in order to speed up contract negotiations, the patriarchal-sounding Montreal Police Brotherhood, the union representing Montreal’s police officers, has agreed to drop its pressure tactics.

In what many have seen as a rather bizarre form of protest, Montreal cops have been sporting the aforementioned paramilitary fatigues, occasionally switching the pants out for pajamas since July.  This even became a contentious issue before the recent anti-police brutality march as many felt the military look could provoke violence.  Turns out the extra provocation wasn’t a factor as the teargas thrown by police and cordoning off several streets sparked plenty of violence on its own.

The choice of using costuming as a form of protest is an interesting one for the Montreal police, considering they have been petitioning the city to ban the use of theatrical costuming, in particular masks, at public protests.  However the made-for-Afghanistan dress code seems to be in keeping with recent statements by Yves Francoeur that: “as police officers, repression is our job. We don’t need a community relations officer for a director, we need a general. Let’s keep in mind that the police force is, after all, a paramilitary body.”

Maybe now with resumed negotiations and possibly better pay, the cops can go back to being cops instead of a paramilitary force because after all, a community relations officer would probably be better-equipped to solve a pay dispute than a general.  Then maybe they could leave the dress-up games and theatrical expression through costuming to the artists, activists and the general public they are supposed to be protecting.

In an about-face of the previous government’s position, Australia decided on Friday to endorse the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous people to their own culture, institutions and spiritual traditions. With Australia joining the 143 countries that came on board when the bill passed in 2007, the list of nations opposed to the declaration is now only three: New Zeland, the US and Canada.

Australian protesters

The non-binding declaration, which sets out standards for the treatment of indigenous populations around the world, was criticized by the Harper government in large part for stating that “indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.”

Many native activists feel that the Canadian government is refusing to sign the document because it may force them to act differently in regards to several native land claims such as the one in Barriere Lake and many in British Columbia (in fact, the whole province is pretty much in dispute).

Map of Native Land Claims in BC

Another reason cited for the Conservative’s refusal to jump on board is the fact that Canada has a sordid history to say the least when it comes to its treatment of indigenous populations to say the least for which it would have to account for.

The residential school system, which was only finally stopped in the 1990s, is responsible for numerous abuses and even several deaths. Essentially, it was a government and church-run system of genocide against native people in Canada.

Stephen Harper did apologize for it, but the apology was short and barely scratched the surface of what went on.  Not only was it incomplete to say the least and much shorter than an earlier one by the Australian Prime Minister about his country’s historic abuses, it is also mere lip service.

Native populations continue to live in some of the poorest conditions in Canada, Native women are disappearing and never being found (at a rate much faster than non-natives) and the past that led to these conditions remains largely unknown.

Rather than deal with this, or sign the declaration which may force them to start dealing with it, the Canadian government would rather spend their time and money promoting the further theft of native land under the guise of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

While debt and money seem to be key talking points in the mainstream media and in general public discourse quite frequently these days, there is a type of debt that has gone largely underreported for decades.  Not only is the debt developing nations owe to the world’s most prosperous countries and global organizations like the IMF and World Bank staggering, but it gives the creditors the power to basically set the agenda politically and economically in those countries.

The Dictatorship of Debt is a comedic critique of the global debt crisis that involves the spectators in the saga.  Audience members are assigned a regional home.  Whether they are Canada or sub-Saharan Africa, they are part of the story as the history of the rise of global debt unfolds.

Just as impoverished nations owing money to those with money isn’t a new thing at all, neither is this play.  It is in fact a decade-old Montreal tradition and according to many an unforgettable experience.

The Dictatorship of Debt is being staged as a theatre project of The Social Justice Committee, an NGO established in 1975.  The SJC hopes to encourage individuals and groups to become actively involved in building a more just global society and pushes for more accountability from the World Bank and IMF.  They are also actively involved in pushing for greater regulations of the Canadian mining industry operating in the Global South.  They accomplish their goals through education and advocacy.

Theatre has become one of their most effective educational tools, accompanied by videos, online resources and interactive presentations.

A teaser performance of The Dictatorship of Debt will be presented Saturday, April 4th as part of the McGill Drama Festival (3480 McTavish, 3rd floor).  The following night, it will be presented as part of a Grand Gala at La Sala Rossa (4848 Boul. St-Laurent, Show at 8pm, doors open at 7:30 pm tickets $4).  A talkback performance will take place at the Atwater Library on Thursday, April 9th (1200 Atwater, 8pm tickets: $4).

In an attempt to diversify its media holdings and reach a new, more socially aware public, CanWest Global Communications Corporation has purchased several internet sites, blogs and forums deemed until recently to be too small-scale for a large media corporation to even be interested in.  This online publication, the OTL Blog, is one of them.

“Let’s face it,” said Canwest Global CEO Leonard Asper in a press conference yesterday, “our audience is aging and those who will replace them are fed up with traditional media and are turning to the internet.”

CanWest CEO Leonard Asper announcing purchase of this blog and other internet properties yesterday

Asper doesn’t feel that the canada.com network or the online versions of his company’s traditional media holdings, which include the Global television network and newspapers like the Montreal Gazette, are up to the task of attracting the new, socially aware audiences that advertisers covet.  Instead, the company has opted to simply purchase new media that attracts them already.

Readers of this blog who have grow accustomed to its more, dare we say, radical spin on current events and the arts have nothing to fear.  CanWest assures surfers that the content style of all purchased publications will remain unchanged.

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“We don’t want to upset the apple cart,” joked Asper, “we’ll leave that to the writers!  It is very important to us that the new web properties we acquired retain their cool, after all, that’s why people read them.”

What maintaining cool means for this blog in particular is that lamer elements will be pushed to the background to allow more hip and fashionable elements to have their moment in the sun.  For example, we are in the process of re-editing the post about the anti police brutality march to include a couple of paragraphs about the stylish military fatigues worn by the cops and where you can purchase them yourself!

We’re also going to be altering some of the language used to make things cooler.  The term repression, for example, is clichéd.  Instead, we’ll be talking about radical or extreme cop actions and rate the police officer’s athletic ability in what’s going to be called the Teargass Throwing Olympics!

Also, instead of drab posts about feminists burying apples or arguing about abortion rights, we’re going to focus on some of the hotties in the crowd and give away a cosmetics kit (courtesy of L’Oreale) to the sexiest chick we find at each demonstration!

Some of our regular writers may not be happy with these changes, but they will be happy with their paychecks.  Some readers may say that we’ve gone too far, but that’s what happens when you push the envelope, baby!  Isn’t that, after all, what radicalism is all about?

Asper, it seems, would agree and is excited about his company’s purchase of this and other publications.  He summed up his views on this venture and concluded the press conference with two words:

“APRIL FOOLS!!!”

Harper’s conservatives have already proved that they’re not afraid to cut funding to artists and are only willing to backpedal when their move loses them crucial votes in Quebec.  They’ve also shown that when they do pull an about-face rhetorically, it usually ends up with those who lost out still losing out and new private sector initiatives getting the bulk of the benefit.  Now it looks like government is taking the same approach to another area of Canadian culture, the CBC.

In order to cope with financial woes and survive the current financial storm intact, Canada’s public broadcaster, which operates CBC TV and radio as well as Radio-Canada’s radio and television divisions, asked the Harper government for a bridge loan.  They were denied.  As a result, they announced on Thursday that they were going to lay off about 800 people to save $171 million.

Harper’s refusal to help out the CBC comes amidst talk of a financial bailout of Canada’s private broadcasters CTV GlobeMedia, CanWest and Quebecor which are also suffering financial difficulties.  This move seems perfectly in line with the Conservative’s preference of private over public and also makes one wonder about how much the government’s relationship with some of these private media companies plays into it.

On one hand, this doesn’t really make for good business in a purely capitalist sense.  What kind of business lets its own company fail while giving money to the competition?  On the other hand, this is surely a blow to the CBC and public broadcasting in Canada, an institution with a long, storied history.

This move has left many wondering what will become of the CBC and whether or not we are headed for a gutting of public broadcasting as we know it similar to what happened in the US under Bush.  CBC already airs a considerable amount of commercial American programming on its main TV network and with this refusal to help them out, one wonders if this trend will continue and increase.

In response, Avaaz.org Canada has started a petition to “save the CBC” which has already received over 53 000 signatures, you can add your voice here.

The Left has always been a fractured and fragmented place rife with disagreement and conflict about how best to challenge oppression and change the world. Can the days of disagreement between neo-Marxist-Leninist Communists and Third wave post-Anarcho-feminist radicals finally be over? Yes, according to Judy Rebick, who descended on Montreal recently with to promote her new book Transforming Power: From the Personal to Political which she claims is her best-written and most important yet. Activists in the 21st Century are putting aside their differences to focus on inclusion, dialogue, networking, solidarity, and critical praxis because they “understand that the crisis is too great for differences of ego or ideologyto divide us from others who share the goals of social justice, equality, and environmental sustainability. (9)”

On Wednesday March 25 at 5 pm Judy Rebick began the eastern leg of her book tour in Montreal. The Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy in collaboration with the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University sponsored the launch. Ironically, in contrast to the book’s activist message of hope, the event was held in the in the brutalist concrete Samuel Bronfman Building, which is named after one of Montreal’s most prolific bootlegging capitalists.

Judy Rebick is a well-known social justice activist, educator , writer, and speaker. An activist at least from the age of 16 when she rejected religious beliefs, Judy has worked hard for social change in various Leftist circles such as feminism, socialism, and arts activism. She was recently arrested for occupying the Israeli consulate in protest against the bombing of Gaza. Judy Rebick is the founder of rabble.ca, helped create the New Politics Initiative, and is the author of several books and articles, most recently Ten Thousand Roses: The Making of a Feminist Revolution (Penguin 2005).  Her other books are Imagine Democracy (Stoddard 2000) and Politically Speaking (Douglas & McIntyre 1996). Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political is her fourth book.

“Transforming Power” looks at social developments such as the election of President Obama, the rise of democracy in Bolivia, and the success of Wikipedia, and analyses key processes at work: “bringing communities of people together to produce something new; building a movement from the bottom up; sharing experience, knowledge and wisdom; emphasizing co-operation and consensus over confrontation and political partisanship.”

Before launching into her talk, Judy Rebick gave a slideshow presentation to the gathered crowd about the places she visited, people she met, and activist struggles she encountered while writing the book. Her speech focussed on the circumstances behind her new book and why she is championing “new ways of achieving political goals by emphasizing co-operation and consensus over confrontation and partisanship.” Realizing the need for more inclusion in the Left, Judy Rebick advocates doing away with the divisions of yesteryear and working towards solidarity and convergence on activist issues.

Judy Rebick is calling for meaningful responses to the environmental crisis and social injustices across the planet.  She notes that substantial, sustainable change is needed at every level, and suggests this “can only come through building power from the grass roots, from the people most impacted.” Her book is designed to help us “discover the ideas, the people and the practices that can provide the paths to the change we need.”

Even the book’s website is designed to empower. The Transforming Power website is meant to be a continuous epilogue for the book. Readers of “Transforming Power” who wish to dig deeper into the book’s content will find tools and information necessary to begin the work that Judy urges throughout her book; work against oppression and injustice that has already begun across the globe.Visitors are encouraged to read and respond to Judy’s blog, and even post their own entries about where they see power being transformed in their very own community.

According to the site: “One of the most important things that one can do to transform power is to become organized and connected with others who share similar goals. In order to facilitate this, we have provided a forum for visitors to the site to explain the work they are doing in their community and to help aid in the networking that Judy discusses throughout the book.”

Judy Rebick is an inspiration to theatre activists, and her theories on the importance of inclusion and the need for activism to be “fun” are very much at play within local organizations such as the infringement festival. By following the same grassroots principles as LINUX, existing systems can be challenged and replaced with more viable and less oppressive alternatives. The Optative Theatrical Laboratories heartily recommends getting a copy of this book and starting the journey towards a better future, another world where injustice and oppression are stamped out and humans live sustainably and in peace. To buy the book online, click on the Octopus Books website here.