Onlookers stood by the broken glass of stores opposite the College Street police station. Police had formed lines blocking the headquarters as a group used the black bloc tactic to attack symbols of capitalism before moving into the crowd.
The bystanders stared down at the glass -- apparent on their faces was the realization that this is not the Toronto they knew. Across the road, the police stood silent in ranks as the black-shrouded group passed on.
Behind the crowd, a young man ran forward. He stepped between the bystanders and the glass and shouted, "If you have open shoes, please watch the glass. Let me know if you need a medic."
The young man was part of a group of called the Street Medics. They weren't there to protest or get a message heard. They just came to assist in areas where paramedics couldn't or wouldn't go in. Amidst the violence and destruction that rocked the streets, their actions were one of the few things the city had to be proud of today.
The protest that started Saturday morning at Queen's Park began peacefully. Thousands marched from the designated protest area at Queen's Park, south three blocks to University Avenue. At Queen Street West, a little past the halfway point between the protest zone and the Convention Centre where the G20 leaders are meeting, they met a line of riot police. This was expected and the crowd turned westward. They continued west with marshals shouting before lines of officers, "There's nothing to see here. Please continue marching."
March they did. The vast majority of the group peacefully circled around to their starting point. By the time we got word that members of Greenpeace had made it, a black bloc had formed closer to where the riot police held their line.
For blocks they moved. In the Bay and Wellington in the heart of the financial district, two police cruisers were set on fire. A block east on Yonge Street, they confronted a car where inside sat a terrified woman. For blocks, past three subway stations, past customers looking on from inside the locked-down Eaton Centre, they marched. At one point, the group used the mannequins from an American Apparel store to throw at other windows, including one locally owned shop.
This group doesn't deserve to be called protesters. Martin Luther King was a protester. He campaigned against racial segregation through non-violent tactics. This morning, the groups that marched peacefully on series of social issues, they were protesters. They deserve to be commended for their actions.
The group that formed the black bloc only had the goal of causing violence and destruction. Calling them protesters is what gives a bad name to legitimate demonstration.
What's truly unfortunate is that for blocks they walked unimpeded. For the $1.2 billion the country spent on security, we saw very little protecting Toronto itself. This small group completely hijacked the peaceful message of the demonstration. The police did little to stop them. In the wake of their damage, the only people picking up the pieces were the street medics.
We walked for a bit with Josh, one of the members of the group. He said he had personally treated about 10 to 15 minor injuries along the way and sent four people to hospital. Around him, members of the team pulled broken construction signs out of the street and attempted to push remnants of windows aside. In the road, they changed surgical gloves as they performed first aid by pulling glass from wounds.
The group's anguish and exhaustion was apparent. It was clear they only wanted to help. That they wished the black bloc up ahead would disperse. That they didn't really want to be performing the role that officers should have been doing.
We watched the shrouded group smash the windows of a van as they moved back to Queen's Park. One young man shoved a stake with a flag through its windshield. As they littered the ground with clothing and snack foods from the interior, it seemed as though they would set it on fire. Thankfully, they didn't succeed. Nonetheless, the street medic pushed others out of the way. He was the only person concerned for other peoples' safety in case the car explored.
This is not a day to be proud of. All sides -- police, protesters, politicians -- have reason to hang their heads. There is no way to justify the actions of those who set out to cause destruction. At the same time, the lack of police presence in protecting the city and its citizens was hard to justify.
As we arrived at Queen's Park, the riot squads finally moved in to contain the crowd. By this time, the violent group had made a full loop of the downtown core. Surrounded by police, they gathered in groups and pulled off their layers to reveal street clothes. They then dispersed into the crowd.
The only ones still identifiable were the street medics still asking if anyone needed assistance. For hours afterwards, the police formed lines in a square at the bottom of Queen's Park and attempted to disperse the crowds along the road. They would advance and retreat, sending people running. As dusk fell, both plain-clothed police officers and others in gear made arrests. The lingering crowds moved on as crews moved in to sweep up and board up windows.
By this time, the G20 leaders were enjoying a meal at the Royal York Hotel. It was quite clear those using the black bloc tactic had no message that would reach their ears and that security had done little to protect the hosting city.
That job was left to the street medics.
It's a sad day when a small group of violent people can steal the day's message. It's sad to when a few officers use too much force.
It's was a lack of regard from all sides for the city and the people living in it that is the real failure of the day.