The CoC’s Cop-Out (Once Again…)

Sign on the toilets donate by the Council of Canadians to Occupy Vancouver

I’ve written to the Council of Canadians before- more than once. It all began when Ruth Meta sent a letter to Maude Barlow, asking her to explain why a prominent member of Occupy Vancouver has been repressing people and hurting the movement. I took the same letter and put my name to it.

Ruth, a prominent member of the community, got a call back from an organizer at the CoC’s. At the same time, I got a response from Garry Neil– and it was truly pitiful, insulting…

Since then, I’ve written a couple of other letters, and had a conversation with Garry Neil. He agreed that though there is some ‘transference’ from the Olympics, when the CoC’s worked to have an ‘inclusive’ protest and they invited Harsha Walia’s violent anarchists to join the movement (and who consequently destroyed the movement), that members of the CoC who participated in Occupy Vancouver did so on their own accord. Basically, the Coc’s copped-out of their responsibility.

To start, I’d like to call BS here. Let’s look at a few links that prove my point:

Articles from the CoC website:

• Ages,Grewal Attend Occupy Vancouver GA (Grewal is Harsha Walia’s boyfriend)
• How to Help Occupy Vancouver
• Act Now to Prevent the Shutdown of Occupy Vancouver
• Grewal Speaks on Occupy at Packed Forum in Vancouver
• Event: Grewal Speaks on who are the 99% At Occupy Vancouver
• The Council Joins ‘Occupations’ Across Canada

If you go to Google, you will see that there are many more articles like this. Not  to mention that Bob Ages (head of the Richmond chapter) has taken a pivotal role at Occupy Vancouver, including heading the Finance Committee!

And, who can forget, the Council of Canadians paid for the toilets at OV– without them, the event would not have happened! So, Gary Neil, sorry for the pun- but, may I suggest that you are full of it?

When I found out that Bob Ages was involved in an abhorrent situation with the Finance Committee, I was genuinely hoping that the CoC’s would finally stand-up to their responsibility for what is happening at Occupy Vancouver. So, when I wrote this letter to the people perverting Occupy Toronto, I sent a copy to Garry Neil last Friday.

Here’s his first response- another CoC cop-out:

Here’s the letter I responded to Garry with:

Garry,

The Council of Canadians has a lot of responsibility for this situation. After all, it is your organization that let the genie out of the bottle during the Olympics by engaging the violent Black Bloc elements who destroyed the movement back then. The CoC’s involvement, and subsequent results, emboldened the Black Bloc to what they have become today. Remember when we spoke about transference?

Your man Bob Ages from your Richmond Chapter runs the Finance Committee at Occupy Vancouver. Two weeks ago, took action to exclude someone from Finance Committee because he was asking difficult questions:

A couple weeks previous, Ben was subjected to a slander that was equally disgusting to mine (where Bob’s name is on the header). They printed out a paper with Ben’s picture, and an accusation that he was sexually harassing a woman. People are getting hurt as a result of Bob’s attacks…

Yesterday I was violently assaulted by two members of the Black Bloc. Do you think it would have gone this far had you taken action when I brought this to your attention?

It is time for your organization to stand-up and take responsibility for the damage of your past decisions, and the actions of your leaders. You have an important choice to make now. Take leadership and help us find solutions now, or face the results of your inaction later.

Garry, I sincerely hope that the CoC’s don’t cop out again this time. Your organization has much good to contribute to our country’s future- time to decide if you want to be a part of it…

Sincerely,
-Greg

Later, on Friday afternoon, I was banished from the Council of Canadian’s Facebook page without explanation! Something is rotten here!

Yes, my letter was strongly worded- and I do acknowledge the CoC’s have done a lot of great work over the years. But, considering they ‘let the genie out of the bottle’ with the Black Bloc- I truly expected they would live up to their responsibility. It appears they won’t.

This leaves me with some questions for the CoC’s:

1. How is it acceptable for any of their leaders to behave like this?
2. What is Bob Ages hiding about Occupy Vancouver’s finances?
3. Is it possible the CoC’s receive funding and/or support from TIDES Foundation/Soros funded organizations like Dave Vasey & Taylor Chelsea?

I challenge you all to write to the CoC’s and insist that they stand-up to their responsibility now and help end this situation. This has clearly gone too far- they are directly responsible, and it is time for the CoC’s to do the right thing…

Related articles

• Another Letter to Garry Neil at The Council Of Canadians (www.genuinewitty.com)
• Occupy Vancouver is an unsafe place (Dare you walk down her path?) (www.genuinewitty.com)
• My Response to Mr Neil of The Council of Canadians (www.genuinewitty.com)
• Censored! A Letter to the People of Occupy Toronto (www.genuinewitty.com)
• Are Black Bloc Tactics Terrorism? (www.genuinewitty.com)
• A Letter to Maude Barlow at the Council of Canadians (www.genuinewitty.com)
• Bob Ages Tacos Occupy Vancouver! (along with a few others…) (www.genuinewitty.com)
• News Alert! Bob Ages Promoted to Arbiter of OV’s Digital Domain! (www.genuinewitty.com)
• A Response from Garry Neil From The Council of Canadians (www.genuinewitty.com)
• Canadians: It’s Time To Demand A Public Inquiry! (www.genuinewitty.com)
• The Council of Canadians Supports The DTES Olympic Protest Stooges (and yes, I do protest the word Stooges!) (www.genuinewitty.com)