Apr 19

[UPDATED] The Pidgin Protest: NDP MLA David Eby’s Downtown Eastside Olympic Legacy…

  • April 19, 2013

It all started with these guys...

It all started with these people…

Update: The people of Vancouver-Point Grey have now elected Eby into office, God help us all…

Radical activism in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) has been getting out of hand for several years now- beginning in the early 2000’s with the formation of the infamous (and now defunct) Anti-Poverty Committee. The APC was a militant anarchist organization run by many of the same people who are leading the radicalism today- Ivan Drury and Harsha Walia are two of their most notorious alumni.

David Eby arrived on the scene in 2004- a promising young Dalhousie Law student who turned down opportunities in the corporate world to instead focus on social justice (and a future career in politics). Eby quickly became a legend in the DTES- building a political base including an almost cult like following by the neighbourhood’s anarchist and radical activist community.

It was over the next few years that the DTES activist community began to gradually unravel to what we have today- a dangerous self parody that often crosses the line between peaceful protest to violence and criminality. Welcome to David Eby’s Downtown Eastside Olympic Legacy.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2013/04/19/the-pidgin-protest-david-ebys-downtown-eastside-olympic-legacy/

Apr 16

[UPDATED] Anarchists, Unionists, Mennonites & Porter Airlines Strikers: It’s About Israel, Stupid! (feat. Barrick Gold)

  • April 16, 2013

Porter striker supporters at last night's protest...

Porter striker supporters at last night’s protest…

Update: Shortly after I published this article I found a meeting has been announced at OISE on Friday protesting the Jewish National Fund- here’s the link.

Update 2: It appears that Porter Airlines is now suing COPE…

Update 3: Two days after publishing this article Megan Kinch of the anarchist-led Media Co-Op publishes a very curious story. For the first time during the strike the protesters have begun using images of a Porter executive- this time, Robert Deluce (and not Tanenbaum or Carty). Kinch is most well-known for her unforgettable interview with a con artist who was waving around cow bones telling her they were from a mass grave on the Six Nations reserve- she doesn’t ask a single critical question, swallows it hook, line & sinker.

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Last year Porter Airlines’s refuelling staff joined a union. It was a curious choice of a union, the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE) is mostly a union for people who work for unions. They represent staff from CUPE, CUPW, Canadian Association of University Teachers, United Steel Workers, a number of district labour councils, and employees of the federal and Quebec NDP. (And, curiously, COPE Local 81 represents workers at Bombardier’s train manufacturing operations in Thunder Bay- Porter recently signed a contract with Bombardier Aerospace for new jets.)

There are only 22 Porter workers involved in the strike, but they’ve had an extraordinary amount of support. Not only have people from other unions joined in on the protests, but so too have members of Toronto’s anarchist community. There were some familiar names in attendance including the now world famous Vanja Krajina, Alex “Flagpole” Balch, Mark Brill of OCAP, and anarchist schoolteacher Ashleigh Ingle. There were also some high-profile union leaders and politicians  including Sid Ryan of the Ontario Federation of Labour, Tony Depaulo of the Steelworkers, and anarchist aficionado MPP Cheri DiNovo.

The question is, outside of supporting the strikers, why have so many radicals gravitated towards supporting this strike? This was a mystery to me until this week, but after some research it has become apparent- it’s about Israel, stupid! (I’m directing the ‘stupid’ at myself, wish I’d researched this earlier.)

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2013/04/16/anarchists-unionists-mennonites-porter-airlines-strikers-its-about-israel-stupid-feat-donald-carty-barrick-gold/

Apr 13

[UPDATED] Mathew Kagis: Will Vancouver-West End Voters Support A Cop-Baiting Clown?

  • April 13, 2013

Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel: Silly Party

Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F’tang-F’tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel: Silly Party

Update: It appears that Kagis doesn’t like this article- his response has been to ask someone to commit a crime (which is a crime in itself). Classy- can you believe that Sandy Garossino associates with these people? (Remember that next time she’s on the ballot Vancouver…)

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British Columbia’s having a provincial election on May 14th. And, like all elections, there’s no shortage of clowns in the competition. While most candidates don’t actually admit they’re clowns- in the case of the Work Less Party there seems to be an exception this year. Mathew Kagis, their candidate for Vancouver-West flies his clown flag with great pride.

The BC Work Less Party was founded in 2003 as a spin-off the World Naked Bike Ride. They’re mostly a single-issue party, pushing for BC to reduce the work week from 40 to 32 hours- they wish to legislate that people must work less so that we have less money to spend on consumer goods. The party has also been used to promote the causes of some Activistocrat environmentalists including Betty Krawczyk and pipeline protester Ben West.

Considering their history of never having a candidate win a seat, it’s hard perceive take Work Less as a serious party- in fact, the Silly Party tends to attract a higher percentage of the electorate. Kagis’ nomination for Vancouver-West End probably won’t help with this problem- but, he’ll most certainly contribute to his new the party’s silliness quotient.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2013/04/13/mathew-kagis-will-vancouver-west-end-voters-support-a-cop-baiting-clown/

Apr 13

Derek Soberal: The Infamous Cop-Baiter Who Thinks He’s An Accredited Journalist (feat. Doug Hatlem Johnson)

  • April 13, 2013

Derek Soberal (right) losing his temper...

Derek Soberal (right) losing his temper…

For lovers of bedlam, there’s no shortage of entertainment to be seen in the activist community- sometimes there are more clowns to than you can shake a stick at. But, of all the idiocy to be observed, few individuals stand-out as much as Derek Soberal. And it’s hard to miss Derek, if there’s a TV camera to be seen, he’s likely to be planting himself in front of it.

Soberal was arrested at an OCAP protest back on March 7th. A few others were arrested that day, but he was the only person to actually be taken into custody. The police allege that Derek got into a struggle with the cops while he was being led away and, while handcuffed, he shoved his way away from them. He was let free at 2:30 the next morning- charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, and one charge of breaching a peace bond. Friday was his first appearance in court. (And, despite Macdonald Scott’s promises, there was no lawyer to help.)

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2013/04/13/derek-soberal-the-infamous-cop-baiter-who-thinks-hes-a-journalist-feat-doug-hatlem-johnson/

Apr 10

[UPDATED] Sandy Garossino Needs To Resign From The Red Hood Anti-Bullying Project (feat. Raffi, Rachel Goodine & Gena Thompson)

  • April 10, 2013

Sandy Garossino- The cognitive dissonance queen...

Sandy Garossino- The cognitive dissonance queen…

Update: Sandy Garossino was on her regular spot on Bill Good’s show on CKNW today. I’ve been on the Bill Good show before, so thought I’d call in and ask Garossino to explain herself. She responded by saying that I’ve been “stalking” her on Twitter. In total, since November 2011, I’ve sent a total of 24 messages that included the @garossino Twitter address- all of them polite and respectful.

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Children’s entertainer Raffi Cavoukian has a big problem on his hands. He’s one of the two founding partners of the Red Hood Project– an anti-bullying campaign that’s campaigning to make the Internet a safer place for kids. Raffi’s problem isn’t with his cause, or the public will to back it (that said, they need to better explain their expectations on age verification). The real problem is Raffi’s partner- he couldn’t have chose a worse role model than Sandy Garossino.

Garossino has, time and again, shown herself to be a bully. Her internalized anger comes out when she disagrees strongly with someone on a political issue- particularly when people criticise TIDES Canada. Garossino has had outbursts with a wide range of people including reporters, politicians, and just ordinary citizens. Today Sandy Garossino, a self-professed guardian of our children, went even a step further- participating in an online swarming against your’s truly. And, to make things worse- some of the people she’s swarming with are those who are closely linked to anarchist street violence.

Sandy Garossino has, indeed, outdone herself this time… (And that’s quite an accomplishment!)

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2013/04/10/sandy-garossino-must-immediately-resign-from-the-red-hood-anti-bullying-project-feat-raffi-rachel-goodine-gina-thompson/

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