Economic disruption of the blockades was similar to the Mohawk blockade of railways about 2 years ago:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ottawa-rejects-police-intervention-to-put-an-end-to-blockades/

Similarly, mass lay offs and multi-billions of dollars of goods stuck sitting around waiting to get to the industries needing them.

Since at least 2012 the attempted expansion of an existing pipeline(Trans Mountain) was targeted continuously by blockades. Opposition and resulting delays leading to cost overruns so large that company ultimately halted the multi-billion dollar project.

In terms of dollars being lost, the convoy protest wasn't special. More over, the blockade of the border in Ontario that was causing the real economic damage was dismantled and removed before the 'emergency measures' were enacted. Which is to state, the emergency measures were primarily intended to clear out downtown Ottawa. In downtown Ottawa though, the damages were at minimum as localized as any of the lumber or pipeline blockades mentioned.


Prime Minister Trudeau couldn't be more unequivocal when he was expressing his support for the farmer protests in India and the Floyd protests in the US. Clip if you'd like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9EaSF6Y0eE

The protests in India absolutely did immensely more harm to India's economy than the convoy here did in Canada. The protests in support of Floyd were again unequivocally more violent than the convoy in Canada.

There really is no basis by which to point to the convoy's actions and find them in any way unique or distinct from multiple other protests within Canada, or ones abroad that have been either given more latitude, or outright embraced and supported.

The distinction as even you can't resist going after, is that their beliefs they are protesting for are stupid and wrong, so no right to protest for them. That isn't how the right to protest within a democracy should be allowed to work.

I also have to point out the 'ethical' argument isn't as cut and dry as you want to make it out either.
-Pipelines bad so blockading is good ignores the fact the same oil gets pumped regardless, it just gets loaded into trucks that burn even more oil to haul it and have a fair greater risk of accidents and spills.
-Defending the rights and lands of Aboriginal peoples(like at Coastal Gas Link site violently attacked with millions in damages while the convoy was being vilified for 'incitement') is anything but obvious. The Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders made claim to parts of the pipeline route and demanded it be shut down. However, the same Wet'suwet'en people's multiple elected Band Councils signed on with their wishes to proceed with the project. In fact, ALL elected representatives of ALL the Bands with land along the route had ALL signed onto the project and wanting it to proceed. It is in no way obvious that ignoring the will of those other bands to favour the conflicting claims of the hereditary leaders is clearly the most respectful of the people's wishes.

@newtboy,

I agree with more of what you say than you make out. You need to appreciate how different Canada is from the US, particularly in power balance within government and corresponding police action and media coverage.

Long delays in stopping illegal blockade and protest activity is the norm.
-Fairy Creek blockades persisted almost 12 months before police took action
-Blockade of Coastal Link pipepline went on for months before police intervened to allow work to continue.
-Mohawk solidarity blockade of railways in Ontario persisted multiple weeks

The difference to the protests today, the Liberal government was tripping over themselves to reach out to those protest groups, while immediately spitting in the faces of this one.

I've always been of the opinion illegally blocking a roadway, border or business should lead to arrests within the time it takes to notify and send police.

The problem here from a Canadian eye, is that the only time current government is interested in bringing a hammer down is based not upon the actions of protestors, but instead based upon their professed cause.

I refuse to accept tying the right to protest to what cause is being rallied to.

Dude....when you just got harassed like that for a minor infraction, don't drive away while filming yourself, which is a serious dangerous crime akin to driving drunk.

I was stopped as a mohawked teenager in Palo Alto for being "suspicious" by taking two minutes to drop my girlfriend off at her house, and ten minutes later across town I was surrounded by 11-12 cop cars, lights on, and 18+- police who detained me for 45 minutes but had nothing to charge me with. Compared to that, this seemed benign (don't get me wrong, I see this as a blatant racist action, the message being "you don't belong here, boy", but I expected much worse).

Your video, Tallest Mohawk - Guinness World Records, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

I had my older brother give me a Mohawk in 6th grade with scissors, it was pretty mangey.
He did it again for 8th grade but used clippers. Less mange but still uneven as hell.
My Jr year in high school I went to a preppy boarding school with an 18"+ bleach blond Mohawk, it didn't go over well but didn't violate any rules so I kept it all year.
Then I let my hair grow for 8 years until it touched my ass. I really wish I had tried another Mohawk then, but I just shaved it off when it kept trying to strangle me in my sleep even braided. It might have been taller at that point than his. Wasted opportunities.

My hair ends just below the top of my shoulder blades. As a kid my parental units insisted on a "crew cut" which I always hated. It exposed a small bald spot on the back of my head which seemed to make my siblings always want to poke at it. Once I escaped parental captivity I said goodbye bald spot forever.

I was never interested in sporting a Mohawk.

Newt not all cops are bad.

You had a bad experience and as you say "As a Mohawk sporting punk, I was often singled out as a younger teen for no good reason, "

Maybe you just looked like bad egg. Ever thought of cleaning up you act back then?

My brother had a cop put his gun to his head - he deserved it and I've been arrested a few times -- youthful kid stuff. I hold no ill will to cops. They just want to get home safe. If all interactions between cop and respectful citizens things would soften up after some time.

WRT to this video -- All were dicks and need to to have a complaint against them.

No, but it's when it strengthened. As a Mohawk sporting punk, I was often singled out as a younger teen for no good reason, but never abused and threatened with death like that until then. Since then, I've never seen anything to dissuade me from thinking they're all team players, and it's us vs them....like all gangs.
Edit: I've heard many times, including directly from cops and lawyers, that they may legally lie to you and are trained to do so. That above all makes me distrust cops, I don't trust professional liars, and neither should anyone else....ever.

There was nothing to toss, like some of these, he refused to give me a form or take any report, verbally abused me, then threatened to find something to arrest me for if I didn't just go away and drop it.
Yeah, they would be nice today, but without the off switches.

I’m not sure about the Mohawk. I know it’s from the comics but it just looks kinda weird.

In a perfect world, yes, but in reality, no.
Police do not have to tell the truth, and if a lie gets them the upper hand, they'll often lie. Asking them to explain your rights, especially after annoying them by being obstinate and repeating to them that you know your rights, is just dumb imo. They have no obligation to teach you or to be honest about them and every incentive not to.....although it would be nice if they did.

Edit: asking for a lengthy explanation after being told 'any answer besides"yes" is considered refusal' is a point where you will be penalized for asking what your rights are....white, black, or purple.

Explain how it's ok to administer a test at any time but this time is harassment because he failed them, please, because that's contradictory.

He parked on the freeway causing suspicion,
admitted to drinking and driving requiring a field test,
didn't follow directions so failed the field test,
then obstinately repeated that with the breathalyzer by not answering yes and taking it. (After being told anything but yes legally means no).
Please, what's harassment there?....because there's definitely something more imo.

Remove race from the equation, and it's a good arrest. Adding race in does nothing to negate that imo.


Edit: I was a white punk with a long Mohawk. I got harassed far worse than this repeatedly, including being thrown to the ground at gunpoint because an officer read my plate wrong and accused me of being a car thief. Attitude usually has far more to do with the outcome than anything else in my experience. When I was polite and followed instructions I almost always walked, even when in the wrong. When I argued, I got slapped hard, like a vandalism charge for a 4" chalk line on a sidewalk or 2 hours of having my car searched in front of my friends house.

If I'm misunderstanding and you aren't claiming this was a dwb arrest, apologies. That's the part I'm debating, because it seems wrong.

I'd have to beg to differ on America having similar Aboriginal/White conflict. IMO the divide between aboriginal/white in Canada is actually much deeper, and with a greater potential for future violence than even black/white relations in the US. The conditions on Canadian native reserves are MUCH worse than in the US. It's severe enough that the first time a Canadian is driving past an America aboriginal reserve they have to ask twice to confirm it really is one. The general state of broken down infrastructure, housing and in general is so bad it's even visibly unavoidable up here in Canada. In the US you can't tell you've gone past anything different unless something culturally relevant is posted up.

It's also made worse by systematic segregation that the reserve system in Canada creates so any seed of racism has lots of fertile ground and lacks any reference to counter balance it.

When a car is stolen is something goes missing on farms near a reserve the immediate default assumption is that someone 'aboriginal' took it. It's only made worse when more often than the statistical distribution should dictate, it actually was someone from a reserve that did it. Recently a car of young aboriginal kids pulled into a farmers yard and one of them was shot and killed. They said they had a flat and were just looking for help. The case is on going, but the courts have heard that the neighbour had already put a call in to police about a theft minutes before the shooting though. Of course, white folks on the internet made such helpful comments as suggesting the farmers mistake was 'leaving any witnesses'. It's also not just white racism against natives though, the racism against settlers(whites) amongst aboriginal populations can be just as ugly and rampant. When Canada decided to have our border crossing guards carry guns, we had to close a border crossing that was in a Mohawk reserve because they wouldn't allow it. The border station there was already riddled with bullet holes before this. If the government DID try and enforce the same law there as the rest of the border, people were going to die.

But who controls the thought police, cock smoker?

(P.S. I just like sounding like comic book and movie villains. Nothing personal. Today I'm a violent 1980s cyber punk hoodlum with an orange mohawk and jordie leforge goggles. Slice and dice!)

>> ^Lendl:

Needs a cape, some light sabers and bronchitis and he's good to go...


*music *geek

And coughs!

This is probably the first person I'd say looks better in a mohawk than any other haircut.
*nohomo

We now usher in a new era onto the planet. The era of Mohawk Guy!