Occupy camp breaks apart, but how do the pieces fall?
ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE/torstar news service
Police remove a protester from a campsite within Occupy Toronto at St. James Park yesterday.
The Toronto Police spent yesterday dismantling the Occupy Toronto campground.
Protesters, for the most part, made a graceful exit and the cops played nice.
But now that St. James Park is tent-free, what’s next for the movement?
Protesters: Like other evicted occupy groups before them, the protesters have to regroup and plan.
Another legal battle is likely out of the question, said Kevin Konnyu, a 33-year-old volunteer facilitator. But some form of occupying is on the short-term agenda, he adds.
Homeless: For the approximately 100 homeless people who slept in the park, police advised them to go to the Adelaide Resource Centre for Women to receive support.
Local businesses: Rachel Young, co-founder of Camaraderie Coworking and organizer of Friends of St. James Park — a 40-person coalition of area business owners and residents who wanted the occupiers out — said she’s looking forward to the “revitalization” of the park and the return of lunching “business folk” and dog-walkers.
Coffee shops: Staff at both Starbucks, at Church and Adelaide streets, and Second Cup, at King and Jarvis streets, predict sales will return to pre-occupation levels.
Church: The Cathedral Church of St. James declined to comment.
St. James Park: According to a City of Toronto press release, the full cost of cleanup and damage won’t be known for a couple of days. Once the park is clean, Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff will begin the restoration work — including winterizing the sprinkler system.
Yurts : In October, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) helped purchase three yurts, worth about $20,000, made by Groovy Yurts inc., a Quebec-based company.
“They’re going into storage,” said Heino Nielsen, administrator of the campaigns and communications department at OPSEU.
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