Occupy Toronto 15 June 2012 by Michael Holloway Leslieville is an East end Toronto neighbourhood that was formerly a small village on the outskirts of Old Toronto. It is centred by Leslie Grove Park at Jones Avenue and Queen Street East – two blocks West of Leslie Street. Leslie Grove Park is the site of the former tree nurseries of Scottish horticulturalist entrepreneur, and village founder, George Leslie. ”Leslieville Pots and Pans: Solidarity With Quebec“ casseroles, started small on May 30th (30 people) and it has held it own over the weeks. Each week about 30 people participate (a core of about 20 plus about 10 ‘random’ (as the kids say) casserolers present each time). On week II (Wednesday, June 6th) the group ventured away from the Park and onto the neighbourhood streets. Week III (J13) this increasingly united and organized group handed out postcard-sized info fliers and about 100 Red Patches with safety pins to neighbours sitting on their front porches, or to people out for evening strolls. The casseroles walks have received a very warm response from almost everyone in the neighbourhood – (two people who live adjacent to the park complained about noise this week – and in a meeting afterwards we decided to spend much less time casseroling right on that corner – more walking casseroles – less rallying). Leslieville Pots and Pans – J13 (via classrageca) As posted earlier here in OccupyToronto (http://occupyto.org/2012/06/casseroles-night-in-toronto/), Casseroles evening walks are taking on the same neighbourhood quality that emerged spontaniously in Montreal’s neighbourhoods after the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 78 – the anti-civil-liberties law – on May 18th, 2012. Other neighbourhoods have started organizing on a hyper-local level. The Parkdale Feeder march to Dufferin Grove Casseroles – aka: “manif casserole toronto” – was amoungst the innovator events that is helping to spread this anti-repression, anti-austerity, progressive-economic-policy-movement into Toronto’s neighbourhoods — mirroring the Spanish Indignados tactics from spring 2011. The “manif casserole toronto” itself was an outcome of an OccupyToronto casseroles rally at Dundas Square on Friday May 25th 2012 [edit- 06/15/12] (OccupyToronto Market Exchange – posted May 25,2012 – http://www.facebook.com/OccupyToronto/posts/363075573755575?comment_id=3485563&offset=0&total_comments=6) .. after which participants decided to take the protest out of the core, and into the neighbourhoods. Toronto ‘casseroles’ in solidarity with Quebec – Pots & Pans protest (RAW) – May 30, 2012 (via Sophie Tread – who cycles while recording this – sweet.) Also one of the first neighbourhoods to organize was the “Harbord and Huron Poets“, which the next week became perhaps the best Event title yet, “Annex Casseroles II: Percussion With Repercussions” – which like Parkdale Feeder was a local neighbourhood gathering that fed into the ”manif casserole toronto“, the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood Casseroles gathering. Since the first week more neighbourhoods have joined the movement – here’s a list I put together as part of my Map Admin duties at Casseroles Night’s in Canada (#CNIC): Manif Casseroles Toronto – Dufferin Grove Parkhttps://www.facebook.com/events/391104920936260/ Annex Casseroles II: Percussion With Repercussions http://www.facebook.com/events/246342602138531/ Casserole Night in Christie Pits – for Kids & Adults http://www.facebook.com/events/361611753892660/ Leslieville Pots and Pans http://www.facebook.com/events/222955611155104/ Toronto East Downtown http://www.facebook.com/events/260307904077087/ Seaton Village http://www.facebook.com/events/425457310820641/ Casseroles Night at Withrow Park https://www.facebook.com/events/473497809334193/ Toronto Labor Lyceum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbYvJ92f0fE Check out the Casseroles Night’s in Canada Global Casseroles Map – (Toronto, Ontario, Canada – ALL open) – http://goo.gl/maps/ChU1 Next Friday, June 22, 2012 Quebec is organizing a Grand Manifestation – beginning at 2pm in front of the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec City – https://www.facebook.com/events/228211827281364/. For those who cannot get to Quebec City, a Montreal event is also planned – http://www.facebook.com/events/100800863395179/ Canada-wide support rallies are being organized, there is something happening here in Toronto but as I publish this, I can’t find a link. Found it! Or one anyway – Courtesy of Peaceworks Canada who is postering around the casseroles movement on Facebook – ”Masquerade Solidarité: Ontario Students United Against Tuition Fees!” – via Ontario Students’ Mobilization Coalition (OSMC) Poster from left to right: Masquerade Solidarité (Toronto), Manifestation nationale le 22 juin à Québec(Quebec City), Global Resistance 06.24(Global). After a handfull of cities joined June 6th, today I note that the Casseroles Movement is continuing to expand in Europe and now South America is networking too. The call is out for next weekend: “June 24 : worldwide resistance day in solidarity with the Quebeckers” (poster on the right) – http://www.facebook.com/events/394006377312364/. This Casseroles tactic marks the first time that a global anti-austerity movement tactic has traveled back across the Atlantic to Europe since the “Indignados” movement migrated West to North America – a movement that became known as #OccupyWallStreet. 🙂 mh...