Press Release Regarding Police Raids and Activist Arrests

by Niki Thorne

June 26, 2010

For Immediate Release: 

Press Release Regarding Police Raids and Activist Arrests

 At approximately 4:45 a.m., June 26, about 20 police officers raided a Toronto home. They entered the house without consent through the back door,  aggressively dragging unclothed people from their beds, kicking others who were asleep on the floor.  

Police demanded that everyone provide names and identification. A number of people  repeatedly requested to view the warrant before complying with police demands. 

 “I requested a warrant at least five times from the cop who refused to show me his badge number, to which he said they have every legal right to do what they’re doing and they didn’t have to show us anything,” said Tammy Kovich, a resident of the raided house.

 Police forcibly detained and cuffed a number of people, and refused to allow those in the house to call for legal advice. Without showing warrants, asking consent, or giving notice, police did an illegal cursory search of some of the people on the premises as well as the house itself. 

 “I went out the front door to get a signal so that I could call for legal advice, and a cop grabbed me and pushed me back towards the house.  A minute later, I was on the phone with the G20 legal people, and he grabbed my phone away from me and smashed it onto the front porch,” stated another resident, Renee Henderson.

One arrest was made: an organizer of G20 Childcare as well as other community projects.  A warrant was not shown for his arrest.  This individual was also detained and harassed by police earlier this week while walking on  in Toronto, and was searched without credible legal rationale.

 Meanwhile, police entered the separate upstairs apartment where a young family resides. A confused father was handcuffed by the police and forced to sit on the front lawn.

 Across town, the door to another activist house has been kicked in and three residents are missing, presumably taken by the police.

Warrants have been issued for the arrests of other G20 organizers.  These illegal raids contribute to a climate of fear and intimidation, in an attempt to silence those exercising their democratic right to protest the G20.

There is a press conference at Allen Gardens today at 10:30 pm regarding Tent City, today’s demonstrations, and police intimidation.

 For further inquiries, contact:

Niki Thorne, resident of the raided house and G20 organizer

416 827 5186

csn.thorne@gmail.com

To contact the Toronto Community Mobilization Network:

647 454 2443

(Breaking News: A third house near Queen's Park has been raided and 13 to 15 activists from Montreal Arrested)