Occupy Calgary/Do Not Merge

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

And he's been towed, while I agree with the message behind his actions "The bylaws need to be enforced on everybody equally" I think he failed on the optics of it by using his pick up truck & silly signs.

I'd agree with this generally.

The mocking nature of the signs comes off as pretty unbecoming and petty.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Slava

I might have more in common with Cory Morgan than I would've first thought.

Are you an Alberta separatist?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Are you an Alberta separatist?

Hey I said more in common than I thought! I also don't plan on marrying Jane, but we can agree on some things anyway.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Some people feel that when you give one protest like this an inch, the next group will take a foot.

So intuitive.

Towing of vehicle $201.39

Pay by-law ticket $200.00 more.

Or plead guilty and fight it $$$$$ more.

Disproving Nenshi on two fronts - - PRICELESS.

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by First Lady

So intuitive.

Towing of vehicle $201.39

Pay by-law ticket $200.00 more.

Or plead guilty and fight it $$$$$ more.

Disproving Nenshi on two fronts - - PRICELESS.

Just throwing this out there but I doubt Nenshi cares (or the majority of people).

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Disproving Nenshi on two fronts - - PRICELESS.

Seems your goal can be summarized as notching political points in an antagonistic effort against an elected official whom you have historically and unwaveringly opposed on ideological grounds.

Given your intentions (as professed no longer than a couple days ago), shouldn't that read:

"Looking out for those in my community and maintaining community pride - PRICELESS!"

Because that's what the stunt today was really about, right?

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Seems your goal can be summarized as notching political points in an antagonistic effort against an elected official whom you have historically and unwaveringly opposed on ideological grounds.

Given your intentions (as professed no longer than a couple days ago), shouldn't that read:

"Looking out for those in my community and maintaining community pride - PRICELESS!"

Because that's what the stunt today was really about, right?

Funny thing is I wasn't onside with Cory's idea initially. But after speaking with By-law officers and CPS I realized he was onto something.

[woob]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Towing of vehicle $201.39

Pay by-law ticket $200.00 more.

Or plead guilty and fight it $$$$$ more.

Looking like a hypocrite - - PRICELESS.

Fixed that for you

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by woob

Fixed that for you

Sure that can apply too.

You should look up parody.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

I'd agree with this generally.

The mocking nature of the signs comes off as pretty unbecoming and petty.

Yeah they didn't add to his message at all, just gives people ammo to dismiss him. I still agree with the meaning behind his stunt today, I just wish he'd considered the visuals a bit more first.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Yeah they didn't add to his message at all, just gives people ammo to dismiss him. I still agree with the meaning behind his stunt today, I just wish he'd considered the visuals a bit more first.

Who determines what you are protesting is valid?

He is actually pretty passionate about the 2-ply toilet paper one....

[Bunk]

Didn't by-law enforce the rule based on public safety of having a motor vehicle in a public park?

I believe the Mayor has said the City will begin issuing tickets to the occupiers, but can't physically remove people (nor would that necessarily be desirable to incite such a confrontation). I think police can also remove vacant tents.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Didn't by-law enforce the rule based on public safety of having a motor vehicle in a public park?

No, by-law called police when they determined that Cory wasn't going to remove his vehicle.

The ticket he got was under #10 from the parks bylaw.

http://www.calgary.ca/CA/City-Clerks...ksPathways.pdf

Ironically he was on the roadway used by city maintenance vehicles and the police pulled into the exact spot once the truck was towed out.

I believe the Mayor has said the City will begin issuing tickets to the occupiers, but can't physically remove people (nor would that necessarily be desirable to incite such a confrontation). I think police can also remove vacant tents.

Police were prepared to physically remove and criminally charge Cory if he refused to leave the vehicle.

We discussed & Cory agreed to cooperate and step out of the vehicle.

Here is a good recap of events http://thealbertaaltruist.blogspot.com/

[Bunk]

But police Insp. Darren Cave said the parked truck posed a public safety risk.

“We looked at it from the perspective the tents are one thing that may or may not be a detriment to public safety, however a running vehicle on a path system is certainly detriment to public safety,” he said.

Police and parks staff using the pathway is one thing - some member of the public in a big honking truck is quite another from a safety standpoint, no?

Maybe Cory should have just pulled up a tent into the space to make his point and camped alongside Occupy Calgary - if then they had pulled him out the "double standard" would have been proven perhaps? Couldn't he have stayed if he was not in his truck?

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Police and parks staff using the pathway is one thing - some member of the public in a big honking truck is quite another from a safety standpoint, no?

Maybe Cory should have just pulled up a tent into the space to make his point and camped alongside Occupy Calgary - if then they had pulled him out the "double standard" would have been proven perhaps? Couldn't he have stayed if he was not in his truck?

We already know the camping bylaw isn't being enforced.

Without a tent or truck; being in park or remaining in park after 11:00 PM is against yet another bylaw.

He was using his truck as his tent. He was prepared to stay overnight.
He was also using his truck as his way of displaying his "expression".

Bylaws are selectively being enforced. Which ones is anyone's guess.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Maybe Cory should have just pulled up a tent into the space to make his point and camped alongside Occupy Calgary - if then they had pulled him out the "double standard" would have been proven perhaps? Couldn't he have stayed if he was not in his truck?

Yeah, that's what I'm scratching my head about too.

I get that you guys wanted to bring light to a perceived unequal enforcement of by-laws (at least as they relate to the few people camping out in Olympic Plaza) so why the truck? Having a private and citizen-operated automobile in a public park isn't really the same situation, and as it turns out, isn't subject to all the same by-laws that you claim are being selectively enforced.

Not to say it wasn't effective as a stunt that grabbed attention, nor that the by-law angle isn't a valid argument.

In the end, what was proven? Is it that should anyone else, occupiers included, drive an automobile into Olympic Plaza, that they too should receive tickets for "operate vehicle in park off park roadway," the same way that Cory was? Good to keep in mind I suppose.

[CaptainCrunch]

I'm assuming that right way or wrong way that Cory's goal was to get this to court and challenge the summons and towing based on selective enforcement of bylaws and ask the question about why he is getting singled out and the protestors aren't.

Win or loss in court, he's looking for a soap box and to me that's respectable, he's going to challenge through the system and the courts.

The problem being is by the time he gets in front of any courts, its likely that the occupyers will have packed up and gone home due to extreme cold.

I can see a immense double failure here. the Occupyer's will not get any of their changes and it will be viewed as a worthless and useless exercise.

Cory will end up paying a find and wasting time in court after the Occupyer movement is long gone.

I have my doubts that the tent city will return next year, its pretty clear that these people are extremely unfocused and will move on to another cause like marriage rights between humans and animals or something like that.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Yeah, that's what I'm scratching my head about too.

I get that you guys wanted to bring light to a perceived unequal enforcement of by-laws (at least as they relate to the few people camping out in Olympic Plaza) so why the truck? Having a private and citizen-operated automobile in a public park isn't really the same situation, and as it turns out, isn't subject to all the same by-laws that you claim are being selectively enforced.

Not to say it wasn't effective as a stunt that grabbed attention, nor that the by-law angle isn't a valid argument.

In the end, what was proven? Is it that should anyone else, occupiers included, drive an automobile into Olympic Plaza, that they too should receive tickets for "operate vehicle in park off park roadway," the same way that Cory was? Good to keep in mind I suppose.

They are handing out tickets for

smoking
urinating
alcohol consumption
vehicles being used as a method of expression

They are not handing out tickets for

being in park after 11 PM
camping in the park
placing signs in a park
erecting a tent being used as a method of expression


ALL these laws are covered in the (one) document I linked to earlier.
Why are some being applied and not others?

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Seems your goal can be summarized as notching political points in an antagonistic effort against an elected official whom you have historically and unwaveringly opposed on ideological grounds.

This is sort of what I wonder was well. Is Mr. Morgan's actions really motivated by a principled stand against a distaste for not applying by-laws in public space, or is it an opportunity to try and damage someone politically they disagree with? Is it also because they disagree with the politics of the protesters? If McIver was Mayor and it was a right-leaning group of some sort of tea-party north (or Alberta seperatist movement) disobeying by-laws would he have pulled the same stunt?

[Sliver]

What a trivial, unimportant, non-issue this is. It's actually kind of awesome things are running so smooth in our part of the world that this is the talk of the town. Hopefully all the characters are appropriately embarrassed by their silliness when the next actual crisis comes along and puts this sort of garbage in perspective.