An anti-democracy, white supremacist, anti-vaccination coalition https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/who-is-who-a-guide-to-the-major-players-in-the-trucker-convoy-protest-1.5776441 announced publicly, prior to January 29 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/questions-answers-gofundme-convoy-1.6338932 that they would converge on Ottawa to invade and occupy the core neighbourhoods of the city with big rig trucks, and refuse to leave until a number of demands were met, including potential change of government through means other than elections https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/01/27/opinion/anti-vaxxer-truck-convoy-signals-insidious-spread-trumpism-canada.
The occupation took place with no meaningful opposition from Ottawa Police and more than 400 trucks have been a part of the stationary occupying force for more than two weeks. The occupiers tortured local residents non-stop with horns that individually can reach 150 decibels and some limited relief was achieved only by force of a civil injunction https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/judge-has-heard-enough-grants-injunction-against-truckers-honking-in-ottawa. The occupiers have intimidated local residents including assaults https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/downtown-residents-flee-home-protest-fears-1.6341652
On February 11, as with the previous weekend, the occupied zone attracted more vehicles and thousands of additional individuals who took part in video dance parties, hot tubbing, and other celebrations https://news.sky.com/story/freedom-convoy-festival-vibes-as-protests-cripple-canadas-capital-but-this-is-no-party-for-defiant-demonstrators-12539712 as Ottawa Police looked on, reporting that the crowd was aggressive and would not listen to them https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-protest-third-weekend-1.6348554. Ostensibly, the situation has continued to worsen, with miniscule ticketing and arrests, and the occupation organizers mocking the police, continuing to effectively fundraise millions of dollars via the ongoing spectacle, and continuing to grow the occupation https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-freedom-convoy-attracts-support-from-u-s-and-around-the-world-1.5776238.
There is endless evidence in this regarding, including the public press releases by the Ottawa Police Service such as https://www.ottawapolice.ca/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=64873352-2809-47ce-bc46-f57f4bf05d45 as well as Ottawa Police Services Board https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8WiGUm-P7w and Ottawa City Council meetings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIwQvtB_uiU where Chief Sloly and other officers repeatedly stated that the Ottawa Police were helpless to take meaningful action to end the occupation. Repeated references were made to a “surge and contain” strategy https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-launch-surge-and-contain-strategy-at-freedom-convoy-protest-1.5767296 but there has been no evidence of a surge, and rather than containment, there has been expansion of the occupation including the establishment of staging areas and supply depots in other parts of the city https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/trucker-convoy-protest-enters-13th-day-in-ottawa-border-crossings-in-alberta-windsor-paralyzed. These developments have been well documented by the Ottawa Police themselves as well as media reports https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-seeks-injunction-for-bylaw-violations-as-police-chief-waits-for-word-on-additional-resources-1.5778024. With the Ottawa Police effectively welcoming the occupation and claiming helplessness to respond meaningfully to illegal activity there is an overt dereliction of duty.
Keenan Wellar
February 12, 2022
To file a complaint: https://complaint.oiprd.on.ca/OIPRD.Efile/Complaint_en.aspx
Keenan Wellar 