Occupy Toronto appeals for sanctuary
Occupy Toronto protesters say they're trying to make sure no one gets hurt if the group loses a court ruling Monday and is ordered out of a downtown park.
Not everyone will want to leave St. James Park if bylaw officers are allowed to carry out a city eviction order, Occupy Toronto organizers told a news conference Sunday.
And protesters who don't want to leave, including some who have nowhere else to go, should be granted sanctuary by St. James Cathedral, the group said.
Superior Court Justice David Brown will rule at 9 a.m. Monday on whether the protesters can stay in the park, where their presence has been resented by nearby businesses. He is expected to issue a written decision by email.
Lawyers for Occupy Toronto and the city made their arguments to the judge Friday.
On Saturday, the group, which is protesting the gap between rich and poor, among other things, marched to Toronto City Hall and called for the eviction of Mayor Rob Ford.
Regardless of Brown's ruling, the protesters still believe that freedom of expression supersedes municipal bylaws, said organizer Taylor Chelsea.
She suggested that if Brown doesn't accept the group's constitutional arguments for staying in the park, the reaction will vary among the several hundred people who've been camping out there since mid-October.
"We're planning for a peaceful resolution," she said.
Chelsea said Occupy Toronto wants to work out a partnership with St. James Cathedral, which owns part of the parkland at Adelaide and Jarvis streets. Anglican officials recently said the church can't protect the protesters.
But protester Jerald Parker, identifying himself as the executive director the Institute of Canadian Justice, suggests the city has put pressure on the church, which has a long tradition of sanctuary.
"We very much appreciate the position the church has been put in and the very good work they've done," said Parker, who is a member of the St. James congregation. "Now we want them to come forward and stand as a sanctuary."
Parker said Occupy Toronto has obtained documents that challenge the church's legal arguments for not protecting the protesters if they're ordered off the land. The group wants to meet with the church lawyer and dean on Monday.
