Gonzo
The Living Force
I find it interesting how, from a citizen perspective, there really are two camps:
As an Ottawan, I have some insight into how disruptive the protest is, particularly for those living in the downtown core. There are many who cannot concentrate during the day in their home offices or sleep at night due to the loud truck horns blaring all hours. For those with children, and I imagine for those mental health issues (including veterans with PTSD), this would be so much worse. Considering how stressful the COVID shenanigans have been for everyone, I suspect the amount of folks with mental health issues is significant.
As well, I am hearing a few first-hand (and several second-hand) accounts from people in food services of aggressive behaviour mostly around masking and people purposefully looking for an argument if not a fight. Good example would be protester trying to remove the masks off of workers (mostly disempowered minimum wage earners). Although the city has temporarily turned a blind eye to the by-laws around mask wearing in service locations (e.g. coffee shops) to avoid pouring gas on the fire, many of those establishments and their employees bought wholesale into the idea that the masks are a legitimate preventative measure from an occupational health perspective. Therefore, many don't want to be unmasked in an indoor setting and attempts to forcibly remove their masks would (in their thinking) be a form of assault.
Unfortunately, had the convoy not implemented the continuous air horn tactic, much of the noise from politicians would be reduced to complaints around the less urgent pains and more mundane complexities associated with unwittingly hosting large and lengthy protests. Organizers denying this won't resolve it any more than politicians using rhetoric and hyperbole. That is, unless not dealing with it is actually part of the plan.
So, as much as this event in my city, and the broader, ever-growing movement have provided me such an uplifting experience, I do have a lot of empathy for my neighbours in the downtown core.
- those who want to end all COVID-19 protocols, restriction and vaccine mandates now, and
- those who want to end all COVID-19 protocols, restriction and vaccine mandates based on when authorities deem it so
As an Ottawan, I have some insight into how disruptive the protest is, particularly for those living in the downtown core. There are many who cannot concentrate during the day in their home offices or sleep at night due to the loud truck horns blaring all hours. For those with children, and I imagine for those mental health issues (including veterans with PTSD), this would be so much worse. Considering how stressful the COVID shenanigans have been for everyone, I suspect the amount of folks with mental health issues is significant.
As well, I am hearing a few first-hand (and several second-hand) accounts from people in food services of aggressive behaviour mostly around masking and people purposefully looking for an argument if not a fight. Good example would be protester trying to remove the masks off of workers (mostly disempowered minimum wage earners). Although the city has temporarily turned a blind eye to the by-laws around mask wearing in service locations (e.g. coffee shops) to avoid pouring gas on the fire, many of those establishments and their employees bought wholesale into the idea that the masks are a legitimate preventative measure from an occupational health perspective. Therefore, many don't want to be unmasked in an indoor setting and attempts to forcibly remove their masks would (in their thinking) be a form of assault.
Unfortunately, had the convoy not implemented the continuous air horn tactic, much of the noise from politicians would be reduced to complaints around the less urgent pains and more mundane complexities associated with unwittingly hosting large and lengthy protests. Organizers denying this won't resolve it any more than politicians using rhetoric and hyperbole. That is, unless not dealing with it is actually part of the plan.
So, as much as this event in my city, and the broader, ever-growing movement have provided me such an uplifting experience, I do have a lot of empathy for my neighbours in the downtown core.