Interaction with Antifa, counter-protesters, and Edmonton Police at the #yeg #1MillionMarch4Children
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
213.16364
Summary
In this episode, we talk about the anti-police protest and the issues surrounding photography in public spaces. We also talk about who should and should not be allowed to be on both sides of the protest and how to handle the situation.
Transcript
00:00:10.000
And I'm in a public place doing exactly what I'm doing.
00:00:12.000
Why aren't you proud to be representing your cause?
00:00:24.000
People are asking you not to take pictures of them.
00:00:26.000
Then they should be out somewhere other than a public place, I suppose.
00:00:34.000
We are now leaving with us for the peacekeeper.
00:01:30.000
The plan was, she said for her group and stuff,
00:01:41.000
because you're trying to interject yourself in there.
00:01:53.000
But they don't even know what I represent or what I think.
00:01:58.000
The reality is that you've been seen coming from all of you.
00:02:26.000
we don't want you to get confused with that side,
00:02:37.000
I was here for like five minutes taking pictures of people.
00:02:42.000
They just made an assumption that I was against them
00:02:48.000
Like, do you think that that's acceptable behaviour though?
00:02:52.000
when I was taking pictures of people over there.
00:02:55.000
And they said that I can't be taking pictures of them
00:03:05.000
But I mean, that was the reason why they were pushing me off the road.
00:03:09.000
Because they were saying that I'm not allowed to take pictures of them.
00:03:13.000
Because clearly they think that you're part of the other group
00:03:19.000
I just think it's incredible that they could make an assumption like that
00:03:22.000
as if they knew anything about me from just taking pictures.
00:03:25.000
And again, we don't have an issue with the pictures.
00:03:27.000
But once they've identified you as somebody that they don't want within the group,
00:03:31.000
I don't want that agitation because I don't want all of a sudden
00:03:33.000
you to be getting sucked into a crowd or anything.
00:03:38.000
So again, if you are, like you say, just a neutral party.
00:03:47.000
That way all the groups kind of stay away from each other.
00:03:49.000
We're not running into interactions that are going to end up
00:03:52.000
with any type of police needing to try to interject.
00:03:57.000
When it gets to that point, chaos ensues and people get hurt.
00:04:02.000
I just don't know that it's acceptable for them to cordon off a piece of public property
00:04:17.000
So the whole point, like if you want to go surfing into the crowd,
00:04:22.000
Our job in our role is to try to maintain the piece as much as we can.
00:04:33.000
They've always been clearly made it so that this is their group.
00:04:40.000
Both leaders and stuff are trying to manage their people as much as possible
00:04:49.000
Like regardless of what's happening right now, this is still public property, no?
00:04:54.000
But what you choose to do may have consequences, right?
00:04:58.000
If I choose to take pictures or video of people in public, that can have consequences?
00:05:02.000
If somebody decides to make a poor choice and do something and we're not, then yes.
00:05:07.000
Well then you're here to protect me, I suppose.
00:05:09.000
I'm not going to be going with you into the crowd.
00:05:16.000
If something happens and we're not, you're part of the problem.
00:05:21.000
What would I be instigating by taking pictures of videos of people protesting in public?
00:05:25.000
Because you're well aware of the fact that they don't want you there.
00:05:30.000
It would be no different if you're shouting at them.
00:05:37.000
If you're shouting at them, if you're instigating anything...
00:05:40.000
But it would be different because they would be the instigators though.
00:05:43.000
If you're only at the phone in somebody's face or whatever, it instigates people.
00:05:51.000
It's not okay for you to videotape or anything like that.
00:05:58.000
You're saying that me taking pictures and videos of people protesting in public, obviously
00:06:03.000
with a message to spread, then that would be instigating them and I can't be...
00:06:07.000
You can't be responsible for anything that happens to me in that case.
00:06:11.000
So, if they make a free choice and they were to harm you, that is criminal.
00:06:16.000
That being said, I would prefer not to see that happen.
00:06:22.000
There's a difference between tripping into a criminal act and then just sitting there and instigating.
00:06:27.000
I'm not going to stop you if you want to go into my crowd.
00:06:32.000
But if something happens, you can't look at me and tell you why didn't you stop this from happening in the first place.
00:06:37.000
I'm telling you, if you go into that crowd and you instigate, something could happen.
00:06:42.000
Oh yeah, I'm not going to be instigating anything.
00:06:44.000
And I'm trying to tell you, in order to prevent that from happening, this is what you should probably do.
00:06:50.000
Should you choose to not follow that, that's your choice at the end of the day.
00:06:54.000
And if you go and do that and something happens, that was your choice.
00:06:59.000
If the criminal act happens, yeah, we'll have to deal with it.
00:07:02.000
But we'll have to deal with it depending on how the crowd is in a different manner.
00:07:08.000
I'm not going to be able to wade into the middle of the crowd all of a sudden.
00:07:12.000
Or maybe even be able to see you if something happens and be able to safely get you out of there.
00:07:19.000
Do you think it's a little weird that we're having this conversation?
00:07:22.000
The whole point of us being here is to keep in peace.
00:07:27.000
So that's why we're here, is to have these conversations.
00:07:30.000
But do you think it's a little bit interesting that there's about maybe a third of the people that are on that side?
00:07:36.000
And I was there for about 15 minutes and not a mean word was said.
00:07:41.000
And I come over here and I'm being pushed into the road.
00:07:45.000
But don't you think that's an interesting thing to note that there's about three times the amount of people over there
00:07:49.000
and I haven't had to talk to a police officer once?
00:07:53.000
If that's something that's good and that's wonderful, at the end of the day, our purpose here is to make sure people stay safe.
00:07:59.000
I hope so, yeah. That's good. That's good. I hope they do.
00:08:02.000
Again, if you so choose to go back to the crowd, I wanted to have a quick chat with you.
00:08:08.000
And let you know what the kind of plan was for both sides.
00:08:11.000
Again, if you are that neutral party and stuff, we've talked to a bunch of neutral parties that are here today protesting both protests.
00:08:22.000
But if you go from one side to the other, they may identify you as somebody that's supposed to go to the other side.
00:08:28.000
Vice versa, something may happen and stuff too.
00:08:32.000
If you're here to do the neutral thing or whatever, maybe it's a better idea to be over there.
00:08:36.000
And again, should you choose to go in there, just be aware of what could happen or whatever idea of it.
00:08:42.000
And that, again, if you wade into the crowd, we may not be able to get you for a while.
00:08:48.000
I just have a hard time believing that if somebody from this side who is maybe just taking pictures, didn't have a sign or a flag or anything, walked over to that side,
00:08:55.000
I have a hard time believing that that crowd would push them into the road and tell them they can't be there.
00:09:00.000
And my point here today or whatever is this spot, I haven't been on that side so I can't speak to them.
00:09:04.000
You should give it a shot. It's a little bit different.
00:09:06.000
But anyway, thank you for your time. Appreciate it.