We demanded to see the manager. Security said we'd have to go inside to
do that. So we did, rushing into a side store entrance directly into
Eaton's itself where we were pounced upon by about half a dozen plain
clothes security people which several of us eluded managing to make it
to the second floor in our quest to see the manager in his seventh floor
office. We were threatened with arrest and told to leave. We demanded
to see the manager. We were told the manager would be sent for if we
waited outside. After a further 20 minutes the manager talked to us and
we gave him a leaflet and told him that Eaton's was the target of a
boycott campaign et al which would not end until Eaton's agreed not to
carry JB Fields products etc.
A number of people were really steamed by our treatment by Eaton's and
there was a determination to hold another Eaton Centre protest
in the future.
We then proceeded down to MEC which we picketed for a few minutes before
entering the store and asking to see the manager. He didn't ask us to
leave and instead gave us the number for MEC's distribution manager in
Vancouver and asked us to call him. MEC customers were VERY interested in
our picket, several commented and asked questions. If we picket MEC in the
future we should put MEC's 800 number on our leaflet and encourage people
to call. The manager also promised to talk to head office himself and was
aware of the interest we were provoking from customers. MEC's number is
1-800-663-2667. You might also want to put a contact number on your
leaflet so people can call and get involved in the campaign.
Tom Patterson and Jason Baines have agreed to organise future actions in
Toronto including getting endorsements, building contacts with the labour
movement organising something for the Labour Day Parade, and future
protests at the Eaton Centre and/or MEC if these firms fail to drop JB
Fields. Anyone in the Toronto area interested in getting involved should
write tom@QueerNet.ORG
A copy of the Toronto Eaton's leaflet is available by clicking here.
If you don't have time to develop your own leaflet please feel free to
use ours. We ask activists to do something around this issue in your
community whether its organising a picket, leafletting (alone or
with other people) or postering.
It is essential, that the store knows that you're doing something so
please demand to talk to the manager if security hassles you or just
enter the store and ask to talk to the manager if you've been
leafletting/picketing without the store noticing you. Please also
send a report of your action to
friendsofunite@hotmail.com
The sisters of UNITE 1764 need your help. Through solidarity work we
can help them win this strike.
For more information and for a list of other possible targets if
there is not MEC or Eaton's in your area please check the
boycott
page.
In Solidarity,
FRIENDS OF UNITE 1764 -- TORONTO
E-mail
us if you are planning solidarity events in your region or if you want
to find contacts to help you get down to Trenton (or if you'd like passengers).
A group of about a dozen people picketed two entrances at
the north end of the Eaton Centre and handed out approximately 300
leaflets. After about 20 minutes several Eaton's Centre security
guards told us we were trespassing on private property and asked us
to move to the curb. This despite the fact that the Dundas end of the
Eaton Centre is one of the most significant public squares in Toronto...
while we were protesting an evangelist was reading the bible out of a
bull horn, several people were raising money for charities, and a
conspiracy group was warning of doom... all on "private property".
