The OAS currently is in Windsor. 

And today I got pepper sprayed and Ghengis got batoned.


(we're not in the above photo but were in the crowd behind these folks when it happened) 

As I was helping out Ghengis at his shop, we both missed the official protest march that had been arranged for the day but we dropped by downtown after the fact anyway. Downtown Windsor  was an absolutely absurd sight: 6 blocks cordoned off by concrete barricades and fences. There were a battalions of cops everywhere. I'd say there were as many cops as protesters. It was frightening and disgusting display of overkill. 

We did find a collection of protesters (100?) who were facing a squadron of tactical police behind a tall wire fence. Evidently, 20 students had just earlier been pepper sprayed and arrested for holding up a banner that blocked the police's view. This is what is considered as "violent protest" nowadays.

As Ghengis and I were making our way though the crowd, a girl at the front was tear gassed at point blank range. I have no idea what she had done to deserve that fate, but it is hard to imagine what could justify a fully armed tactical policeman in full riot gear to pepper spray an unarmed student behind a wire fence

[ I've since read that she might have sprayed some silly-string]

Ghengis and I were fairly far back in the crowd when it happened but we got a couple lung-fulls of the dissipated spray downwind. It's very powerful stuff. 

So we moved to the side of the crowd to an empty part of the fence. As Ghengis strained to get a better view of what has happening at the front of the crowd, he placed his hand on the fence and immediately a cop on the other side gave it a rap with a baton and told him to remove his hand from the fence. Ghengis did so and expressed his disgust.

That's what I feel right now. Disgust. 

As I write this, I still notice a police presence as I can hear police helicopters making their regular rounds thoughout the day and into the night.