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Clampdown: Police Use Bad Judgement at City Hall Art Show
Echo Weekly    Issue #52, Volume 5, September 26 - October 3, 2002

Dear Editor,

The Power to the People contemporary art festival saw a disturbing confrontation on opening night.The artwork P2P by Kitchener artists Matt Gorbet, Rob Gorbet and Susan Gorbet had attracted the attention of many. A panel of light bulbs are displayed over city hall that can be controlled by the public. Some teenagers began to spell harmless puerile messages. Two officers intervened, ordering everyone to leave. When the citizens refused, the officers became hostile. A man was harassed by one officer who persisted for ten minutes.The police then looked for the source to disconnect the panel. Ironic, given festival’s theme - freedoms of assembly and speech and the history of electricity within the region. The artwork’s purpose was to “allow citizens to communicate directly, without the oversight of a centralized authority, within a government-owned space.” This artists’ statement was printed clearly next to the controls.

The project was approved by the city to run continuously for the duration of the festival. It is not the place of the police to restrict fundamental freedoms. One officer said that the participants were not free to express themselves at city hall. Not only does this contradict the project, it contradicts the very concepts of city hall and democracy. A security guard said he was there to “protect the morals of the city.” Certainly not the job of security or the police. A frightening display in a free country.It is embarrassing that two officers allowed an innocuous situation to get out of hand. Had the police ignored them, the teenagers would have moved on. Police presence exacerbated things. If the officers engaged in dialogue with the public instead of abusing authority, it might have been useful and instructive for all.

Mark Schilling
London
 

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