Targeted harassment

The following post is written on behalf of one of our members who is okay with having her name published.

Elizabeth lives in the Artspace high rise, and has individual managed care.  Her balcony also happens to be right in the heart of AUPE picketer activity, so there is no escape for her from their noise and disruption.

She has also been targeted, as has her care provider.  They can't go onto her balcony without being being harassed or assaulted verbally.  The only way to avoid it is to remain hostages in her unit, until the picketers leave.

Recently, Elizabeth had a new banner hung on her balcony, with a message for AUPE.  Her banner message reads: AUPE - GTFO.

On July 9, she posted this online:

It had to happen sooner or later; I went out side for some fresh air. When this AUPE women starts going off on Me. "Elizabeth you should be ashamed of yourself, putting up such a disgraceful sign!"

Let's think about this for a moment.

One of our members, who can't even go out unto her own balcony without being harassed by AUPE picketers, expresses her frustrations in a message on a banner, and an AUPE picketer says that SHE should be ashamed?  

No.  Elizabeth is not the one who should be ashamed.  Those who have invaded our homes and harassed us to the point that people aren't safe coming out on their own balconies are the ones who should be ashamed.

In typical Artspace humour, she quickly had several comments

GTFO=God Teaches Forgiveness Only.  Do they not know you're a nun?

And:

Do they know the acronym of GTFO is God Thanks Friday is Over  That's my version. And Elizabeth's version is Gimps Take Further Options. Or do they even know the word "ACRONYM?

What is unfortunate is that Elizabeth felt this way:

I'm just waiting for them to leave for the day, and then I'll ask Yolanda to put it up.. Don't want her to get harassed again.     

Elizabeth, at least, has compassion - unlike the AUPE picketers.

That wasn't all that was said, however.  Elizabeth then shared this:

..., when I tried to talk she said, "come on, we like it you get mad!"[so I kept quiet]. Then she was yelling "somebody should call the Bylaw and report Artspace: it's an EYE SORE!"

So who was this picketer, who taunted a non-verbal person by saying "come on, we like it [when] you get mad"?  Then tried their usual by-law threats?  

She was identified as someone familiar to many at Artspace.  Here is an example:

You can start seeing her at around 0:14, and hearing her at about 0:20, though what she's saying can't be made out clearly for more than a few words until about 0:43, where she starts saying, "you think you're above them? ... BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH!! ... You think you're above them? You're not above them.  You don't deserve to have these good workers."  And so on.

This is the person who thinks Elizabeth is the one who should be ashamed.

How does someone like this even look at themselves in the mirror, and not be horrified by what they have become?

Her comments remind me of one of the other signs on Artspace.

Artspace members do deserve better.

And AUPE needs to GTFO.

They can decide for themselves what the acronym stands for.