Accusations against Artspace members, our board, the SAIL board, etc. are not unusual. They have invented by-laws, accused members of breaking them (as well as making false accusations of breaking real by-laws) and threatened to report them to authorities. They try to portray our striking care staff as kindly and innocent when in reality, they have been just as threatening, intimidating, obnoxious and offensive as the paid picketers. They laughably try to portray the picketers as the victims of bullying at the hands of Artspace members, when it's provably the other way around. It's all part of a carefully orchestrated campaign for the public eye - and one of the reasons this blog so clearly angers them.
After the Breakfast Television spot from City TV, they have been particularly desperate to try and regain control of their ability to control the narrative, and part of that seems to involve increasing the severity of their accusations.
In particular, they have made two serious ones - not serious because they made them, since they have a record of making false accusations - but serious due to the nature of their claims.
The first one I will address is their claim that picketers "have been rammed by cars."
Let's think about this one for a bit. They are actually claiming Artspace members have RAMMED picketers with their cars.
If someone actually were RAMMED by a car, there would have been injuries, and you can bet that AUPE would have pressed charges - and rightfully so. If it really happened.
This accusation, however, is easily refuted. Even if we were to grant that AUPE is using hyperbole in using the word "rammed" (which would be a stupid thing to do, but then so is making such an accusation in the first place), there is the small problem of proof.
Interactions with picketers have been recorded from the beginning. There are the security cameras on the building, video cameras from security staff, and people all over the place using their phones to take video, including security staff, the picketers themselves, and Artspace members. On top of that are the numerous eye witnesses.
What has been clear from the start is that picketers have gone out of their way to try and get hit by cars and, to be honest, I'm rather surprised they haven't succeeded, given how reckless they have been. It speaks more to the control of Artspace members than their own efforts. Picketers have swarmed moving vehicles, stepped in the path of vehicles as they were backing out of parking spots, suddenly leaped in front of moving vehicles after the drivers thought they were clear, and engaged in obviously choreographed attempts to make it appear as if they had been struck, including doing things like hitting vehicles to make noise as if they were hit. While many have done this, two people in particular were noted by witnesses for these attempts, Captain McCreepypants and the union negotiator, as they actually threatened vehicular assault charges. It has all been very blatant and obvious. As one eye witness to this put it, they need acting lessons.
What has also been blatantly obvious throughout the strike is the union's efforts to provoke reactions from Artspace members. It has been clear that they would have wanted nothing more than to have one of our members lose it and resort to violence. This was obvious in their methods of approaching people, their continual verbal harassment, their recording of private activities, luring and recording of children, physical intimidation, verbal intimidation, insults, etc. Topping their intimidation tactics has been their use of people's names, and demonstrating their knowledge of personal details, such as what unit numbers they live in, birthdays, the names of siblings and even knowledge of where family members live. All of these are designed to frighten people and provoke them to react.
The most harmful of their tactics has been the use of noise. Not just the use of the megaphone, which I will address later, but all of it. The shouting, singing and chanting. Loud music. Bringing a cane and slamming it into the sidewalk while walking to make noise, and so on.
Noise is a weapon. Sound can be an assault as damaging as physical blows. Historically (and in modern times), sound has been used as a weapon of war, terrorism and torture. The picketers have been using noise as a weapon against Artspace members since the strike started.
Loud noise has a number of effects on people. These include evoking a "fight or flight" stress response, causing the brain to release stimulating chemicals; overexposure to these chemicals can actually cause brain damage, as well as developmental damage in children. It raises blood pressure and heart rates by creating high stress levels. It disturbs sleep, causes fatigue and aggression, interferes with concentration, thought processes and speech. It causes irritability, depression and headaches, reduces immune responses and can cause gastric ulcers. It increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Acoustic energy has the ability to profoundly influence an individual's brain waves, respiratory cycles, nervous system, muscle function, heart rate and glandular functions. As such, a benign acoustic space can readily be turned into violence against the individual. 1.It is difficult to stress just how harmful the use of noise as a weapon can be, both physically and psychologically.
The effects of auditory assault is bad enough on people who are in overall good health. What about those who aren't? What about the elderly, children or the vulnerable?
And what does all of this have to do with AUPE's accusations?
In Artspace, some of our members live with MS, spinal cord and brain injures. AUPE knows this. The picketers know this.
The stress responses created by loud noise is physical, and for those with spinal cord injuries, MS, Guillain-Barre syndrome, head or brain injuries, these physiological responses can lead to a life threatening condition called Autonomic Dysreflexia. AD can result in stroke, retinal hemorrhage, cardiac arrest and pulmonary edema. Symptoms include anxiety, apprehension, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, a pounding headache, flushed skin, profuse sweating, lightheadedness, dizziness and confusion.
I have records of an email conversation about this information being given to AUPE, back in June.
That did not stop AUPE picketers from continuing to use a megaphone for hours, day after day, including police siren and other sound effects, as well as using an air raid siren for 3 days* before the police finally put a stop to it. This on top of their usual shouting, cultish chanting and singing, and verbal abuse.
[*correction, August 4, 2015: the actual air raid siren was only used on one morning. Many members, however, reported hearing the air raid siren on other days. Looking at many days of video around the time period, it appears people were actually hearing sound effects on the megaphone being used. These were also extremely loud and included noises that imitated emergency vehicle sirens, leading people to believe they were still using the air raid siren.]
Such noise levels are the equivalent of physical assault. For those living with MS or brain injuries, as some of our members do, the effect is even more violent, traumatic and painful.
An example is this impact statement from one of our SAIL user members, submitted with assistance, on June 15, 2014.
The noise wakes me up in the morning. I am getting angrier and angrier every day. That is not who I am at all. I am getting very dark thoughts. I do not like that.
Not only did the picketers keep up this auditory assault on Artspace members, they did it with the full knowledge of higher-ups in AUPE.
All of which brings us back to the second accusation made by AUPE lately; that picketers had been "chased with 2x4s."
Right off the bat, that accusation is suspect. This is not the sort of place where people casually have 2x4s lying around, to begin with.
So I did some digging. In the process, I found an eye witness to the incident, discovered who was involved (it was a single incident), then got the details.
No surprise to discover; there was no 2x4.
Not only that, but the person involved has a strong limp and, after a fall at work, has been walking with a cane for some time now. He is physically incapable of chasing anyone, or even walking quickly.
He is also one of our members living with a brain injury.
This member, together with his late wife, who succumbed to MS just last year, is one of Artspace's original members, living here for 24 years now. He has been a SAIL user for about the last 1 1/2 years, to help him with special socks he has to wear. He and his late wife were very active in our community, and strong advocates for people with disabilities. This individual is well known as one of the gentlest and kindest members of Artspace, a great neighbour, and someone who goes out of his way to help others.
So what happened? How does someone known for his gentleness suddenly become accused of violent action?
It turns out that this incident occurred on one of those days of endless megaphone use by Captain Creeper. This was causing significant trauma, pain and distress to Artspace members, which the Creeper seemed to quite enjoy inflicting, as can be seen in several videos.
Our neighbour, driven to frustration, knowing the pain this was inflicting on his neighbours, came out with a stick - a 2x2x18 sign-post stick - with the intent to knock away the megaphone.
He never did it, nor, as noted above, did he "chase" anyone with it.
In fact, nothing really happened at all. Still, he came back some time later to apologize for his behaviour.
AUPE has tried to portray this incident as an attack against the picketers.
In reality, it was an act of defense, of self and of Artspace members, from being harmed by continual auditory assault.
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