Toledo anarchists protest G20 summit through direct action

Published: Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Updated: Thursday, October 22, 2009 04:10

Tim Kershner / IC

The Black Cherry, located at 1420 Cherry Street in downtown Toledo.

In Downtown Toledo, huddled between the streets of Bancroft and Lagrange , sits a building known as The Black Cherry. Since earlier this year, the building has housed an organization dedicated to "community control of community" and direct action. The Black Cherry hosts groups of Anarchists, "do-it-yourselfers" and community activists working toward bettering the city and country with various projects such as "Food not Bombs," The Foreclosure Defense League and through offering work trade programs.

The Black Cherry is run completely by volunteers and funded by donations. Inside is a bookstore, coffee lounge and a soon to be completed kitchen— this will serve as a food pantry where food will be made available to those in need.

Downstairs is a venue suited for underground bands of all kinds, from punk to ska, The Black Cherry is an all around alternative social setting.

And while The Black Cherry is not fully open yet, their efforts are being felt throughout the community.

Wesley Flowers volunteers his time with the workers collective and is an active member at The Black Cherry. He feels places like this are vital to a community, as political figures have no business interfering with affairs that do not affect them.

"We're just a small aspect of a larger project," Flowers said. "It takes people in the mix to know what's going on in the community," he said. "The powers that be are too far removed from the real problems."

The Black Cherry is involved with multiple community projects such as the Cherry Street Free Market, where food is given away to those who need it most. Recently, they aided a local car repair shop in repaving an alleyway that led to their business.

Their efforts are not confined to Toledo. According to Flowers, they are part of a "larger project."

Last month, 20 people affiliated with The Black Cherry attended a protest rally in Pittsburgh for the G20 summit. The event hosted a group of finance ministers and Central Bank Governors coming together to discuss international markets and financial matters.

Flowers was among the crowd of thousands in Pittsburgh protesting the event. "It's an unelected body of officials dictating economic policies over other countries," Flowers said. "The whole thing has distinct ethical problems and it is negatively affecting third world countries while making decisions without their consent."

G20 took place from Sept. 24 to the 25. The protest resulted in pepper spray and smoke being thrown into the rally. "We were exercising our first amendment right to peaceably assemble," Flowers said. "The police turned it into a warzone."

Despite being chased by police and inhaling pepper spray, Flowers said he and his group made it out of the ordeal unscathed and without any arrests.

Pittsburgh Mayor, Luke Ravenstahl made remarks after the protest stating that the response of the police would be evaluated and he urged anyone who felt wronged to make a formal complaint. However, Ravenstahl did go on to say that, there had been no major injuries and less than $50,000 in property damage was done. "We were prepared to keep our city safe and we did so," said Ravenstahl.

About 190 people were arrested during the two-day summit with offenses ranging from failure to disperse to disorderly conduct.

"This is a fight for our lives and humanity," Flowers said. "People need to get out of their dorms, off their chairs and into the streets so their voice is heard."