Bike lane protesters, lawyers allege police laid ‘heavy-handed criminal charges’

It's ridiculous. It's a waste of money and people will die. Those are the reasons Paralympian swimmer Ali Van Wicksmart was protesting the removal of bike lanes along Bloor Street West. Is this what you really want to be doing? On October 15th, she was arrested and charged with mischief and obstructing a peace officer. Police say it was made clear to protesters they were free to express themselves but couldn't interfere with police duties. We've paid for these bike lanes, we're paying to have them removed, and we're paying For Toronto police to stand over and watch while they're being removed. The taxpayer is really getting it from all angles here. Lawyer David Shelnut was one of the organizers of the protest where Toronto police, including its hate crimes unit, was deployed to ensure the removal work was completed. You've got to wonder why entire riot divisions and multiple dozens of cruisers are sent to a bike lane protest. This doesn't seem like a good use of resources. A spokesperson for Toronto Police says the hate crime unit is part of intelligence services which has responsibility for investigations and arrests related to demonstrations across the city. Its involvement in these matters does not mean they are being investigated as hate crimes. Along with Van Wicksmart, three others are facing similar charges. Additionally, they say their release conditions prohibit them from participating in any protest-related activities, regardless of what issue is being protested. I always understood that as a citizen of Canada, it was my constitutional right to be able to protest. Thank you very much. So it's pretty weird that I'm legally not allowed to do that right now. Their lawyer says they'll be challenging the release conditions in court as violations of Charter Rights to Freedom of Assembly Association and Expression. Because the police have applied them in a way that is overbroad, these are not conditions that fall within the purpose of conditions of release as articulated by the Supreme Court of Canada and the Criminal Code. Protest organizers say a community fundraiser has brought in around $40,000 to help pay for the accused's legal fees. Dale Minakduk, CBC News, Toronto.