Canadian Military Resumes Armed Invasion of Farm

The Department of National Defence put in
place barricades, and moved in dumpsters to
the Meyers farm overnight.

The Department of National Defence (DND) has resumed its armed invasion of the Trenton, Ontario farm of 86-year-old Frank Meyers. Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the DND moved on to the farm, blocking Meyers' lane way access to his farm buildings, and moving in empty dumpsters, presumably in preparation for the demolition of the farm buildings.

The DND first attempted to take Meyers' farm and demolish the structures in January of this year, following the forced expropriation of the private property for the purpose of building a training facility for Joint Task Force 2, a highly secretive military "anti-terrorism" unit. The first attempt to take over Meyers' farm was blocked by an outpouring of public support for the elderly farmer, culminating in a peaceful occupation of the farm by supporters in the dead of winter.

Months have now passed since the DND was stood down by Meyers and his supporters, national media attention has died down and the voluntary round-the-clock monitoring of the property by occupiers became difficult to maintain. While some presumed silence on the part of the DND meant that they would accept temporary defeat, holding out on seizing the land until the elderly farmer dies, it seems the military was only waiting for the more favourable conditions of springtime to carry out their armed invasion.

Supporters of Meyers, communicating via their Facebook support page, are calling for a mass demonstration at the Meyers farm, 209 Meyers Creek Road, Trenton, Ontario, to block the demolition of the farm buildings. Online supporters of the farmer are using hashtag #SaveFranksFarm.

Neither Major Ronald Nelson, the man in charge of the demolition of the buildings, nor the Public Affairs Office of CFB Trenton could be reached for comment at the time of publication. Attempts continue to be made to reach officials at CFB Trenton. This article will be updated as information becomes available.

Read prior posts about the Meyers military expropriation here.

Peaceful Demonstrators Gather at Meyers Farm, Police Respond En Masse

A small but dedicated group gathered at the Trenton Ontario farm of Frank Meyers on Sunday November 17 to demonstrate in opposition to the Department of National Defence's attempt to expropriate the prime farmland in order to build a military training facility.

Does a No Trespassing sign constitute
ownership?

Organizers of the event had intended for today's demonstration to mark the beginning of a peaceful occupation of the portion of Meyers' farm and outbuilding, which had been scheduled to be demolished the following day (November 18).*

The Occupation for Peace, in opposition to the military's plans for Frank's farm, has been postponed, along with the DND's demolition plans. Frank received word from the military, Saturday, that work would not begin to convert his farm into a specialized military training facility until some time in December. It would stand to reason that the postponement of the demolition is directly related to activist plans to occupy the land. In an effort to avoid interactions with protestors, I would not be surprised to see the DND attempt to begin work without warning, and at a time close to the holidays, when activists are less capable of mobilizing (maybe between Christmas and the new year?).

While the peaceful demonstrators did not occupy the "disputed" property, more than a dozen police officers including one CN Rail officer (Sabo), four military police (McCann, Long, Frost, Currie) and several OPP officers (Steele, Gibson, et al.) arrived at Meyers' farm in a show of force and intimidation. While on scene, cruisers drove onto the undisputed private property of Frank Meyers, and officers roamed the property, despite constant reminders from demonstrators that the Meyers farm is private property, and that their presence was not welcomed.

When asked by a demonstrator about the purpose of the police presence at the peaceful gathering on the farm, Quinte West OPP officer Shelley Steele responded, "We are here to just try to keep the peace for you guys." At the peak of police presence, there were eight cruisers, and twelve to fifteen armed officers on scene, compared to fifteen to twenty peaceful, unarmed demonstrators.

The dedicated group of demonstrators on hand Sunday has vowed to return to occupy the "disputed" property in order to prevent the demolition of Frank's outbuildings, and ultimately the construction of a military training facility on his land, and say that they expect a large mobilization of supporters in the coming weeks in order to ensure a substantial number of peaceful occupiers.

For updates on the Meyers farm, and the Occupation for Peace, please like the Facebook page.

Related posts:

Trenton Farm to be Occupied for Peace...
Government Steals Land to Build Murderer Training Camp

*The government, in their infinite benevolence, will allow Meyers to maintain ownership of a small piece of property consisting of his house, as well as the farm's original homestead and a few outbuilding.