UBCO students caught in G20 sweep

Andrew Bates 2010-06-29 Kelowna Courier:
Two student politicians from UBC Okanagan were held for more than 30 hours before being released Monday night after arrests at the University of Toronto during the G20 summit on the weekend. "All that we know right now is that they are being processed and are about to be released," Spencer Robins of the UBCO students‘ union said. "We still haven‘t heard from them (since Sunday)." UBCO students‘ union chairman Grayson Lepp and services co-ordinator Kirk Chavarie were detained with about 70 others in a gym on the university campus as police investigated Black Bloc protesters blamed for violent clashes. "They were sleeping there and they were literally swept up," said Robins. It was confirmed Lepp had contacted the students‘ union via legal aid Saturday night, but Chavarie had been unaccounted for until a judge signed a release order. The pair were to "march in solidarity" with other student politicians of the Canadian Federation of Students during G20 demonstrations. Robins said the pair were peaceful protesters. "We found photos and video ... of the two being detained, so we know that much, but we‘re still looking for answers," he said. "Other than that, we‘re still concerned." When contacted, a spokesperson for the G8/G20 Integrated Security Unit said some detainees still needed to be processed Monday, but refused to comment on individuals. More than 500 people were arrested in Toronto during the G20 weekend, with many claiming to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The gym, owned by the U of T Graduate Students‘ Union, was raided after discarded black clothing was found outside, according to the CBC, and police say they found stockpiles of "weapons of opportunity," like bricks.