[ladallada]

I'm all for putting more transparency and reasonable bounds on the process formally, but I think you're missing two points:

1. While having formal bounds would be great, in this case, it hasn't been shown yet that they applied force unreasonably and beyond what those bounds should be. Some people want to believe they froze assets of innocent bystanders or small local donors, but that's just conjecture right now.

2. In your example, am I also blocking the biggest commercial boarder crossing between Canada and US? If so, I'm surprised you've not yet thrown tear gas at me, put me in handcuffs and physically forced me to move. And that instead you chose to simply freeze my bank accounts until I move.

I say that, because again, while I do like what the article points out, yes freezing assets is a big deal, and yes having bounds and guards and protections from abuse is important, I'm all for that. But my impression in this case is actually the government is trying to limit the blast radius and choose the lesser of two evils in order to force the convoys to stop blocking the boarder and major roads.

Instead of tear gas and physical force, which often impact a ton of innocent protesters that are legally and peacefully protesting, they went for a more targeted approach, where by blocking bank accounts you can be more specific exactly who you target, and it is also a more civil way to force you to move.

[throwaway4aday]

It should be noted that they did use physical force against the protesters to clear them from the street. That included teargas, pepper spray, batons, kneeing while prostrate on the ground with multiple officers present and no resistance from the protester, horses ridden through a peaceful crowd with at least two people knocked down and possibly injured including a women who appeared to be in her late 60s or 70s who required the use of a walker. There is video evidence of all of this if you care to look.

The response has been somewhat restrained compared to the antics that US police get up to but I would not call it a "civil way to force you to move".

[Nursie]

> kneeing while prostrate on the ground with multiple officers present

Going to need some pretty good evidence of that, sounds to me like a great lawsuit waiting to happen.

[throwaway4aday]

There are multiple videos, you can google it

[repsilat]

The border crossing was unblocked without much fuss, and without the use of wild emergency powers. Several arrests were made. No "tear gas", wtf.

A Canadian MP has claimed that a small-donor constituent had their bank account frozen. In any case it sounds like despite their rhetoric (calling protestors and their supporters white supremacists and lawbreakers), the government wasn't going ham and using these broad powers on all of them. Good for them. Regardless, it's not encouraging -- the powers granted were very broad, weren't needed when granted, and obviously aren't needed now even though the government won't give them up.

And I'm not sure about how targeted the response has been. Aside from the rhetoric, peaceful protestors have been met with violence. Funds donated to support them have been blocked.