TORONTO

Why does everybody else follow the rules?

Why bother in the future?

Black Lives Matter protesters in Toronto don’t abide by the rules, and since there are never any ramifications nor repercussions, why should anybody else?

BLM can set up a semipermanent protest centre in front of Toronto Police headquarters and nothing happens — except they get a meeting with the chief. Pull an aggressive stunt to get the attention of the mayor outside his office, and they are rewarded with a chance to sit down with him.

They do the same near the premier’s house and, you guess it, they get in to chat with her, too.

No wonder BLM thinks they can do whatever they want and disrupt whatever they want.

Despite the story being it was the first time a prime minister walked in Toronto’s Pride Parade, it quickly shifted to a few Black Lives Matter protesters who shut down the parade with a stunt that was designed to strong arm the committee to not let the police participate anymore.

Monday’s stunt might have been their most brazen yet. Not only did a couple dozen protesters close down the Yonge and Dundas intersection, but they added insult to injury by actually holding a news conference in the middle of it.

Everybody else, be damned. BLM run the city. They answer to nobody.

As usual, Toronto Police hasn’t announced that anyone will be charged or get a ticket for the latest act of thumbing their nose at everybody.

What do Black Lives Matter have planned next? Why would they stop? They are in charge around here.

This time BLM were protesting the case of Abdirahman Abdi, who died after being arrested by Ottawa Police investigating an alleged sexual assault complaint.

Although I never see this same group protesting or demanding the end to the gang shootings of people like Ariela Navarro-Fenoy, Duvel Hibbert, Shyanne Charles, Joshua Yasay, Candace Rochelle Bobb and her baby Kyrie, everybody has a right to know what happened in the Abdi incident and whether or not it was proper use of force or if race played a role — just like what was scrutinized in the Sammy Yatim police shooting here.

But do it at Queen’s Park or out front of the Ottawa Police or SIU, like everybody else has to. Grinding the centre of the city to a halt on a Monday morning should not be tolerated.

Heck, we have had people banned at Dundas Square for wanting to sing songs with “Jesus” in them and had delivery trucks towed while bringing supplies to nearby businesses.

Good thing BLM is not dispensing marijuana or they would be shut down and face a slew of charges.

This was nothing more than anarchy and testing to see how far BLM can take it. Toronto Police should throw the book at them.

If any other group routinely disrupted public events or traffic, it wouldn’t be tolerated. Try leaving your own car in the middle of the street, as a protest, and see how fast you’d be towed, ticketed or arrested.

This is what needs to happen with these protesters. BLM are not above the law and it is not their city to control as they see fit.

Come on, Mayor John Tory and Chief Mark Saunders. Stand up to this group that is so disrespectful. Only show them some respect when they show some to everybody else.

Asking Black Lives Matter or anybody to abide by law and order is not political correctness. It’s just doing whatever everybody else is required to do.

Anybody bullying and intimating politicians and halting our city’s intersections and events has got to be stood up to. The rules are there to be followed and when they are not, they are supposed to be enforced.

They certainly are for everybody else.

jwarmington@postmedia.com