dancing crossing guard

Dance in support of Dufferin's dancing crossing guard

While Rob Ford dances at City Hall whenever he wants, local celeb and master of awesome moves Kathleen Byers (AKA the dancing crossing guard) was suspended without pay from her job helping kids this week for, no, not smoking crack or uttering offensive remarks: dancing in a local music video while in uniform. Just how scandalous was this performance? See for yourself - the vid is safe for work unless you're supposed to be helping kids cross the street, in which case you should keep your eyes on the road.

The Born Ruffians video, set to their rock-and-roll love song "Oh Cecilia," sees Kathleen schooling some hardwood floors, after flashing some clips of the Byers controversy from last year where she was asked to stop dancing. It's a lo-fi, outsider art-y contribution to both the dialog on Toronto being no damn fun, and the group effort to make this city more damn fun.

Upon the video's release 60-odd year old Byers was suspended by the Toronto Police for donning her neon vest for "a purpose other than prescribed in Toronto Police Service rules and procedures." After ten years on the job, she's decided to quit, confessing she's tired of fighting City Hall to make people smile. But it's not all her fight - we can't just rely on Kathy Byers to make Toronto quit telling us to stop dancing.

That's why on Sunday May 18th at noon, Vag Halen singer Vanessa Dunn is helping organize a video shoot slash protest at Byers' crosswalk on Dufferin, just south of Dundas. Activists are encouraged show up in uniform and dance the safety dance before Toronto's Footloose claw extends to our bedrooms, where all the best dance parties are. The city reversed the draconian EDM ban - now it's time to take it to the streets.

RSVP and learn more about the video shoot on Facebook.


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