Fwd from McSpotlight;

Hunger Strike Against McDonalds (Canada) - plea for support

13th August 2005

Report from Sid Crowe, Barrie, Canada [Updated by McSpotlight]

McSpotlight Update: Joseph McNeil is now into his 55th day of a hunger strike outside and against the McDonald's on Bayfield Street, Barrie, Ontario, Canada. He is demanding that McDonald's act within the law. It has been reported that McDonald's response has been to ignore his protest, and spread malicious rumours about Joseph. But some of the local papers have begun to take up his story...

Full details and interviews: www.parxmedia.com/main.htm


He is homeless, and was a regular customer at that McDonald's. He would come in, buy something, and then hang around for an hour or so writing poetry. As the employees did their rounds, they got to know him a little. One day, one of the girls who works there asked him to bring some poetry for her to take to a poetry class. When he gave it to her (and before she had clocked in), the manager demanded the poems and read through them. This is illegal. All Canadian citizens have a right to their personal property, no matter if they are on their employer's property or not. Joseph was then told to leave, but he refused, as the privacy of both himself and the employee had been violated. He was then arrested without incident by the police for "trespassing," and banned from McDonald's.

He then began his hunger strike, insisting that McDonalds train its management and employees about their rights as employees and Canadian citizens. McDonald's has refused to do so. A manager then told him that he could come back as a customer as long as he left 20 minutes after making a purchase, and that he not write poetry while he is in the restaurant.

These conditions are both ridiculous and insulting. I have visited that McDonald's many times, and never have I been told to leave after 20 minutes. McNeil has continued his hunger strike, and as he did so, he has been in the hospital twice. Managers at that McDonald's have forbidden their employees from visiting McNeil in the hospital, even while they are on their own time. This is outrageous. This is a clear violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and fertile ground for a lawsuit against McDonald's, if only their young employees knew what a good chance they had at suing McDonald's, and collecting the $10,000.00 maximum at Small Claims Court.

There is a chance you may think the whole affair is petty, but we are talking about a man who has nothing. The cruelty and indifference of the management of the Bayfield Street McDonald's is despicable, to say the least. I have been making daily videos of him ever since I met him. You can download them for free here:  http://www.parxmedia.com/main.htm

You will need the free Quicktime player to play them. You can get it here:
 http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Never mind the offer for Quicktime Pro at the right of the page, Get the free player at the left of the page. Download the videos to your desktop, open the Quicktime player, and then play the videos.

Joseph's poems can be found here:
 http://rhymster.com/members/Joseph_McNeil/

A messageboard for you to leave a comment (you can post anonymously using a false name if you like) is here:
 http://www.parxmedia.com/mib.ASP

A long version of his story can be found here:
 http://www.parxmedia.com/injustice.htm

Basically, this is the story of a suffering human being who was trying to hang on to his portion of the human family by a thread. Cruel people at McDonald's not only treated him terribly, but they illegally prevented others from lending him emotional support. McDonald's also lied to me and told me I was not permitted to make videos of McNeil. When I make the videos, I do not stand on McDonald's property. I am allowed to make the videos.

I have pleaded with Mr. McNeil to sue McDonald's instead, and to perhaps begin eating and stay where he is and fight against McDonald's in that way. But he is determined to starve himself to death unless his demands are met.

I made the cards he hands out, since he doesn't have the strength to explain himself numerous times. I don't want money, and I have nothing to sell, but I would appreciate it if you were to visit McDonald's and tell the manager that you are sickened by the idea of a private company which believes it has the right to tell its employees that they are not allowed to visit a man in hospital on their own time. Or, just let them know you've viewed the videos.

Do we care nothing for our fellow man? Do we have no compassion for the suffering, needs, loneliness and hurt of another human being? Does it mean anything at all? Is it so wrong for another member of the human family to be able to make a purchase, sit quietly and write some poetry, and maybe enjoy a little companionship? What kind of monsters are we, if we turn our backs on another, and leave him to die alone in the bush like an insect? What good are we, if we ignore him when he stands before us and offers his life? How much misery can anyone endure before they move towards death?

If you have an address book with lots of other email addresses, feel free to forward this letter to them all.

Thank you for your time, and thank you for trying to help Joseph McNeil.