Protesters march on College Street at a June 25 demonstration. (Pras Rajagopalan/CBC)

By Prasanna Rajagopalan

Much has been made of the violent scenes that erupted during Saturday's G20 protest, the police crackdown the following day and the transformation of much of downtown to something resembling the setting of a zombie horror film.

But as the shattered glass is swept up, the clouds of tear gas clear,and the security fence is dismantled, it's worth taking note of whatgot lost in the chaos -- the thousands of people who marched peacefullythrough the streets of Toronto looking to do nothing more than ask thattheir leaders do better.

I spoke to dozens of protesters who passionately and articulatelydemanded accountability from our public institutions on a variety ofissues, including the environment, native rights and poverty issues.

These protesters were no violent mob. Rather, many of them appeared to be knowledgeable and engagedmembers of the electorate -- the vast majority of whom had no part in the weekend'svandalism.

Instead, much of our attention is drawn to the debate between thosedecrying police brutality and those railing against thuggishanarchists.

Will the demonstrations be remembered for the issues they brought up,as many protesters hoped? Unfortunately, that question now seems laughablynaive.

Listed below are the major peaceful protests that took place in Toronto the week leading up to the summit:

• Monday, June 22: Allan Gardens march: "All out in defense of the rights of all"
• Tuesday, June 23: Yonge and Queen march: "Creative queer resistance to the G20"
• Wednesday, June 24: Alexandra Park march: "Toxic Tour of Toronto"
• Thursday, June 25: Queen's Park march: "Canada can't hide genocide: "Indigenous day of action"
• Friday, June 26: Allan Gardens march and construction of tent city: "Justice for our communities"  

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