RSU is also named in the lawsuit
The RSU and a former member of the Ryerson Reproductive Justice Collective are being sued for $23,000 by Toronto Against Abortion (TAA), an abti-abortion protest group.
In October 2018, Gabriela Skwarko attacked TAA members Katie Somers and Blaise Alleyne on campus. Skwarko pleaded guilty to assault in court and was sentenced last June to 18 months probation. This probation limited her access and communication to Ryerson, including being on campus.
In a statement released Feb. 19, the TAA claims that because the RRJC falls under the RSU’s umbrella, the RSU is partly to blame because of its failure to stop the escalation of events. However, according to the RSU, the RRJC is not affiliated in any way with the RSU.
Skwarko, an arts and contemporary studies student, declined to comment.
Though the incident happened over a year ago, Alleyne and Somers told the Ryersonian they continue to be affected by the incident.
“Just Monday, while giving a statement on this case, I teared up when I was asked what happened after Gabriela left the scene,” said Alleyne. “I’ve never had to call 911 for paramedics before. I thought that since it’s been over a year, I’d be able to handle discussing this without getting emotional.”
“I have struggled a lot since the assault. I suffered in ways I couldn’t have predicted at the time and immediately after and many of the effects have been ongoing,” said Somers.
According to the TAA statement, Somers suffered physical injuries, PTSD from the assault and had to take time off her job in efforts to recover. She says that she keenly remembers the assault and believes that the lawsuit is justified.
“I am angry and I really wish that Gabby had never done this,” said Somers. “Of all the ways to deal with disagreement or difference of opinion, violence should never be one of them. Her actions hurt me, herself and others and I hope she learns from this experience and does better going forward. The lawsuit is an effort to bring about justice for the damage caused by her actions.”
Both victims of the assault say they consider the RSU’s lack of de-escalation as failure on their part and that they need to be held accountable.
“I am very disappointed in their failure and want them to be held responsible for it,” said Somers.
“I’m disappointed that they had turned a blind eye towards misconduct towards us, just because we have a different belief than them on abortion and that they allowed things to escalate to this point,” said Alleyne.
Correction, Feb. 29, 2020, 4:57 p.m.: A photo not meant to be used with this story was mistakenly published. It has been removed and the Ryersonian regrets the error.