In Ottawa, it appears that people who like to put on makeup and walk the streets at night will now have to pay the police out of their own pockets for their protection.  And no, I’m not talking about Parliament Hill prostitutes, either.  The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that the city’s annual Zombie Walk faces cancellation unless participants pony up the cash for police escorts—reportedly in the thousands of dollars.  “The event has now grown so large that Ottawa police now need to be on hand to ensure participants stay on the sidewalk and aren’t in harm’s way on city streets,” said Sgt. Marc Benson of Ottawa police.

The problem, it seems, is that the Zombie Walk can’t be considered a protest, and thus the Ottawa coppers can’t count on the federal government for some extra dough.  As the Citizen reports, “the City of Ottawa receives some compensation from the federal government to cover the costs of policing at protests. This is meant to help offset some of the costs from events such as events at embassies that happen just because the city is the nation’s capital.”  So, if they were to zombie-walk across the Ecuadorian embassy, they’d receive full cooperation from Ottawa’s finest?  Is Mr. Assange aware of this?

Interestingly enough, the Citizen has turned to the Toronto PD to serve as an example of how to protect the living dead.  “We have a responsibility to ensure public safety and if people take to the streets during a mass movement, we have to ensure their safety,” said Const. Wendy Drummond of Toronto police, adding that the Toronto PD doesn’t differentiate between protestors and zombies.  Note to self: avoid dressing up as a zombie during a global financial summit…