Restakis, John

John Restakis has been a committed activist and troublemaker most of his life.

He was born in Athens and grew up in Toronto where he was expelled from high school (Thistletown Collegiate Institute) for general insubordination and being a bad influence.

At the age of eighteen, he started working as a community organizer in Toronto’s Riverdale area, joining the staff of the Greater Riverdale Organization, at the time Canada’s foremost direct action organization.

He then moved to Chicago to continue his training as a community organizer with the Industrial Areas Foundation, founded by Saul Alinsky.