The police completely misinterpreted and mis-used the regulation the government passed to add Fortress Harpo to the locations listed in the law. That's what the Ombudsman's report is all about.
Ontario Ombudsman - g20 massive compromise of civil liberties
- Thread starter LurkingInMyTent
- Start date
Several thousands were 'kettled', that is held by force, without notice, information or charges for several hours; roughly twelve hundred were actually arrested, but most were released without charges, and only eighty-odd actually are being tried. That'd be a success rate of les than one percent of charges sticking. We have yet to see a guilty verdict.
But you forget the police had absolutely no authority or right to hold any of the people they did not arrest, and only a very questionable and flimsy authority to arrest those they couldn't muster evidence enough to charge. Adam Nobody, the guy they beat so badly he was hospital;ized for three days is one of those they never had evidence to charge.
Stormtroopers. And those who are not glad that these travesties of policing are front page news and the subject of official enquiries and discipline will ensure that we get the Gestapo that goes with them. The guys who took off their name tags and numbers understand the 'secret' in secret police: They can't stop you if they don't know who you are.
Ol jones.....TWO PEOPLE...YES TWO people were arrested under the public service law.
There rest were kettled - as per Breach of the Peace authorities.
Kettling occurrs all the time....Look at the GAY PRIDE PARADE....police always hold people back in bunches.
These loser demonstrators need to get a life!!
THEY CONTRIBUTE VERY LITTLE TO SOCIETY!!! VERY LITTLE!!
i HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME FOR THOSE LOSERS HIPPIE FREAKS WHO CONTRIBUTE NOTHING....AND THEN BLAME THE REST OF US FOR FEELING DISENFRANCHISED!! absolutle ridiculaous BEHAVIOUR!
There rest were kettled - as per Breach of the Peace authorities.
Kettling occurrs all the time....Look at the GAY PRIDE PARADE....police always hold people back in bunches.
These loser demonstrators need to get a life!!
THEY CONTRIBUTE VERY LITTLE TO SOCIETY!!! VERY LITTLE!!
i HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME FOR THOSE LOSERS HIPPIE FREAKS WHO CONTRIBUTE NOTHING....AND THEN BLAME THE REST OF US FOR FEELING DISENFRANCHISED!! absolutle ridiculaous BEHAVIOUR!
That only two were arrested under that law has nothing at all to do with anything I said above.
Kettling does not occur all the time. Describe a single instance, other than the G20. No one was forced by cops to stay for hours at the Gay Pride parade.
We can do something about bad policing. It'll just get worse if we don't. But we can't do anything about loser demonstrators. Like dumb drivers and ill-informed posters who contribute nothing they just have to be endured as a part of life in the big world.
I have very little time for people who constantly scream unconsidered, unfounded opinions. Quiet observation of actual facts—which no one has a monopoly on—might reveal that 'feeling of disenfranchisement' you're wailing about was self-induced. Stop shouting; try a bit of seeing.
Completely off-topic, but oldjones, I took a quick look at the Wikipedia entry for Frank Mahovlich, and found the following quote attributed to a Toronto Star reporter named Milt Dunnell... ""Mahovlich is a sensitive, easily-bruised individual"
Just saying...
p.s. fan of the Beatles and xkcd +1, +1
Just saying...
p.s. fan of the Beatles and xkcd +1, +1
“When they came for the Jews, I was not a Jew, so I did not protest; When they came for the communists, I was not a communist, so I did not protest; When they came for the trade unionists, I was not a trade unionist, so I did not protest; When they came for me, there was nobody left to protest.” Pastor Martin Niemolle
Just because there is more than enough blame to go around does not mean that we as citizens should simply allow this issue to die a quiet death. What the various players did was wrong, from the actions of individual police officers to those in command. From the political leadership at the PMO and Premier's Office, to the Official Opposition for not pressing the point.
Democracy is not about coming out once every 4 or so years and marking a bit of paper. Democracy works only if individual citizens take a stand and get involved. Democracy is about asking questions and demanding answers. Democracy is about holding those in power responsible. Democracy is about getting involved in the system to either affect changes or even to try to change the system itself.
The use of violence by the thugs and Black Bloc was a useless and wasteful activity. One that should be punished by law. But the abuse of the law and of our civil rights is a far greater danger and tragedy, one that needs to be addressed and not simply swept under the carpet.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good [people] do nothing."
Edmund Burke
Just because there is more than enough blame to go around does not mean that we as citizens should simply allow this issue to die a quiet death. What the various players did was wrong, from the actions of individual police officers to those in command. From the political leadership at the PMO and Premier's Office, to the Official Opposition for not pressing the point.
Democracy is not about coming out once every 4 or so years and marking a bit of paper. Democracy works only if individual citizens take a stand and get involved. Democracy is about asking questions and demanding answers. Democracy is about holding those in power responsible. Democracy is about getting involved in the system to either affect changes or even to try to change the system itself.
The use of violence by the thugs and Black Bloc was a useless and wasteful activity. One that should be punished by law. But the abuse of the law and of our civil rights is a far greater danger and tragedy, one that needs to be addressed and not simply swept under the carpet.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good [people] do nothing."
Edmund Burke
Let us hope you are. I'd believe it's some of both. Blair's impressively the smartest, best-adjusted Chief since forever ago. I think he genuinely wants the force to be accountable, and the public to feel it's being kept informed. Perhaps his eagerness to get the story out and a rushed support staff who aren't therefore as careful for the precise accuracy that viewing and reviewing the media is going to demand make an unhappy combo. It's not that he was dead wrong in any instance, but the follow-up clarifications coming so slowly give an impression of him being flat-footed, not out in front.
And the most shaming comment was the unnamed student who took the second id of the assault on Nobody saying he was afraid to be named because the guy in the video carries a gun and cops have been know to use police resources to threaten and intimidate. And no one from the Police has commented.
If only Blair—or his people—could have been as prompt about asking for public input about the obvious instances of bad Police behaviour as they were to ask for fotos and videos of rioters, we'd all be preening about what a great force the TPS is.
Maybe even inclined to think we got some value for our billion bucks.Or for that half of our tax-dollars.
Or maybe I'm over-imagining.
And the most shaming comment was the unnamed student who took the second id of the assault on Nobody saying he was afraid to be named because the guy in the video carries a gun and cops have been know to use police resources to threaten and intimidate. And no one from the Police has commented.
If only Blair—or his people—could have been as prompt about asking for public input about the obvious instances of bad Police behaviour as they were to ask for fotos and videos of rioters, we'd all be preening about what a great force the TPS is.
Maybe even inclined to think we got some value for our billion bucks.Or for that half of our tax-dollars.
Or maybe I'm over-imagining.
I'm glad we're taking this abuse of power seriously. The police kettled anyone and everyone - many of whom just happened to be in the area. They got people coming out of restaurants and one lady who was carrying numerous bags of groceries from a local market. They forced a female reporter to leave her bicycle behind, unlocked, while they hauled her off to their detention facility. Fortunately it wasn't stolen. These may seem trivial to you and in some cases, maybe they were. But if the police are allowed to bend these rules with impunity, what's to stop this from happening again? And some of the Queens Park officers really did go apeshit with their bully boy tactics. So we need to indentify them and punish them - just like any other common criminals. If freedom and the rule of law are important to you, then you have to do whatever it takes to protect it. It costs what it costs.
All I'm saying is if there is a bad cop who went overboard, kick him out. But, to question our civil liberties and make comparisons to Gestapo and our society falling apart is just ludicrous. This is typical of people who have too much time on their hand and overanalyze everything. I think to bring up Gestapo is to cheapen the horror the Jews had to endure.
If you want to talk about real chaos look at what's happening in Haiti.
What if a guy wandered into the area and left a bomb in a backpack. Can you imagine the blame the police would have had to endure because of it?
Ah! Speaking of baseball, how about them jays? No kidding off topic. What was your point?
Ya. What's a billion dollars of my taxes worth...why should we care ???? Morons.
BS
I'm not going to get too worked up about a few people who lost their perspective and chose the wrong adjectives to describe the misuse of police power. Yes those exaggerations can be annoying but it makes very little difference whether they call them Gestapo thugs or just thugs. The real concern for those who value the rule of law and freedom is the decision by senior police officials to kettle a crowd of bystanders at Queen & Spadina - far away from the security zone. It appears that a few individual cops went overboard at Queens Park but the kettling at Queen and Spadina was just an abuse of power that can't be tolerated.
I think the kettling and mass detention was unlawful and dangerous. If they had any reason to believe someone had a bomb, it made even less sense to cordon off the area and force everyone to wait around for it to explode. I'm not happy with the police stategy but I don't think their kettling decision had anything to do with finding a mad bomber. I think the cops wanted to search the crowd to find anyone who had a mask or weapons or body armour or anything that would indicate an intent to commit property crimes. Why they had to detain them for hours and hours later on is still a mystery.
They'd done SFA while the anarchists burned cruisers and smashed store windows the day before so they suddenly decided to play catch up at the expense of anyone who happened to be in the Queen and Spadina area. That decision came from Blair or one of his less minions and it was misguided. These things don't happen very often and I don't think we'll descend into anarchy because of it. But the police have to obey the laws just like you and me. So this is about the same principles of law enforcement that would apply to anyone who crosses that line.
They spent a billion dollars of your taxes; self-centred much. I'm the first to say it was too much, having seen a rough breakdown of what and how it was spent, but don't asked me how much is the right amount. It boils down to how much is needed to keep the peace and protect a collection of Internationally Protested Persons. Aside from the demonstrators, there was a clear and present threat from terrorists.
I think you are giving Canadians way too much credit for fighting for civil liberties, standing up for our rights, guardians of freedom....
The only reason people give a shit is because the Star and other media are playing it up because it sells advertising. Do you seriously think there is a ground swell of people asking to change policing policy and change of government. Most people are like you and I who watch the videos and make a few comments and then go back to our Tim Hortons addicted life.
If you were serious about your fight for civil liberties you would organize protests at Queens Park to demand that the cops will be brought to justice and ask for Blair's head. But, that would be a little bit too inconvenient and somewhat cold given the temperatures lately. So, back to Tim Hortons, lol.
The only reason people give a shit is because the Star and other media are playing it up because it sells advertising. Do you seriously think there is a ground swell of people asking to change policing policy and change of government. Most people are like you and I who watch the videos and make a few comments and then go back to our Tim Hortons addicted life.
If you were serious about your fight for civil liberties you would organize protests at Queens Park to demand that the cops will be brought to justice and ask for Blair's head. But, that would be a little bit too inconvenient and somewhat cold given the temperatures lately. So, back to Tim Hortons, lol.
Sadly it's true. I'm angrier than hell, but don't wish to face the authorities like Don Quixote. Just the same, The Star has gone over and above what it needs to do to sell out at the newsstand. The Police Chief is now disgraced. This will no longer be an issue of the public not knowing what it's talking about. The cam phones are out there. Everything the Police do wrong will be caught and cast in this shadow. Chief Blair will hear about this issue, daily ... for years. The Ombudsmans report was scathing. It painted a portrait of our city's actions on June 26 like Kristalnacht. Chief Blair had to react quickly and the first thing he could say was what anyone would say -- that he stood behind his police force who did a good job. It shows great forthrightness. But it's hard to keep your integrity when you go down in history as the greatest violator of civil rights in the country in a century. A little extreme considering we have surviving victims of residential schools, and pre-WWII eugenics was still practiced in Alberta until the late 70's. Still he will have to live with that legacy as it's deconstructed for months and years to come, unless he buries his head up his ass like he did during the arrests.
