"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 9 December 2010

It's Quite The Yarn Down There

Premier McGuinty has apologized for changing legislation to give war measure powers requested by the Police to handle security during the G20 Summit. He said it was done in a rush ...not enough thought given.

A video provided to investigators shows a horrifying scene of violence by police against a protester named Nobody. His nose and cheek bone were broken.

Police Chief Blair initially made a statement the protester was armed and violent.

He said the video had been tampered with.

From a podium somewhere in B.C. he said he is Chief of Police and will take responsibility for conduct of police officers. They will be accountable.Also he said he would not resign.

He assured the public the police would co-operate with the three agencies with authority to investigate allegations of police wrong-doing.

At that time, apparently no officers had been identified.

Somewhere earlier on,I read police were not wearing number badges which would have made them accountable. A badge number provided to investigators did not belong to any officer on the force.

There were officers there from other forces.

The Chief is making it clear,officers who witnessed the event must report on what they saw.

Five names of officers have since been provided.

The Chief is not in the city while the situation is evolving.Police Chiefs travel like foreign potentates.

The drama, from a distance is made even more wondrous with a guy called Cherry in a pink high collared jacket and a fancy tie, officiating at the swearing-in of the Toronto's new Chief Magistrate and taking shots at a faction of duly elected Councillors while he's at it.

I have not been paying more than a passing interest.My source is the media.Same as everybody else.

It does seem to be hotting up. Andre Marin, provincial Ombudsman, has reported on his investigation.

The Chief is now asking everyone to withhold judgment until all the facts are in.

He earlier claimed the protester was armed and violent and the video had been tampered with. Subsequently he apologized for those comments. He said he "overspoke".

The Chief of Police made a public statement which proved not to be accurate while
allegations of police wrong-doing were under the spotlight.

He said no, he will not resign.

Firing a police chief in Ontario is well-nigh impossible.

Though Mayor when it all went down,David Miller is strangely silent in the discussion.

There is no attribution to Mayor Rob Ford.

I haven't been paying attention to Rosie Di Manno.

The Toronto Police Force is paid from the city's budget. It forms the greatest part. They are over five thousand strong. They are city employees.

There were officers there from elsewhere in the Province.

If there are damages to be paid whose responsibility will that be?

The "security" cost millions. With all the various agencies involved in the investigation of violence and severe injury to a citizen, millions more will be spent. All of it from taxpayers pockets.

To confuse things even further, I understand the G20 conference happened in Haliburton, where they didn't seem to have security or violence, from or against citizens.

This story has dolts, villains, at least one victim, certainly one hero and a clown.

The man who shot the video has spoken to the three investigating agencies on condition he remain nameless. He says he was both horrified and terrified that such a thing would happen in Canada.

He turned the camera off for three seconds because he thought two officers were coming towards him.

Perhaps a documentary will be done some time soon. They will probably have to change the victim's name from Nobody.Nobody but Nobody would believe it's his real name.They can't name the hero.

The clown would be the guy called Cherry in the pink high collared jacket and fancy tie.

Even so ..... it might not be believable.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A correction:
It was the G8 summit just prior to the G20 and it was held in Huntsville, not Haliburton.

Anonymous said...

Don Cherry may come across as a bit of a clown but in these days of defending rights and freedoms, he has the right to say what's on his mind. I am not supporting or condoning what he said or how he said it but at least when he speaks he says exactly what he thinks. He leaves no room for doubt,which is more than can be said about many politicians: federal, provincial or municipal!

Anonymous said...

Evelyn, I know that you don't moderate it, but I was wondering if you knew why the Aurora Citizen has gone silent? No new posts, or comments, in days???

LivingInAurora.ca said...

I hate when law is broken by those who enforce the law. Anna :)

Anonymous said...

Those who are supposed to enforce the law often think that they are above the law.

Anonymous said...

"These days of defending rights and freedoms."

What does that mean? Whose rights? What freedoms?

It's so weird when I hear conversations between people like anonymous... they carry on a whole discourse built out of phrases that don't mean anything!

When Cherry "speaks he says exactly what he thinks."

And what does he think, exactly?