It's one year since the G20 fiasco in Toronto and the local newspapers are full of comments and stories about individuals who experienced the wrath of the police that weekend. I know I felt disgust at the images of rioters on Younge Street that Saturday afternoon. We do not burn police cars Toronto and in Canada. (We saw cars burning in Vancouver this month and it was equally distrubing.)
We were all angry that the police let the rioters run wild when there were thousands of officers stationed just a few blocks away. Was this done to justify the expense of all those cops by saying we told you this could happen?
The next day the cops took out their frustration on the general public and arrested 1100 plus people in a most humiliating way. Our support for the cops started to diminish as images of their brutality emerged.
As the months went by more stories emerged and the cops began to look worse and worse as they tried to cover their collective asses . Only two officers have been charged because no one recognized their own buddies that weekend inhibiting full investigation of complaints by the SIU.
Chief Blair and Union President McCormack obfuscate the issues and will not admit that the behaviour of some officers might have been criminal. Maybe they are embarrassed by what happened under their watch.
The cost in public support is high. People will look at cops with suspicion for a long time to come.
I'm not sure if this is about the G20 rioting or rioting in general — whether it is about the rioters or the police.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the discussion should focus on rioting in general with an emphasis on the rioters and not the police — criminal behaviour in the police force (all police forces) is a subject separate from rioting. The police are not Buddhist monks ... they react swiftly when their police cars are turned over and burnt, and then the rules are bound to be rewritten.
On the other hand, rioters plan their behaviour days beforehand and, thus, deserve the full weight of the law. Innocent bystanders who think that it may be safe and fun to watch the proceedings make things more difficult for the police, shouldn't be there and, therefore, are not so innocent.
This weekend we learned of the tragic death of a cop in York whose dying concern was for the people in the car. He was a brave and honourable man.
ReplyDeleteWe also read of two incidents where police acted in the opposite way. Two officers from Toronto were found guilty in court of severe assault on a prisoner and trying to cover it up.
Several officers in Peel Region were found guilty in court of mistreatment of a prisoner in custody.
No doubt every force has bad apples but in my opinion many cops were very bad apples during the Sunday of the G20. Maybe they were following orders, maybe they were blowing off steam, we'll never know because our governors do not want us to know. Mr. Harper is as culpable as the two cops who have been charged so far.