Taking a walk on the Dark Side. . .

To see if/how the G20 insanity is still in play.

The story seems to have dropped off the radar at Blithering Tories (CC, we miss you), except for a little smirking over McGuilty's taking some heat from the left.

Different story at Free Dominion. There are three current threads on G20 policing. And while there is the expected 'club the dirty hippies like baby seals' stuff (somebody actually said that, not at the Freaks, but in the comments on a CBC story), there are some surprisingly sensible comments. Or, it could just be the group's proclivity for conspiracy theories and/or distrust of govmint.

In 'Police Provocateurs at all G8 Events', my pal Connie responds to Madrod.

Madrod: To my mind, the Toronto Police Chief has been trying to equate in peoples minds that legit protesters are in the same league as terrorists and anarchists.

Connie: So have a lot of people here.

In 'Black Bloc/Black Ops at the G20', they are speculating whether all or only some of the window-smashers and cop-car-torchers were cops.

Things get really heated in 'More T.O. Cops as Anarchists, Communists & Rapists'. There is some serious cop-bashing going on.

One poster quotes in full a letter sent to Mark Steyn, but I'll save you the click and do it too.

Mark, I live a few blocks from the mayhem we saw a few days ago in Toronto. I’m delighted the police finally clamped down on the criminals, but the optics of last Saturday were a disaster. After I watched on TV the outrageous vandalism of the criminals, with the police— vast hordes of them— standing by, I phoned the Toronto PD to lay a complaint about their astonishing stand down. From start to finish (five calls in about ten minutes) I was treated with the utmost contempt and unprofessionalism by “Toronto’s Finest”. My interactions were reasonable and courteous, though firm.

Here’s what happened:

1) I called; the officer gave me her badge number and said she had no idea about what was happening on the streets. I told her of burning police cruisers and violence, and she claimed to have no clue about this. I said I was very pro-police, but was appalled by their lack of action. I told the officer, who continued to claim ignorance of the situation, that this would be a PR disaster for the police. I then asked how I’d lay a complaint. I was given the phone number of the complaints department.

2) I called the number. The voice mail box, for a “Beverley Picard”, not identified as a police officer, was full. I phoned again. Same thing.

3) I called the number again. I did not get the badge number of the person who answered. I explained that I seemed to have a wrong number for the “complaints department”. Then, with no explanation offered to me for the number I’d been given, this person simply, electronically, passed me on to a line at 52 Division (police headquarters).

4) I repeated my support for the police and my complaint about them standing by while their own cruisers were on fire and vandals were openly damaging property with no arrests. “Oh no,” said the woman on the other end of the phone. “Yes, police cruisers are burning while the police watch,” I said. “OH NO,” said the woman on the line. I then said, “I get the impression that you’re not being serious here. I think, perhaps, you’re being sarcastic.” She hung up on me!

5) Back to the original number. Another officer answered and was sorry for my troubles. When I said I paid taxes to be “served and protected,” she said, “I pay taxes too.” She then informed me that my original contact didn’t exist. “Perhaps you wrote the badge number down incorrectly,” she suggested. In fact, this officer actually said there was no “complaints department” number, and that I should get in touch with my MP or with 52 Division in person after the G20 is over. (Right… as if I think dealing face to face with such do-nothings and ho-hum enablers would accomplish anything.)

6) I then tried Chief Blair’s phone number. The phone rang and rang. Then there was a click. Then there was the dial tone again...

“Toronto’s Finest”? My reasonable interaction with these people, with its multiple non-sequiturs and contradictions, leads me to think the police are cretins: it was like interacting with the Red Queen in Wonderland. Yes, the police were under pressure, but it seems that I, a concerned, supportive citizen, was given the royal dismissive run-around by these four seemingly unengaged women. So much for “To Serve and Protect”!

So this is the new, unimproved way our society deals with thugs and bullies in all public places: make things safe for the bullies. Figuratively declaw and demean all competent adults responsible for the well being of the well behaved, while pussy-footing around in order to protect the rights of the bad guy. The rights of the good guys? You must be joking!

(name withheld)
Toronto, Ontario

Also from comments at CBC, a former staunch supporter of police said s/he started to change her/his mind over the Robert Dziekanski case and that recent events have sealed the deal.

So. Is another front developing in our ongoing campaign to Divide the Right? This time a schism between lawnorder (as JJ styles it) cons and libertarian cons?

We at DJ! will try our darnedest to help.

Of course, cops will always have their groupies. For a giggle, check out the Support for the TPS and G20 Security Officers Facebook group, with at last peek 2268 members.

In contrast, the FB group demanding a public inquiry will hit 39,000 members pretty soon, probably within the hour.