Bonjour la pôlisse! ... et Matricule 728

For years, community activists, political and social critics, humourists and citizens have demanded that the actions of the Service de protection de la ville de Montréal be scrutinized, independently investigated and that those responsible for systemic brutality and corruption be held accountable.

Recent events, precipitated by over one hundred nights of demonstrations in support of the Grève générale illimitée, have thrust into the spotlight the case of Matricule 728.  But as journalist Josée Legault demonstrated in her excellent reflection here and here, the behaviour of one Stéfanie Trudeau embodies the convergence of police powers and political ideology, in the context of a bigger and quite disturbing picture.

Marc-André Cyr elaborates further on this theme, in Voir.  I have loosely translated parts of his piece to post here. 

It was in 1838 that the first modern police service was created in North America, in Montreal for the purpose of preventing crime, and to monitor the political activities of insurgents and rebels.
The first provincial police was established in 1869 with the objective to intervene during riots - many at the time - and to ensure compliance with new federal and provincial laws.
Four years later, it was the turn of the North-West Mounted Police to see the day. Its mission is clear: Western Canada must become "white, English and Protestant", to monitor the Métis and ensure French Canadians do not overpopulate the west. Faithful to its noble mission, the organization was involved in the crushing of many indigenous revolts and workers throughout the second half of the 19th century.
The Mounted Police became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1919, following the Winnipeg General Strike. If the fear of communism is still in its infancy, it is nonetheless intensified by the growing influence of trade unionism. Some agents, such as John Leopold, aka Jack Esseilwein, spying upon the Communist Party for many years, became as a result of their governments work "national heroes".
[...] In 1984 CSIS was designated the official national political police. It watches the Left, and especially after 2001, Islamists groups. As well, Aboriginals, Métis, communists, feminists, artists, homosexuals, unions, immigrants are still prime targets for "observation".  Thus the actions of Matricule 728 are anything but strange.  That part of the population is perceived as "rats", "guitar scratchers", "goddamned red squares" and "shit-eaters" by the police.
That view is in fact necessary to justify beating, pepper-spraying, gassing, blinding, causing concussions and imprisoning defenseless people considered as representatives of "evil".
This hatred and violence are traditionally necessary to law, order and security. It is not at all an "exception" to the rule and the norm: it is the rule and standard. 

It was on October 2 that the infamous *incident* which made headlines in Québec and in the rest of Canada was recorded on a cell phone, the evidence that allowed Radio Canada and other media to pursue their own investigative reporting into the history of the abusive actions of Matricule 728. 

Trudeau's colleagues thought that they had confiscated all the cell phones of witnesses to their violent disruptions, including that of Karen Molina.

She was handcuffed, arrested by the police that evening and charged, allegedly for "obstructing" police work.  The charges against her still stand.  She was the fourth person charged that evening; the other three are the original individuals apprehended by Trudeau during her rampage.  

Here is Molina's recounting of what she did that evening, how she called the SPVM to report what she observed to be inappropriate and incorrect police conduct.  Her cell phone was taken by the police; it's still being held.

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that her phone was "unfortunately" damaged and the recording made on October 2 cannot be retrieved - though hopefully her 911 call was not "accidentally" deleted.  In news accounts on Radio Canada, one reporter thought that Molina was a landed immigrant and that she feared that the charges against her, though visibly unfounded, could be used to disrupt her application for citizenship.

Remember police actions in Toronto during the G20?

The first video clip is part of an ongoing series from québecois humourists Rock et Belles Oreilles - RBO -  which gently and savagely at times, lampooned police forces. 

UPDATE: Charges against the original three targets of Matricule 728's abusive actions appear to be on hold for the moment.

State wildlife officer and registered nurse ...

There is a dearth of heroes these days. My co-blogger wrote about the Cons' testerical and shrieeky attempt to spin a StatsCan release about decreased crime reporting to their advantage.

Contempt Party senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu claimed last year that "those stats are being manipulated" but yesterday he backpedaled furiously when Radio-Canada asked exactly what he meant by that declaration.

It surprises me that, given what happened in Toronto during the G20, no one has suggested that people don't trust the police.

As well, there are more and more cases of cops' violence and criminal actions; reported incidents of the cops breaking laws, bullying people and disregarding the rights of complainants and alleged criminals have been caught on tape.

When their conduct is investigated, cops are ALWAYS exonerated.

So why report crime and get re-victimized by the police?

Thus it warms the heart and raises the spirit to hear about Shelley Hammonds, a state wildlife officer and registered nurse in Tennessee who spent three weeks tracking a starving black bear with a jar stuck on its head.

On June 28 [...] a utilities worker spotted it near the city of Newport water treatment plant. The bear had apparently been foraging in garbage.

Through days and weeks of sightings and near misses, Hammonds tried to capture the bear as temperatures hovered in the mid-30s each day.

“I honestly don't know how any creature on Earth could live through that kind of heat and dehydration, surviving on its own breath,” Hammonds said. “When you see an animal with such an incredible will to survive, you really want to help it.”

[...]Their paths crossed near Interstate 40 and she finally scored a direct hit with a tranquilizer dart. The bear eventually lay down in the parking lot of C&C Pawn Shop in Newport. Hammonds immediately hooked the bear up to an intravenous drip.

From 200 pounds, it was down to 115, she estimated.

One last word on police impunity. What does it take for a cop to lose his job? This, apparently.

Only in L.A. you say? Pity.

Who Watches the Watchmen?*

Apparently, we do.

This ayem from my Twitter feed, three stories about police corruption/incompetence.

First up: Toronto cop avoids punishment for frisky taser use, using a Reverse Twinkie Defense.

Next, a story about the lying liars who constitute the Peel Regional Police.

And third, an older story from June 20 about the totally dysfunctional RCMP.

The RCMP is cutting back on investigations into mobsters, drug gangs and white-collar criminals, while putting off core duties so routinely that it is taking the force years to update simple records in its crime databases.

A stark contrast between the law-and-order agenda of the Conservative government and the dysfunctional day-to-day realities of Canada’s national police force was laid bare in a review released Thursday by Canada’s Auditor-General.

These in addition to my post yesterday about Toronto's Bill (The Liar) Blair and many others.

What's a blogger to do?

Well, of course we don't have the resources to initiate such investigations, but we can amplify the work of media outlets. And bloggers and non-bloggers can encourage such reporting by commenting on the stories, both at the news sites and at blogs by exemplary -- and dare we say 'dogged'? -- cop-watchers like Dr. Dawg.

And we should support and promote sites like Torontonamo, G20Justice, and G20 Inquiry that continue to document the abuses.

ADDED: From Anonymous in comments, another group to support CopWatch.

* Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Classy Cops vs Toronto's Lying Thugs

Big surprise! The Flop and Flail doesn't think Chief Bill Blair should resign over the gigantic cock-up -- with associated lies, coverup, and bullshit -- that was the G20 in Toronto.

Back in February and March, Madison, Wisconsin, was the site of huge, angry protests. Here's a statement from the police department on February 19 (bold mine).

On behalf of all the law enforcement agencies that helped keep the peace on the Capitol Square Saturday, a very sincere thank you to all of those who showed up to exercise their First Amendment rights. You conducted yourselves with great decorum and civility, and if the eyes of the nation were upon Wisconsin, then you have shown how democracy can flourish even amongst those who passionately disagree. As of 5:00 p.m., no major incidents had been reported. There have been no arrests. However, discourse and discussion was - at times - loud and heated. That was to be expected. As previously indicated, the goal of law enforcement has been to provide a safe environment for democracy to take place. That goal has been realized for yet another day.

As I said at the time:

If that statement were a brick, I'd throw it through Toronto Chief Bill Blair's window.

What a classy, professional police service the people of Madison have.

Why do Torontonians have to put up with a bunch of liars and thugs?

Blair must resign.


Image source

Virtual Vigilantism and Public Shaming

Last night I wrote a long and somewhat incoherent comment on my Let Your Inner Stasi Out post. (It was incoherent to the point that JJ thought I was calling her 'GoodyTwoShoes'!)

Clearly, I'm not done with the Vancouver hockey riot and its repercussions. And in particular, I am REALLY not done with witless comparisons of the Toronto G20 police riot and the Vancouver drunken idiot riot.

For background, some excellent analysis of events, one by Ivor Tossell, the other by Dave Zirin, both of whom emphatically crush the 'anarchist' and 'few bad apple' memes issuing from mini-minded MSM pundits.

For examples of MSM not getting it, there's Neil Macdonald, who at least admits he doesn't geddit [though why he's given umpty virtual column inches to say so is a mystery], and the sublimely idiotic Rex Murphy.

In the comments to Macdonald's piece, 'PinkoCommie' has already started the G20/G8 refrain of 'getoveritalready': 'Are we STILL talking about this? What are we, a hick country ??? Move along, lets hope this does not happen again.'

Yes. We are still talking about this. (Google 'Vancouver riot 2011' and you get over 22,000 hits of mostly moronic commentary.)

However embarrassed the citizens of magical, pristine Vancouver, BC, are, we in Toronto are still outraged at our treatment. And yes, there is yet another protest rally, G20 Redux, on the first anniversary, next Saturday, June 25. For all the fucking good these bunfests are doing. . .

Well, then, carry on MSM with your wittering, though I did find one bit of sense that the chattering classes might consider:

“This riot is not the result of one single factor,” said Prof. Gruneau. “It is an ensemble and certainly far too complicated to explain in a soundbite. At the very least to say that it had anything to do with hockey as a game leaves far too much out of the account.”

On to the repercussions, which I find truly frightening. (Note use of 'Stasi' in my blogpost title. Yes, I went there.)

To stave off accusations of hypocrisy, let me say upfront: Yes, I applauded the use of 'citizen journalism' at the Toronto G20 -- because it was used to provide evidence of abuse of authority by the police and their bosses. We here and many others, especially Dr. Dawg, have repeatedly catalogued the many many crimes by police that go unpunished, despite abundant video and photographic evidence. These are excellent examples of citizens' exercise of Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Because, clearly, the custodes are not custodieting themselves (sorry, Latin scholars, my ancient Grade 13 Latin isn't up to doing that properly).

What is now going on in Vancouver is not 'watching the watchmen'. It is virtual vigilantism.

Here is Christopher Parsons detailing the dangers in a post titled Vancouver's Human Flesh Search Engine.

During and following the riot, Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has requested that citizens provide photos and video of riotous behaviour so that the cops can conduct investigations and bring charges. Importantly (and responsibly) the VPD asked for images and video to be shared directly with them; they don’t want individuals publicly posting images and video. There are at least two reasons for this kind of request:

1. Preserving the chain of evidence. When you upload photos to Facebook, as an example, it strips the metadata off the images. As a result there is a more labor intensive process to verify the legitimacy and accuracy of images located on Facebook. I can guarantee that clever defence attorneys will point to a flawed chain of evidence stemming from lack of metadata information as reasons that social media-based imagery and videos should be disallowed from the courts.

2. Understanding the danger of the mob. The VPD clearly recognizes the potential harms that arise when a mob races off to identify and convict, in the court of public opinion, individuals who allegedly engaged in illegal behaviour. I say allegedly because even if an image shows a person seemingly lighting a car on fire, until the court has evaluated and verified the evidence, and the person in the image has a chance to defend themselves (or admit their guilt) they are allegedly guilty. This presumption of innocence before the courts, regardless of evidence that exists to ground a case, is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy and we should be mindful and respectful of it.

However, grandstanding pols are not responsible at all.

Here's an excerpt from B.C. Premier Christy Clark's open letter.

Citizens have also come together to create their own social media sites to share information about events and images of troublemakers captured on mobile phones. The police will monitor these sites closely as part of their efforts to gather evidence.

We will push for full justice. Collectively, we will do our best to bring those responsible to account. Criminal charges will be pursued wherever possible and appropriate.

If you are responsible, we will hold you responsible. Your family, friends and employers will know. We will ensure we have the resources to do this. You will not be able to hide behind your hoodie or your bandana.

Indeed, citizens have come together. Here's a Facebook group and, even more unsettling, a site devoted to public shaming.

Here's the site's rationale:

These young men and women IF they get prosecuted will most likely be given probation, perhaps fines, community service etc. If they do end up with a criminal record, they will also (if given a savvy enough lawyer) be able to have that black mark removed. At the end of it all, the consequences are minor.

Public shaming however reveals their faces, their names and ultimately has longer lasting effect. There are those who would say that our court system is for the public record to view. When was the last time the average person sat in on a trial and read court transcripts? They are all there for the viewing to see. Public shaming thru the use of social media and blogging shall place them into a world that is engraved into history. It shall be chiseled into the hard stone of the internet and last eternally.

When a person’s name is typed into google or any search engine, especially if they are relative nobody’s, they do pop up on the first page during the search. More and more of today’s employers are googling the names of the people who apply for jobs. I know when I run my company, I wouldn’t hire the people I saw rioting in the streets of my city. So if they show up in a search 5 years from now, let them explain in their job interview’s how they’ve “all grown up now”. Roll the dice and see if they still get the job.

Booya! Let's punish a drunken 18-year-old yob who posed in front of a broken window -- for the rest of his fucking life! That's the Canadian way. Isn't it?

Um. No. To quote again from Alexandra Samuel's excellent essay:

The fact that the police department itself is encouraging people to share their photos and videos privately should tell us a lot about the troubling territory social media users have wandered into. There is a reason that the state has been defined by its monopoly on the legitimate use of force: delegating law enforcement to professional police is a way of preventing vigilantism, ensuring due process and protecting civil rights.

Just as crucially, professional law enforcement protects a healthy civil society from the corrosive effects of citizen surveillance. When citizens take on the job of reporting on one another it can lead to some very dark places, very quickly. One of the most difficult revelations to emerge in the wake of German reunification was the sheer number of civilians who cooperated with the Stasi, East Germany’s notorious secret police. About 5% of East Germans were secret informants, a culture of crowdsourced surveillance that eroded social trust and perpetuated an authoritarian state.

Canada is NOT -- or was NOT -- a shame culture.

Unlike the Excited States, Canadians can't even get it up, so to speak, to give our sexually transgressing pols -- even when they richly deserve it -- the 'santorum treatment'.

But a bunch of self-righteous, embarrassed GoodyTwoShoed Vancouverites are ecstatically participating in ruining whoknowshowmany ordinary -- if stupid -- people's lives. It makes them feel good about themselves. Like returning a lost wallet, maybe.

Fuck you, GoodyTwoShoed Vancouverites.

And oh, yeah. Your team choked. As usual.

Toronto G20: The Gift That Just Keeps Giving

Doncha just lurve this 'fiscally responsible' Contempt Party Government®? Looky here at what the CBC found.

Police officers from forces outside the Greater Toronto Area brought in to work at last summer's G8 and G20 summits made millions of dollars through lucrative contracts paying them overtime and vacation rates, according to newly released RCMP documents.

CBC/Radio-Canada has obtained copies of RCMP contracts totalling $7 million for the hiring of 657 officers from 17 different local forces from coast to coast. The invoices detail how over the course of a week or two in June 2010, more than half of all the work performed by those officers was paid for at premium rates of 1½ or two times an officer's usual wages.

Many more such goodies to come, I trust.

Meanwhile, the Star is still waxing indignant about the third attempt at a SIU investigation and is calling for an inquiry into the whole schmozzle.

Only a broad public inquiry, with the power to compel evidence under oath, can cut through the finger-pointing and obfuscation surrounding this fiasco. Its mandate should include looking at why Prime Minister Stephen Harper insisted on holding the G20 in Toronto in the first place. It should examine Premier Dalton McGuinty’s ill-judged decision to grant police enhanced powers of arrest without properly informing the public. And it should look into the policies and conduct of police commanders and their forces.

And while we're on the subject of calling for inquiries, what the hell happened to Saturday's rally that I blogged here?

Sweetie and I turned our butts out and found that DesiFEST had taken over Dundas Square.

We looked around for potential ralliers and saw a clutch of about seven people and a camera-guy. Could have inquired, I suppose, but instead thought 'Fukkit' and left.

Came home to check the info. Yep. Saturday, May 28, 2011, 2 to 5 p.m., Yonge and Dundas Square.

I left a WTF? comment on the Facebook page. Looked again a little while later and it had been deleted.

As they say: EPIC FAIL.

And no explanation or apology anywhere that I can find.

My apologies to DJ! readers who also tried to attend.

On the bright side, DesiFEST looked like fun. Sure smelled good. But sweetie and I had rearranged our lives to attend the protest bunfest and decided to carry on.

Another G20 Rally *sigh*

Feet on street time again.



In the comments here on the third SIU attempt to identify one of the G20 cop/thugs, Kev lets us know about the rally on Saturday.

A public inquiry into Toronto G20 and police accountability rally -- Saturday

The deets:
Toronto rally
Saturday May 28, 2011
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Yonge and Dundas Square
Facebook page

I'll be there.

Third Time the Charm?

Here we go again.

For a third time the SIU will probe the alleged G20 beating of Dorian Barton.

The case was reopened after the Toronto Police Service agreed to give the unit the name of the person who identified the subject officer who is alleged to have stuck Barton, who suffered a broken arm and severe bruising.

"In anticipation of the timely receipt of this new information, the unit is re-opening the Barton investigation," SIU director Ian Scott said Thursday, adding the service came forward with the information on Wednesday.

Oh, yeah?

We'll believe it when we see it.

What's a little human rights abuse and corruption matter?

Remember this?



In the UK, kettling was just ruled illegal.

One night last December, having already spent five hours trapped by the Metropolitan police in Parliament Square, I was imprisoned on Westminster Bridge along with 1,000 other mostly young protesters, in sub-zero temperatures, for more than two hours. We were held in such a tight space that some suffered respiratory problems and chest pains: the symptoms of severe crushing. This is kettling, and in its strategic brutality and unabashed doublethink, it is the perfect hallmark for the Cameron era.

In a landmark ruling, the high court ruled on Thursday that the Met's use of the tactic during 2009's G20 protests was illegal. Their wider use of kettling, common throughout this winter's student and anti-cuts protests, is currently being challenged at the European court of human rights. Despite the high court warning that it must only be used as a "last resort catering for situations about to descend into violence", the Met are unrepentant. "At the heart of this case," they responded, "lies a vital public order policing tactic that prevents disorder and protects the public." They will appeal against the high court ruling, and continue to use kettling "where necessary".

The practice is a prime example of collective punishment and as such violates the Geneva Conventions. Major human rights abuse, in other words.

We in Toronto are well aware of what human rights abuse looks like up close and personal. And now from the Star we learn that the abuse is ongoing.

Hundreds of citizens were documented by police in mostly non-criminal encounters during last year’s G20 summit — and their names and personal details still live on in an internal police database.

Over three days, more than 500 people were stopped, questioned and documented by Toronto police officers in key G20 patrol areas downtown and near a temporary jail location, according to a Toronto Star analysis of police contact card data obtained in a freedom of information request.

Police use the database as an investigative tool to connect people, places and times. For example, in the case of a homicide, detectives can enter a victim’s name and see who they associated with in the past — and where and when.

The level of “carding” was unusually high during the summit, which could be expected given the police presence.

And that, of course, was in addition to the largest mass arrest in Canadian history, along with assorted beatings, rubber bullets, mistreatment, and bubble-blowing.

Silver lining? For a change, the white folk were targetted.

In a 2010 series, the Star examined six years worth of city-wide contact card data and found that Toronto police document black people at a higher rate than whites.

This was not the case in downtown Toronto on summit weekend. In fact, the proportion of white people who were documented increased 27 per cent from the 2008 daily average.

There is soooo much we need to learn from this travesty.

Some of it is already known but we are NOT allowed to see it, because, ironically or idiotically, we are in the middle of choosing the next gang of corporate bought-and-paid-for flunkies to rule over us.

The least you can do is sign the damn petition urging the release of Auditor General Sheila Fraser's report. Nearly 69,000 people have signed since 11 a.m. Thursday morning.

Caught in the Act

Yesterday, André Marin released the much-anticipated report on the G20 fiasco in Toronto, cleverly titled 'Caught in the Act'. (PDF at the link.)

I caught the last bit of the press conference and heard Marin say that events of that weekend constituted the 'most massive compromise of civil liberties in Canadian history' and instantly he became my new hero.

Finally, finally, after all the Facebooking, YouTubing, blogging, and protesting, Somebody is paying attention and coming to the same conclusion that hundreds of thousands of nobodies knew all along: Toronto was a police state that weekend.




I haven't read the whole 127 pages yet, but what I have read is clear, blunt, and unequivocal. What's also great is the use of social media by the Ombuds and the appendix listing a bunch of YouTubes of events.

Today, on the front page of the Star, Rosie DiManno, who is usually in a tie with Pitsy Blatchford for top cop-groupie, calls the chief out. Make it right, she says.

Well, looky here. The chief speaks from some shindig on the Wet Coast.

One criticism lobbed at Blair in recent weeks is that the investigations into police misconduct appear to be lagging so far behind that of black clad vandals. In those cases, police appealed to the public for help, releasing a swarm of pictures. In a more recent development, police announced suspects will be extradited from the U.S.

“I understand that may be the perception,” said Blair, adding that he has asked the public for any evidence, photographic or otherwise.

He went on to say that his own officers have and will be investigated with the same techniques and the same rigor as anyone else. And that every police officer is required to report misconduct.

Yeah, well, as they say, I'll believe it when I see it.

After all, the jackass who said 'I think the police were too nice. I would have had a zero tolerance approach' has a shiny new thing. Around his florid neck.

Torontonamo: The Dog Ate My Homework Version

Gee. Biiiiig surprise.

The only person charged under a controversial G20 regulation appeared in court Wednesday to discover his charges have mysteriously disappeared.

Dave Vasey, 31, was exploring the G20 security perimeter June 24 when he was arrested and charged under a temporary regulation. The regulation, which was quietly passed by the province under the 1939 Public Works Protection Act, designated the security zone around the Metro Convention Centre as a “public work” and empowered police to search anyone attempting to enter the perimeter.

So. He walks. There is no accountability, no explanation, no further opportunity for media coverage.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

Torontonamo, 30 Days Later (updated)

And it's still in the news. Carol Goar today in The Star does the arithmetic.

Thirty days after the summit, the gains look modest; the losses extensive. The balance could change, but it would take a strenuous effort by public authorities to fix what they broke.

And yesterday, CBC ran a story about a young woman who is suing the Toronto Police over injuries from rubber bullets.

Police claimed the shots were "muzzle blasts" — harmless blanks meant to scare protesters, not hurt them. They deny using rubber bullets.

But photographs of Gray's wounds taken by an emergency room doctor show she was indeed injured in the chest and arm.

There are over 900 comments, by far most of them in support of the protesters.

If you've got a few minutes, go do the 'thumbs up/down' thing. Or leave a comment. The media will keep covering it as long as we keep paying attention.

ADDED: From the lawnorder Toronto Sun. Yup, they lied.

Rubber bullets were fired at the crowd outside the Eastern Ave. set up during the G20 Summit, a Toronto Police spokesman said Tuesday — one day after releasing erroneous information.

Mark Pugash corrected a statement he made Monday to the Toronto Sun saying no rubber bullets were fired outside the temporary prisoner processing centre, saying he had received the wrong information.

The person who provided the mistaken information called him Tuesday and said that rubber bullets were fired outside the centre, Pugash said.

Slam-dunk for the gal with the lawsuit. Slam-dunk for more costs for the rest of us as all these lawsuits get swept under expensive carpets.

More G20 Stories: Sexual Abuse

First, a press release from Toronto Community Mobilization Network announcing a press conference at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre today.

The women scheduled to appear spoke to the Star.

Allegations of abuse by women detained during the G20 summit will be included in an 11-year investigation into how Toronto police investigate sexual violence against women.

The activist known as Jane Doe, women’s studies professor Beverly Bain and Toronto Rape Crisis Centre counsellor Grissel Orellana are to present their report to Toronto Police Services at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Toronto police “are unfit to conduct a review against themselves. They are not equipped to investigate themselves,” Farrah Miranda, a spokeswoman for the activist group G20 Mobilization Network, told the Star on Thursday.

That is the message Doe, the pseudonym of a woman who successfully sued police in 1986 after she was raped, and the others will deliver at their morning news conference and in their report, said Miranda.

“This is the culmination of an 11-year process. Women’s groups are connecting the G20 violence against women with the ongoing police violence against women.”

Allegations of sexual abuse first surfaced as women were being released from the Eastern Ave. detention centre during the June 26-27 weekend that brought world leaders and thousands of demonstrators to Toronto.

Among those making allegations was Amy Miller, who will present a video at the Thursday news conference, Miranda said.

Also speaking will be Alison Peters. “They asked me and other women I was with if we wanted to have sex with them,” Peters said in a news release about the police. “We were told to take our clothes off if we wanted to be taken seriously. . .”

Another detainee, Skylar Radojkovic, said police “told me that I was going to prison, where I would be raped repeatedly. I was strip-searched and called various unprintable names by these officers. The detective pushed me repeatedly into the wall.”

Doe on Tuesday criticized the final auditor’s report, also due out Thursday, into how police investigate sexual assaults. The report says Toronto police have implemented 19 of 25 recommendations on how to deal with sexual assaults.

“It's business as usual, more of the same,” Doe said. “The police are not prepared to address the sexism, racism, incompetence and their own lack of analysis.”

The Toronto Police Services Board has appointed lawyer Doug Hunt to investigate police accountability during the summit. Toronto police have asked people with allegations against them during that weekend to file a formal complaint.

Lights! Camera! Action! Cue smirking authoritarian misogyny!

ADDED: An account of the press conference.

Feet on the Street SATURDAY, July 17

Using the time-honoured tactic of lying misdirection, at least one commenter on the current CBC G20 story is posting the wrong date for the upcoming nationwide solidarity rallies.

It is Saturday, July 17. This Saturday.

Of course, Toronto has the most intense interest in it. Queen's Park, South Lawn, 1 p.m.

Here is a list of rallies in Nelson, St. John's, Ottawa, Vancouver, Niagara Falls, Winnipeg, and Bancroft.

And of course our friends in Quebec are on side: Quebec City
and Montreal.

Rabble has a list of confirmed and pending rallies, including one in the riding of Peterborough held by toad/MP Dean Del Mastro, who is carying the leaky Con can on this file. He said this morning on CBC Radio that a Parliamentary inquiry would be tantamount to a 'kangaroo court'. Really, Dean? This is what you do for a living? Create and attend kangaroo courts?

My disdain for this fat fuck/car salesman knows no bounds.

So. Get yer butt out. No excuses. If we don't put the feet on the street, They win. See, they'll say, Canadians don't care.

Well, yes, we bloody do.

I'm planning to hang out at the western end of the war memorial -- black granite wall thingy. If you see someone who looks like a fern hill (hint, she may be smoking), say hi.

ADDED: London, ON.

Inquiries, Inquiries

The doubtlessly lame Police Services board.

The probably equally lame if way louder federal Public Safety committee.

And now the Ontario Ombudsman.

TORONTO (Friday, July 9, 2010) – Ontario Ombudsman André Marin today announced he is launching an investigation into the origin and subsequent communication of the controversial security regulation passed by the province prior to the June 26-27 G20 summit.

The investigation, to be conducted by the Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT), will examine the involvement of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services in the origin of Regulation 233/10, made last month under the Public Works Protection Act to apply to parts of downtown Toronto near the summit meeting site – and the subsequent communication about it to stakeholders, including police, media and the public.

The Ombudsman’s office has received 22 complaints relating to the G20, including several alleging that a lack of transparency and public communication about the regulation led to an atmosphere of secrecy and confusion and contributed to violations of civil liberties. “The complaints we’ve received so far raise serious concerns about this regulation and the way it was communicated, and I think there is a very strong public interest in finding out exactly what happened and how that affected the rest of the events of the G20 weekend,” Mr. Marin said.

The investigation is expected to be completed within 90 days, Mr. Marin said. Anyone who has a complaint or relevant information is asked to call 1-800-263-1830 during business hours or complete an online complaint form at www.ombudsman.on.ca .

This is encouraging, but we still need a full public inquiry with broad powers to subpoena witnesses.

Call the Cops!

Or email them.

According to a commenter at Maclean's, one can email any York Regional Police officer using badge number followed by @yrp.ca.

Hm.

It was York Regional Police who told passers-by that they weren't in Canada anymore and didn't have civil rights.

If the number on the epaulet is the badge number, I can make out 1775, 8952, 9422, and the head honcho has a three digit number. I think it's 815, maybe 813. Or?

Again. Hm.

A Soldier's Point of View

It may be that we would have been better off with soldiers on our streets, at least according to Eric, a commenter at torontoist. Here it is in full.

As a serving member of the Canadian Forces and a combat veteran, I can say with absolute clarity and conviction that i am disgusted by the actions of the supposed "other half" of our nations security, the civilian shield to the army's sword. I managed to fight and win battles while vastly outnumbered, against a heavily armed, mobile, guerilla force with as few as 10 fellow Canadians. 10 Canadian taxpayer funded and trained, government employees fighting and dying to prevent the lawlessness and injustice the so-called Black Bloc seems only too willing to promote. 10 Canadian ambassadors (because that is what you are when your wear and salute your nations flag) that knew their jobs and acted as consummate, trained professionals in all things, which incidentley is why i am alive to type this. The enemy we fought was entrenched within a civilian population and knew only too well the problems that could be created by putting innocent Afghans in the center of the conflict. So as is our duty and our job we let them bait us and let them crow and then when we had a shot we took it WITH NO CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. How could I know? Because we were the medical center for the region and we visited the villages regularly.

Knowing when to apply force and how to apply it can be a very simple thing when you assign value to the thing you are leveraging that force against. Am I prepared to kill the human being who is placing the IED or recoiless rifle that will kill three of my brothers? 3 of my fellow Canadians who have answered the call to defend what we so often take for granted half a world away? Without pause yes, and I will for the rest of my life, I took an oath that does not end with a contract.

When you put that uniform on you are no longer John Smith of Toronto. You are a member of the Canadian Forces, just as you are a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer, or an Ontario Provincial Police Officer. A government employee who's mandate and training is to PROTECT the public. Not to protect themselves from threats within the public. It is their job as the civilian arm of our nations security to be the blue line between those that would see our way of life burnt to it's end and the Canadians who see more than a simple flag.

Instead they formed a black wall and responded to WORDS with unrelenting, armed and often random VIOLENCE.

I don't care if Osama Bin Laden himself is hiding on Queen Street like Waldo... you don't just drop an airstrike on the village.

You PARTICULARLY don't do it after the entire village sang Oh Canada in fear.

I understand the effect of an unsuspecting ambush tactics to confuse and demoralize... but when the first three ranks of 'protestors' are waving peace signs standing outside the gap wearing American Apparel and drinking starbucks... I might tailor my tactics accordingly.

People have said that they 'understand' why Police might have been on edge due to the events of the day before...

Bullshit.

I understand that i watched friends die and then the next day went out and did my job with the professionalism expected of someone who claims to serve his country and as in holland i gave chocolate to children while the engineers rebuilt.

When you back people into a corner... they will fight and sell their lives dearly to escape.

The 'kettle' is a useful tactic to isolate 'riot ringleaders' but with even minor coordination it can simply be turned into a turnstyle type processing operation as opposed to a way to jack up arrest counts to justify budgets and manpower.

Too little too late from the Police especially after the complete lack of presence as the city they are paid to protect, burned the day before.

A number of extremely reputable journalists and civilian truth mongers have been given unprecedented ability to expose the absolute incompetence of both the police leadership and of the individual line trooper.

This is as sure a black stain on their official colors as it was a death knell to the Canadian Airborne after one of their members killed a Somali boy. I would hang my head in shame if i affected any part of Sunday's riot operation, willing or not.

I have a relative who was caught up in the crowd. Just a student who is young and wants to take inspired photos, and does it damn well. He was detained (not arrested) But I have seen his footage and i am disgusted.

I did not put my life on the line and watch my best friends take their last breath to come home and watch the largest gathering of law enforcement this country has ever seen... cowed to the point inaction as the city and its citizens endure the wanton destruction to their homes and business, only to have it answered by a heavy handed and indiscriminant hammer blow against quite possibly the very same people they so utterly failed to help previously.

I understand that to put a riot line in front of the black block may have caused injuries and violence.

Well... they asked for it. Says so right on their sign.

Guess what else. That's why you took the oath of service to your country. If you don't want to get injured on the job... be a yoga instructor.

Excuses are quite common apparently everyone has one. I would advise anyone reading this to write their local MP and ask what your government is doing to police it's members and policies that have utterly failed in their duty to this country.

I was in the city all weekend and if i had a dollar for every group of 6 police officers i saw sitting on corners shooting the shit... I would probably have enough to hire a ten man infantry section for the weekend to lead the police through some drills, of how to serve the nation they are sworn to defend.

This should not be taken as a sweeping assault on the police as i even have a few relatives and many friends among their ranks. But just as I would not stand for injustice within my own house... I will not stand for it in theirs.

I have met countless officers who uphold our laws with dignity and professionalism. I would gladly give my life for anyone of them.

What will not stand is when under the guise of 'security' police are given sweeping powers with no chance of reciprocity, the need to explain themselves or chance to defend against bullying tactics employed on a peaceful gathering of my country's citizens.

I don't give a flying squirrel if they were threatening, or there were reports of weapons. You have full body armour and shields. Suck it up. Besides, you should be happy. Bricks move a lot slower than bullets.

I support our law enforcement as i support our troops. But my support is not a blank cheque to be held cheaply against the values and rights you trample as surely as you stepped on our flag. You will find me a tenacious opponent and one now who wants to know just how that cheque i did write you was used... and i think after saturdays impotence and sundays ignorance someone has to pay the piper...

and this time, it won't be me.

We're still left wondering, aren't we? Was it mere if stunning incompetence? Or a planned, politically driven assault on our civil rights?

The MSM Is Fucking Useless

We have to look to the little papers, the alternate media, and ourselves for the truth about the G8/G20 police state.

Thorold, Ontario Amputee Has His Artificial Leg Ripped Off By Police And Is Slammed In Makeshift Cell During G20 Summit – At Least One Ontario MPP Calls The Whole Episode “Shocking”.

Read the whole thing.

And weep.

Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20 is nearing 46,000 members from 12,000 on June 29.

ADDED: Woo. WTF? Kelly McParland quits the Kool-Aid?. 'Paul Martin was right'.

Toronto G20: Information Central

Distribute far'n'wide: fantastic resource/reporting site, G20.justice. com. We badly need a central collection spot for all the info, stories, and videos flying about and this looks like it.

Intimidation. Assault. Humiliation. Sexual Assault. Threat. Bullying. Kidnapping. Lying. Break & Entering. Stealing. Pre-emptive Arrests. Illegal House Raids. Vandalism. Destroying Public Property. Illegal Detention. Illegal Arrests. Enciting Rioting.

What do the above have in common? If you were in downtown Toronto during the G20 Summit, then no explanation is needed. If you've only been watching mainstream media - then you more than likely haven't seen the exemplary performances of our country's finest.

With pages on Charter rights, official contact information, Criminal Code, 'Evidence' (an effort to document a timeline of events), personal stories, and 'Lineup' (an effort to identify security officers, vandals, and agents provocateurs behaving badly).

From the Lineup page a list of participating police forces and security companies.


RCMP

Toronto Police

Peel Regional Police

Ontario Provincial Police

JTF2

Barrie Police

Calgary Police

Dryden Police

Durham Regional Police

Edmonton Police

Halton Regional Police

Hamilton Police Service
Kenora Police

Kingston Police

Montreal Police

Niagara Regional Police

Ottawa Police Services (ESU)

Royal Newfoundland Police

Saskatoon Police
Sudbury Police

Waterloo Regional Police

York Police

Barrie Court Services

Toronto Court Services

Contemporary International

Group 4 Falck

InterCon Security / ADT

Securitas

Zow, that's a lotta cops and rent-a-cops. (Dryden cops needed a taste of big city lights?)

The people behind the site say they're volunteers and seem also to be members of the Facebook group Canadian Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20.

Great work! And, sadly, lots more work to do.

And it's a great place to send acquaintances who believe the msm and refuse to look further. Hey, Teach! This site's for you!

'You're not in Canada'

Cop actually says it.