More Fashion Tips from Cops

You think they'd learn.

From the same police department whose fashion tips inspired the international movement, Slut Walk, now fashion tips for pedestrians who don't want to get hit by a fucking car.

Toronto police kicked off a weeklong pedestrian safety campaign called “Do The Bright Thing!” on Monday morning at Union station.

Officers will talk to people at the subway station concourse all week, encouraging pedestrians to wear bright-coloured or reflective clothing when possible.

Making a grocery list, I tweeted.

Going out for a walk. Strapping flashlights & reflectors all over me. Don't want to get blamed if hit by car. #WalkTO #topoli

— Fern Hill (@fernhilldammit) March 4, 2013

The smarty-pantses who follow me responded.

@fernhilldammit but if you're all lit up like that you're distracting! I can't help it I start staring & drive into you. Still your fault.

— hornblower (@Indefatigabl_) March 4, 201
3

@fernhilldammitIt'll be your own fault if those flashlights blind a driver #WalkTO #topoli

— trapdinawrpool (@trapdinawrpool) March 4, 2013

Because it's just like rape, eh? If you dress like a slut, you're asking to get raped. And if you dress like a normal human being, you're asking to get hit by a car.

Because drivers, like rapists, can't help themselves. Rapists see a slutty looking woman and they just gotta rape. Drivers see a slow, defenceless pedestrian and they just gotta drive into him/her.

How about telling the damn drivers: PAY ATTENTION! THERE ARE SLOW CREATURES OUT THERE WHO MAY GET IN YOUR WAY OCCASIONALLY BUT IT IS STILL NOT OKAY TO MOW THEM DOWN.

DJ! proposes the Dark Walk. Masses of humans wearing ordinary clothes taking over the sidewalks and crossing streets legally and carefully and, you know, walking.

Or maybe cut out the middle man and just dress like victims already.




Image source

UPDATE: Checking the referring sites, I found that this post has attracted the attention (no doubt short) of an appropriately named discussion board called The Slymepit. (I won't link.) It seems to exist to exude venom at sites like Atheism+, Skepchick (and its founder, Rebecca Watson), and FreeThoughtBlogs, centering on PZ Myers. It's a narsty, narsty place. And, of course, humour impaired. *waves at slymepitters*

Actual G20 Police Accountability?

When the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) released its scathing G20 policing report yesterday, the Twitter machine lit up.

The HiveMind® got to work trying to remember if there had been any charges laid against cops and we could come up with just two: Glenn Weddell and Babak Andalib-Goortani.

At the same time, one of the people I follow, Paisley Rae, was having an interesting exchange with the person or persons behind the Toronto Police handle. For a bot, Toronto Police seemed fairly intelligent and responsive.

I followed @TorontoPolice and asked for information on the status of the two charged cops, because even with one very distinctive name, they seemed to have dropped off the news radar. He or she promised to find out.

And now because I'm following, I get all kinds of missing persons reports, PSAs, press releases etc., like this one.

It amused me. I mean, they must have known for weeks when the OIPRD report was coming out, right?

Cops have sense of humour? MT @TorontoPolice "Operation Distraction", Monday, May 14, 2012 - Friday, May 18, 2012 is.gd/5MoRHP #G20

— Fern Hill (@fernhilldammit) May 16, 2012

And today, we finally get the news we've been waiting nearly two fucking years for -- there might be some accountability after all.

A handful of senior Toronto police commanders are expected to be charged in coming weeks for a variety of misconduct offences over their leadership at the G20 summit in June 2010, CBC News has learned.

The charges are in addition to 28 frontline officers slated to have disciplinary hearings for a range of misconduct offences, including unlawful arrests and use of excessive or unnecessary force against prisoners.
. . .
Until now, no details of specific charges against the officers have been released, however court documents reveal specific allegations against eight officers who have already been served with "notices of hearing."

While that says 'court documents', it isn't clear to me whether these are internal hearings or Real World (as in, Having Serious Consequences) hearings.

We'll see, I guess.

BONUS: A CBC round-up of G20 reports to date.