Policing Attitudes

[Marko]

alot of the people that were cordonned off at spadina and queen were not protesters but just citizens observing what was happening.

sounds like you are discounting all those reports by individuals after the unlawful detention, including some from reporters who were in the midst of the group, who are shocked at the way police acted and treated them.

Did you read the second sentence in my post at all? I said exactly what you did - but also that the "beatings" cited by Torontovibe weren't of those innocents that were poorly treated at Spadina. Some people like to tie the two together for effect and to further their narrative - and I concede both scenarios were negative overall - but those who got "beat" were not simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That part is false.

 

[gabe]

God help us if Mammoliti ever become Mayor

 

[Torontovibe]

The protesters who got beaten by police were not the "wrong place at the wrong time" crowd. They were exactly where they wanted to be and either refused to leave or were sheltering those who were the problem damage causers on the first day. It was the innocent who got kettled and inconvenienced on the following day, but the beatings largely happened at Queens Park where the protests got nasty.

Yeah, the protesters were there intentionally but they weren't the only ones who got trapped/harassed/roughed up. Many people were just walking through the area, not realizing what was going on. (on the Sunday) Some of them were attacked and arrested. Even at the Queen's Park protest, there were people just watching, who were beaten by police, for absolutely no reason and not a single cop suffered any consequences. If you think you have rights, lol, just get into a confrontation with a cop. We'll see how much justice you get. Few people care about police brutality, until it happens to them, and then they realize their so called rights, ain't worth the paper it's written on. The G8/G20 made that very clear to me but I basically knew the score anyway. I personally, would never fight back, no matter what a cop did to me, because I know, I would always end up the loser. I don't feel safe or secure at all, when it comes to our laws and authority. (police)

Since when is it a crime to peacefully protest anyway? What's the point of having a democracy if we really have no right to speak our mind on public property? It's beyond me, why the police would want to attack innocent, law abiding people, yet let the Black Block group smash up Yonge Street. It's just so F-ed up, yet that's what happened.

 

[Red October]

Many people were just walking through the area, not realizing what was going on. (on the Sunday)

That's horseshit. Nobody in the province didn't know what was going on.

 

[DanTheMan]

Since when is it a crime to peacefully protest anyway? What's the point of having a democracy if we really have no right to speak our mind on public property? It's beyond me, why the police would want to attack innocent, law abiding people, yet let the Black Block group smash up Yonge Street. It's just so F-ed up, yet that's what happened.

I think your recollection of the weekend's events are a bit fuzzy. At no point did the police 'let' people smash up yonge st. The majority of the police lines were tracking the main protest that was travelling up I believe it was Queen. Once the black block realized they wouldn't be able to do much from the main protest they splintered off and made their way to Yonge using back alleys and the path system.
Redeployment of police lines take time, so while it may seem to you like they let these anarchists have their way that's not the case.

And the whole discussion on how people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time because they didn't know what was going is just ridiculous. The event and the risks associated with it were well publicized, there was no reason to be down there. I was there because I had to be, and the only thing I saw were people mad at the world hell-bent on destruction.

 

[doug]

And the whole discussion on how people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time because they didn't know what was going is just ridiculous.

No one was in the wrong place at the wrong time, downtown was not a banned area.

there was no reason to be down there.

Do you know how many people live down there? Do you know how many people were issued with press passes by the federal government?
I was there, with my press credentials, as were many others, many of these people were also roughed up by idiot cops. But, according to you, no one should have been there....keep on preaching .

 

[doug]

Yup. You destroy my city, I don't give a damn if you got a baton to the face.

I wouldn't give a damn if you got one either....

 

[nfitz]

And the whole discussion on how people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time because they didn't know what was going is just ridiculous. The event and the risks associated with it were well publicized, there was no reason to be down there.

I'm shocked people could still be this ignorant. The kettling at Queen and Spadina was well away from the G20 zone, and in area with a lot of residents. Some people who were caught up in it were simply travelling to work, or living nearby.

The police were way out of control. Their own investigations have said this. I'm not sure the motive of defending what even the police investigations won't defend.

 

[CDL.TO]

Guess this guy walking to work had no reason to be there:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/830858--ttc-worker-caught-in-g20-police-sweep

 

[DanTheMan]

Guess this guy walking to work had no reason to be there:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/830858--ttc-worker-caught-in-g20-police-sweep

Was this the same TTC employee just convicted of torching the cop car? LOL

No but seriously, my opinion on the matter has nothing to do with ignorance but it from personal experience being on the ground, on the opposite side of the line as probably most of you.

Could some things have been handled better? Sure
Did a handful of cops out of thousands let their emotions get the better of them? Sure
Could the same thing be said about some of the civilians down there? Sure

I think however we all need to remember this wasn't an everyday situation and it was extremely fluid. The same people claiming police brutality are the same people yelling that cops didn't do enough to stop the looting. The people complaining about the conditions in the makeshift jail should have perhaps asked their cell-mate to stop flinging their feces around like animals.

This thread has gone just a bit off topic at this point....

 

[doug]

“I told them I wasn’t resisting arrest, that I was on my way to work. I was in full uniform with TTC shirt, pants, full ID, my employee card, everything,†Yau said on Wednesday. “They said, ‘Really? Well, you’re a prisoner today.’ â€

Wow...and some people are stll defending the cops?

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

^Barrel-suckers will be barrel-suckers. It stems from a psychological need to be subservient to (i.e. to please) authority figures. Mommy/daddy issues, possibly some genetic traits...all that good stuff. Most unfortunately, it means that they are unable to have a sensible discussion about police.

For the record, I believe that police should be among the most-revered members of society, because their purpose is to uphold the laws we have agreed, as a society, we ought to have. The fact that police do not inspire such reverence is a function of their behaviour (both the individual "bad apples" and those who shield the bad apples from accountability).

 

[nfitz]

Was this the same TTC employee just convicted of torching the cop car? LOL

I haven't seen any evidence of this.

I think you are lying about this.

Or is it a joke. Good grief, what kind of inhumane person makes jokes about someone who has been so dreadfully abused?

Wow...and some people are stll defending the cops?

Amazing isn't it. The G20 and other recent events have only proven just how corrupt the police are. How anyone can justify the actions of these scum is beyond me. I know a few will say that there's always a few bad apples. But despite wide-spread abuse by police officers, not one police officer did the right thing and arrested a fellow officer for the laws they were so clearly breaking. In many cases it was quite evident that police officers had removed their identification. Any non-corrupt officer would have arrested his fellow officer who removed his identification. This didn't happen once, proving that the police as a whole are generally corrupt. Most should be terminated with prejudice.

 

[cdr108]

Amazing isn't it. The G20 and other recent events have only proven just how corrupt the police are. How anyone can justify the actions of these scum is beyond me. I know a few will say that there's always a few bad apples. But despite wide-spread abuse by police officers, not one police officer did the right thing and arrested a fellow officer for the laws they were so clearly breaking. In many cases it was quite evident that police officers had removed their identification. Any non-corrupt officer would have arrested his fellow officer who removed his identification. This didn't happen once, proving that the police as a whole are generally corrupt. Most should be terminated with prejudice.

what's that thing called ... the blue line of silence ?

 

[nfitz]

what's that thing called ... the blue line of silence ?

That's what they call it. It's corruption, plain and simple - there's no need to make what is little better than organized crime look noble. Not sure why any officer who wasn't bent and corrupt would want to protect someone who only gives him a bad name. It's no wonder so few in this city have respect for the police.