Rob Ford's Toronto

[Paleo]

This is just great for the mayor.

The current topic du jour at work is precisely this. Concensus seems to be "I don't like Mayor Ford but this is going too far". Many comment how they would unleash their dogs if someone was peeping behind their backyard and they had kids home. The Star has clearly lost the war for popular opinion, and the mayor has gained an incredible amount of sympathy. Sympathy leads to votes anyway, good job Star.

Doubtful. The faithful will just froth at the mouth for more blood. The unbelievers will be convinced that he's leaving out facts.

I'm of the opinion that Ford has enough of a reputation for not telling the whole truth when prompted for me not to give him the benefit of a doubt.

As for your accounts and descriptions, let's just say I've seen your enough of your posts here and elsewhere that are misleading enough for me not to trust your anecdotes.

 

[Torontovibe]

Ford also knew the journalist. He has admitted that himself. He recognized him immediately, so it wasn't a case of an unknown peeping stranger. Maybe for the neighbour it was, but Ford KNEW the man and therefore KNEW there was no danger to his children. As per usual, he overreacted. And I say that as a parent who had an actual, known child molester peeping in my windows and coming in to my garage looking for my 2 year old child.

Ford knows this guy very well. They have had a number of confrontations in the past, so Ford can't keep saying he was afraid for his children. Ford knew exactly what this was about. To suggest otherwise, is just disingenuous.

 

[PinkLucy]

Royson James weighs in: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1173278--james-i-believe-daniel-dale

 

[nfitz]

This is just great for the mayor.

The current topic du jour at work is precisely this. Concensus seems to be "I don't like Mayor Ford but this is going too far". Many comment how they would unleash their dogs if someone was peeping behind their backyard and they had kids home. The Star has clearly lost the war for popular opinion, and the mayor has gained an incredible amount of sympathy. Sympathy leads to votes anyway, good job Star.

That's not the vibe I'm getting. The reporter was doing his job, and was savagely attacked by Rob Ford, a man he personally knew.

And what's the big deal? The reporter never came near Ford's fence, and was in a city park the whole time. There's no evidence he was spying on anyone (let's see what was in his photos, which I'm sure will be released, when the police return the camera).

There's a lot of evidence that Ford is lying about parts of what happened, the same way he always lies when the police become involved in one of his frequent incidents.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Anyone can walk on the grass in a park. Anyone can examine the topography of a park. Anyone can examine the foliage in a park. Anyone can take photographs in a park.

But apparently if you are a property owner adjacent to a park and then you have the right to keep intruders out of the park, threaten violence, and steal their cell phone and recorder.

 

[glesco]

On the surface, without worrying about cinder blocks etc, you have one guy who has a history of getting himself in little bizzaro dust ups with an assortment of different people and another guy who has been doing his job as a city hall reporter and, until now, has brought no particular notice to himself: who has more credibility?

 

[adma]

If Ford is so worried, he should have moved to a house with a larger lot and de-listed his phone number and got generic license plates.

Or not just a larger lot; one that isn't surrounded on three sides by "public" land.

Something lost on the Sue-Ann Levys of the world who claim that they wouldn't have prowled around David Miller's home; well, duh, other than street frontage there's no place to prowl, otherwise it's hemmed in by private property...

 

[typezed]

Stranger danger is the sort of myth fools who vote for Rob Ford believe. But the biggest dangers to Rob Ford's kids are their father with the rage problem and their seriously drug addicted aunt and her convict boyfriend. Otherwise, vigilant father has so far protected his kids from a sixty-something year old comedian with a plastic sword and a 135lb writer with glasses. The mayor knew who Dale was and why he was there, but he continues to go in front of the camera and raise the suspicion that Dale may have been trying to get a peek at his little ones changing into their pjs. Another Big Lie. Those who vote for Rob Ford also like to think their property rights extend past their property lines. They'll rage about strangers parking in front of their house, or people unknown to them walking through parks near them. Someone wrote above that the writer had entered Ford's domain by walking in a public park. Anyway, the Fords are all about selling public assets to private interests, so why should we be surprised when the Mayor intends to get the ball rolling by fencing off a park so only his kids can play there. They've probably been asking for a pool.

Two things I've learned from this: there is a bunch of debris on public land behind Rob Ford's house, and he lives on a street that is signed at 40kph (Nuts, nuts, nuts).

 

[whatever]

The way those branches are piled really make it look as though one of the nearby residents is illegally dumping their yard waste on public lands. I can't imagine city workers would go to the bother or piling things up so neatly (as opposed to just chipping it and trucking it out)

 

[Palma]

First when the CBC episode happened early in the morning, ford says it was dark(could see cameras I guess( and that happened about 7 or 730am. Now this episode with the reported happened at 730-747pm and Ford says it was dark. Does Ford not see the difference between light and dark? I came out with my son after a soccer practice at 7:45pm from a school gym and it was light. Which means 730 is light too. When was the last time Ford got his eyes checked?
And all this talk that if the reporter had gone in the morning say at 9am things would be different. How? Would the neighbour not have cared there was someone out there on public land in the morning? Are they only concerned when someone is out there at 730pm at night? There would be no difference. And if Ford was concerned with the safety of his family why not call police? Who would take a chance and go out there especially since Ford thought it was so dark

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Or not just a larger lot; one that isn't surrounded on three sides by "public" land.

Something lost on the Sue-Ann Levys of the world who claim that they wouldn't have prowled around David Miller's home; well, duh, other than street frontage there's no place to prowl, otherwise it's hemmed in by private property...

As you know, Miller's home wasn't off bounds to the media either, including the Toronto Star.

 

[grey]

These latest shenanigans have gained the attention of Vice (NSFW):

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/2012-ham-baby-olympics?utm_source=vicefb

 

[W. K. Lis]

Darn. I was going to bid $1 more than what Rob Ford wanted to bid for the parcel of land in question. Thought it might be a good location to put in a brothel, but since Rob didn't want security guards there would be no overlap for the neighbours.

Now it looks like someone else may bid more than me for that parcel of land.

 

[adma]

As you know, Miller's home wasn't off bounds to the media either, including the Toronto Star.

True, but it's the whole "creeping/skulking around the property" aspect. Miller doesn't have a public park to the rear or around the side to enable people to do so (though he does have a ravine slope, I presume; but that backs onto another property).

If I were Miller and spotted some stranger going alongside my house and into the back yard, I'd report said stranger.

 

[Marko]

Ford himself has not claimed to have witnessed Dale standing on the blocks. It was his nosy next door neighbors who made this claim.

Just curious... what would you do if you were doing your dishes (entirely plausible, sink is often at a window and 7:30 is about the right time) and saw someone beyond your property line, taking pictures into your neighbors yard?

Even if said neighbor is a high profile person, I doubt anyone really welcomes this sort of attention. It's a nuisance and it would be unwelcome to just about anyone, and considering the stupid things people say, it's not unreasonable to go warn your neighbor.

Ford may have recognized the reporter when he got close enough, but wouldn't have known who it was when he left his home and went around to confront the person. Yes, it's public property the person is on, but their activities may still be an unwelcome intrusion to the residents along that line. Getting close enough to see who it was, Doug admits he verbally badgered the guy and told him to drop his phone. The guy admits to running away with a big pee stain down the front of his pants - so we just have to wait and see what the contents of the phone and security cameras reveal.

If I were Miller and spotted some stranger going alongside my house and into the back yard, I'd report said stranger.

Yes, and if you were 6' 3" and 300+ lbs, you might feel confident enough to go find out for yourself what was going on. He reportedly did call 911, as you said you would.


You don't have to like the mayor in the least to be able to see his side of the story. No one likes their personal property and privacy being invaded - and you shouldn't have to move to a remote place with an unlisted address to have your privacy respected.