Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 7699 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 5:05 am Post subject: Torontonians Strike Back At Police Violence! |
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Torontonians Strike Back At Police Violence!
By Maurice Ali, Journalist
Toronto, Canada - A small group of activists and concerned citizens converged on Toronto's Queens Park (home of the Provincial Legislature) to protest the recent police shootings/violence. The reason for this particular march was sparked the killing of a 17 year old Filipino (Jeffery Reodica) by Toronto Police a few weeks ago.
The small gathering at Queens Park.
The group embraced several of the more controversial police slayings and the many placards made testament to this. One of the more notable displays was a placard about Otto Vass who died in what appeared to be a relatively non-threatening situation when police arrived at that incident.
One of the many speakers.
Click Here To Hear Part Of The Speech
After a couple of speeches the group made good it's intention to march to Toronto Police Headquarters. The group which spanned many ethic and racial groups started the slow march to Toronto Police Headquarters lead by Black activist leader Dudley Laws.
One of the many displays at the march.
The marchers chanted slogans and walked down to College Street and then east to past Yonge Street to the site of Toronto Police Headquarters.
Dudley Laws leads the march.
I must say that this was one very behaved group during the march. They chanted slogans and marched peacefully to their destination. The only transgression was the march continuing through a stop light.....heaven forbid......
Final destination at the headquarters of the Toronto Police.
When the group arrived at Toronto Police Headquarters. I could not help but note the familiar NDP (a socialist party here in Canada) sign greeting the marchers to the venue (there always seems to be a political connection at these events, but what else is new). More speeches and songs at the final destination of a rather uneventful march to protest police violence.
So what can we make of this. Well for one, this march was a political statement, and a general all-encompassing one fairly unrelated to the specific statement made yesterday regarding the young Filipino boy recently shot by police. I cannot help but also make note of the fact that this march is occurring at the same time retired chief justice of the Superior Court of Ontario - Patrick Lesage, is leading a formal review of the police complaints system.
With regard to the finality of police violence; the police are trained to shoot to kill (or as they would say: stop the threat) and to fire at the greatest mass: "at the end of the day, this is a job and we all are going home at night" is the familiar mantra of many police officers. The problem with police tactics is that these tactics are trained into the policemen and policewomen to be an almost instinctive reaction. Thus the responsibility for these actions must once again rest with the police chief and his underlings that set policy and training. Bringing their message to police headquarters, would thus seem the appropriate venue to end this statement. I personally try to remain impartial in controversial matters; however, the goal of this organization that I belong to is to give the voice of the "little guy" a hearing. All of the people represented by this group are no longer alive to tell their side of the story, so a sympathetic ear to their plight cannot be construed in any way as a vote for civil disobedience, it is simply civil responsibility.
Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino could not be reached for comment.
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