Disgrace. Shame. Obscene. The police demonstrated in Toronto on Saturday that they are simply incapable of keeping the city safe and unwilling to impose law and order. Cruisers set on fire, bricks and stones thrown at will, windows smashed, property destroyed. Why is it that a law-abiding citizen can be stopped on his way to work for fifteen minutes by two or three cops and fined and humiliated because he drove a few miles an hour over some contrived limit or turned left on a empty road that had a cop car hiding but genuine and graphic violence is allowed to occur without challenge?
The police either were not present when rioting was taking place or chose not to act. The rioters were mostly middle-class brats who would run at the first sign of determined resistance but were allowed to have their fun and because of this will repeat the violence over and over again. Police cruisers were abandoned by cops and left to burn – public money going up in smoke of course. There were thousands of armed police present with body armour, weapons and the like. Why, then, was so little done?
Chief Bill Blair should resign but surely won’t – perhaps he is too busy meeting with Gay Pride Parade organisers for next week to actually protect innocent Canadians. I cringe at the thought that these images will be shown across the world and seen in countries that still have police forces more concerned with arresting hoodlums than dealing with so-called hate crimes and appearing diverse and politically correct. If I were a cop today I’d be ashamed to wear the uniform.
PS: An idea. Tell the cops that these anarchist criminals are actually confused, gentle Polish visitors trying to find help at an airport. Not only will deadly force ensue but the police will lie about it all after the fact.
Jim M said on June 27, 2010 at 7:51 am ” Coren, until you have a clue about what policing entails, you might want to think about the old adage of idiots keeping their mouths shut so as to ensure you do not remove all doubt.”
It would have been best if you, Jim M, had kept your mouth shut. What you did was to remove any and all doubt about your idiocy.
Susan, please see my comment about idiots and shut mouths. It applies directly to you.
I am afraid That I have to spell it out to you, again, Jim M.
re: Your comment on June 27, 2010 at 7:51 am; and your repeat of it at 3:06 pm.
In both cases, Jim M, you have done nothing but make a public display of your own, blatant idiocy. You really would not demonstrate your idiocy if you stopped commenting. But you insist on making idiotic comments and making yourself look like an idiot. Stop digging your own hole, Jim M; you are deep enough already.
What’s the matter Jim M? Did I hit a nerve? Well you can stamp your feet and pound your fists all you want, I don’t care. Many of us are fed up with bad policing. So try taking your own adive “think about the old adage of idiots keeping their mouths shut.”
After todays intervention, vis-a-vis the police actions, maybe some of you people should line up and apologize to Jim M. He seems to know what was happening. Let’s start with the women.
When Miller and Blair allowed the tamil-Tiger supporters to assault the Police and rush up onto the highway with babies on strollers, that set the tone for the thugs to know how yellow Miller really is. The Pride parade still has naked males in front of children and yet we hear how it’s legal,well Mr.Miller…slavery was once legal and always wrong.
Females were not allowed to vote,or go to Medical school.
Michael, currently I have a case before the OHRC which may change how Toronto allows the child-abuse to happen right in front of the Police as Miller stays mute to enable it.
The Bank I work for has tied the employees Job agreement to endorsing the Pride parade and it has a special PRIDE Dept. which no other gender or sexual preference group is aforded.
Since the overt nudity is a direct violation to the U.N. Convention for Children’s Rights which canada signed onto,this make me Complicit in enabling harm to children and has forced me to choose to no longer work for the Bank.
The Sec.15 of the Charter and the OHRC Application confirms I have a case because it was accepted as a valid Discrimination on my values to financially support Child-abuse and risk a future retro-active charge for not condemning it or quiting the job to make a stand.
My only downside is that Barbara Hall was also a Mayor of Toronto who allowed the overt nudity in front of children and it’s a conflict of interest for her if she sides with naked males and not Children’s Rights to be free from harm by adults.
I hope this case hits the media because I’m fed up with the cases of Fishermen being pushed into a lake, I also live near the Coffee Time at Bloor&Dundas where the man got $15’000.00 for the alleged slur at him as a Gypsy. I also was almost fired for not towing the party line,but they quickly did a 180 when the Lawyers warned them of a massive Lawsuit for wrongful dimissal.
We had the pro-hamas mob occupy part of Toronto,the pro-Hezballah do it too,and then the Tiger supporters occupy the highway with no arrests or even the CAS to take the children away for their own safety. I worry that this is how little of a value they put on the children just for a cause back home which they are free to leave canada and go fight for it on their soil.
As for the G20,I expect nothing less than the parents fo the thugs caught on video or photos to haul their useless punk child to the nearest Police station to be handed over for the violence and damage.
Anything less should lead to the children being de-sexed to avoid breeding and making the nexxt generation even worse.
No wonder the NDP is upset at Student Debt,I too woould be mad if my child wasted 3 years and $30’000.00 only to be just as stupid as when they entered University.
No way, kandor. Jim M. doesn’t deserve one nor do the police.
As reported today by The Associated Press:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128130297
“Police adopted a more aggressive strategy by going into the crowd to make arrests than the previous day when they stood back as protesters torched four police cars and broke store windows.”
It’s a sad day when cops have to be shamed before they finally decided to do their jobs. If anyone owes an apology it’s the police to the people of Toronto.
Kandor,
Regardless of the “reactionary” methods of the Police, they completely failed to protect public property. Thank God we’re a mostly benign bunch who aren’t apt to start looting when anarchist thugs start smashing windows, but really, where were the cops?
They were in a siege mentality and completely paralyzed, incapable of reacting to events on Yonge. Oh, they might whine about such actions trying to weaken their fortress by sending troops out to deal with the situation, but this doesn’t address what the cops would have done if people were intent to commit real crime to take advantage of their G20 distraction.
There were plenty of resources they could have called on to quell these anarchists. DND had 28 CH146 Griffons tasked for this, I’m certain they could’ve spared a few to fly over these scenes and repel a few SWAT guys in to put a stop to this. Or what, you think it was better to let them roam on a rampage and then arrest them once they were tuckered out?
Guess that latter way of thinking is good for the economy, seeing as all those contractors are getting work fixin’ and cleanin’…at the expense of the public purse! And then there’s the increase to insurance. These businesses are insured by the same companies that provide our home, car and life insurance. Who do you think is going to pay in the long run for that? Not the clowns who caused this damage, as they probably don’t own or pay into any of those three things.
There were plenty of warnings, and the CTV footage clearly shows and records people on cell phones calling the cops about what is happening, and where were they? The cops were well protected and could have stopped this rabble in its tracks and stopped much of the damage done to property. Because of what didn’t happen to stop it is either due to cowardice or incompetence, or maybe even both.
This article is dead on. Why do YOUR elected officials continue to allow this crap? Why are YOUR police which YOU pay for not issued shoot-to-kill orders? We are told by our Progressive Liberal media that a simple TEA Party protest, or a pro-Democracy demonstration is dangerous and yet again and again we see that the violence is committed by Leftists, anarchists, Communists, Progressives, Liberals, Environmentalist Wackos, Anti-Capitalists, etc. All hail from the Left Wing. All are thugs and criminals.
Police officers follow the orders of their leadership. Chief Bill Blair is a politician who follows the orders of his own political bosses. The voters of Toronto elected those political bosses. This is what it’s all about. Your criticism of the actual on-duty police is overdone.
Damned if they do; damned if they don’t.
CJ, Kandor,
You’re both correct. Military or Cops, it’s all about chain of command, especially for a big op like this. I don’t think anybody here admonishes the stiffs on duty wearing the helmets for lack of action.
The trickledown effect of the policies to “not” follow the TO forces’ motto of “Serve and Protect” are so ingrained that their lack of action is as much following orders as it is indoctrination (fully supported by the Police union no doubt).
The police deployment factor is the real issue in this instance. If we had some intelligent police leadership instead of the politically-appointed, the politically-correct and the employment-equity (affirmative-action) hires, we would have had some real police leadership that was based on proven experience and merit.
The symbolically torched police cruisers will forever be etched in people’s minds as a police force that couldn’t even protect their own cars. Much like France, Sweden and other European countries who’ve got more experience in the car-burning business by immigrant “youths”, this first-time scenario in Toronto could have been mitigated or entirely prevented by having four-man crews in each car — 2 or 3 to make any necessary vandal arrests and the driver only mandated to protecting his cruiser.
Then we have ninja-warrior types masquerading as police who’re hired to “protect & serve” NOT the public, but their political masters. The militarized troops are the brainwashed pawns in this game who have been conditioned to respond with brute force like un-thinking soldiers against anybody not seen as one of “them”. Ya know, the “them and us” attitude.
There’s a big difference between harassing (as per Kathy Shaidle and husband) video taping some cops, and those thugs who wilfully set cruisers on fire and shattered plate glass windows on Queen St. W. and other Toronto streets.
I must agree with Michael on this one and I would go one step further. The Police have effectively and subtley taken over Canada. We now live in an official Police State. Now many of you may think I’m overstating it but think about it. The police can now take your car, suspend your license, and fine you 10K for speeding, the Police arrest people for refusal to show “papers”, in fact the police kill/murder people on TV broadcast world-wide, they lie in open court also broadcast world-wide. What happens to them? Nothing ! It will only get worse because Harper effectively killed the ability of the ordinary working man to appeal to the SC of Canada when he revoked funding for Charter appeals.
The Canada I grew up in and loved is gone and it won’t be back soon.
This reminds me of a show I watched on tv once where a British man was talking about the police. I do not recall which part of London this man lived in, but on his street were stationed many cameras. On his way home one night, he was stopped by police officers and questioned profusely. T-he man troubled by this event for awhile. Then one evening, he happened to look out of his apartment window and noticed upon a lamp post a camera aimed directly at his window!! He was being observed by the police! This concluded what he suspected and what this man did next was comical, but proved his point!
He dressed-up as the Predator(from the movie with Arnold) with massive platform shoes and took a stroll down the main street. The police showed-up right away to arrest him. He also had this filmed.
This smart man pointed out that murders, assaults and rapes had been committed along this street in front of all those cameras and the police did not show-up to intervene! Only after the fact! But, to stop some one dressed-up silly or an innocent person on his way home and questioned about where he was coming from and where he was headed, the police have all the time in the world!
The man called this; “selective policing”. And that is exactly what happened in Toronto this past weekend at the G8/G20!
I’m old enough to remember the anti-war protest of the 60′s and early 70′s and yes there were a few in Toronto even though we weren’t involved directly in Vietnam. I attended a few of these protests and without exception the police provoked the protestors. They must arrest people to justify their existence, they will create trouble if necessary.
Why did they not arrest the poeple who were burning the police cars? I think it was the police who were trashing and burning the cars, not protestors.
British policing standards are making their way to Canada. No offence to you Michael. Violent scum advocating violence – no problem with the UK police. A child wanting to be assigned to a work group with other students who could sunderstand English – arrest, detention, fingerprint and DNA sample.
Yukon your dribble exceeds no bounds. To even begin to equate the Vietnam war protests (which in Canada were silly affairs) to the G20 protests is offensive to anyone involved in the original protests. They were not mindless orgies of destruction and vandalism. Quite the opposite, they had a clear purpose, a common goal, broad based support (at least by the 60′s/70′s), and they above all promoted peace. You say the in all cases the police provoked the protestors, are you a fool? The whole point of the anti-war protests were to provoke authority. Just because the protestors for the most part used peaceful methods of protest don’t believe for a minute the aim wasn’t to provoke and embarress the authorities, it was and it worked well. The police campus shootings did more to end the war than all of the marches put together.
I think you killed a few too many of your brain cells back then and what few you have left are going with age if you truly believe the police were trashing their own cars in Toronto.
They should just police.