Brutality Canada Police Brutality O Canada

Say 'No' to Police Violence
October 27, 2001 --

August 13, 7:30pm
come to an organizing meeting,
Rainbow Room, St. Paul's Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. (just west of Spadina and Bloor)

October 27-31,2001: Toronto will host the annual convention of the "International Association of Chiefs of Police". Members of the IACP include Chiefs, Sheriffs and Law Enforcement officers from over 45 countries including Canada, and all 50 states of the US. This event will draw around 15,000 people to the city. Some 650 exhibitors will pay from $4,200 to $29,400 to peddle their wares -- including American Handcuff Co., Electronic Warfare Associates, First Choice Armor & Equipment, Glock Inc., Humane Restraints, Smith & Wesson, and U.S. Armor Corp.

[The above links go to the company web sites. If you do a search for each company in a search engine like google.com, you will bring up many other interesting articles about those companies.]

This conference is billed as a "trade show". But what exactly is being traded? In April of this year, we saw outrageous police violence against protesters in Quebec City. The massive use of tear gas and rubber bullets was an affront to both the demonstrators and the residents of Quebec. Yet at this "trade show" manufacturers of these products will try to increase their profits by promoting their products to police chiefs and their representatives. Look at the history of just one of the companies that will be present. Bell Helicopter Textron stood to earn $66 million last year from the sale of 33 Huey helicopters to the repressive Colombian regime. These warships will increase the capacity of the Colombian government to kill and injure as part of the brutal civil war raging in that country.

Present at this convention will be our own Canadian police chiefs, the ones who have put in place "targeted policing", the ones who oversaw the raid on the women's bath house, and who have presided over the deaths of Dudley George, Otto Vass, Lester Donaldson, Albert Johnson and so many more. Also in attendance will be the police chiefs who have presided over the racist killings of Timothy Thomas (Cincinnati), Amadou Diallo (New York), and the incarceration on death row of Mumia Abu-Jamal (Philadelphia). The chiefs of police of cities in Texas will be present, a state where the death penalty is used at an appalling rate.

The opening ceremony for this "trade show" is scheduled for Saturday, October 27 from 11am to noon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. We appeal to you and your organization to join with us in protesting this event and to send representatives to an organizing meeting Monday August 13, 7:30 pm, Rainbow Room, St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. West (just west of Spadina and Bloor).

Initial sponsors: Black Action Defence Committee / Committee to Stop Targeted Policing / Committee for Justice for Otto Vass / Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty

Add your name: Support the Oct. 27 "No to Police Violence" call to action.

To endorse, send an e-mail to oct27protest@hotmail.com indicating your name, organization, phone number and e-mail address. Indicate if you are endorsing in an individual capacity, or if your organization is endorsing.

Alternatively, you can fax the information to
416-656-2252

See more related articles at EWA-Canada turns its expertise in electronic-warfare systems...

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This page created July 29, 2001