Brutality Canada

EDITORIAL from the Caribbean Camera November 2, 2000

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?

Who let the dogs out?

That's the question being asked around town not in reference to the Anslem Douglas - Baha Men hit, but over the behaviour of Toronto police officers in a recent matter.

You see, the cops acted like vicious guard dogs when four of their colleagues appeared in court to answer charges relating to the beating death of Otto Viss outside a downtown convenience store.

Dozens of officers, in full uniform, showed up in court in support of their colleagues, and then physically blocked the media from photographing the accused, intimidating reporters and members of the public with a show of force.

This was appalling for several reasons.

For starters, how is the family of Otto Vass to feel when they see the men accused of being responsible for his death surrounded by an army of police friends? Doesn't this make a mockery of all that the justice system stands for?

It also makes a mockery of policing itself. After all, the police are the people hired to uphold the law. What signal does it send when they come out in full uniform to support persons accused of breaking it? Can we not conclude that this means there are two classes of citizens in this society: the cops who seem to be above the law, and everyone else? Doesn't this fly in the face of everything the Canadian system stands for?

Then there's the fact--as one person later pointed out during a protest over the incident at police headquarters -- that the cops are quick to shove "poor and black people" before the cameras when they are accused of wrongdoing. One memorable example of this was when the television crews were called out at 7 a.m. to cover the arrest at his home of the Black Action Defence Committee's Dudley Laws on immigration charges.

How could they then justify forming a human barricade to protect other persons accused of wrong- doing from said cameras?

As far as we are concerned, Toronto police officers, with the open support of Police Association boss Craig Bromell, are quickly becoming a law unto themselves.

This type of behaviour deserves the harshest possible response from the police brass, who must not only take disciplinary action against the officers involved in this show of force, but must set the rules down to ensure it doesn't happen again. Time to cage these dogs before they cause more harm.

Used with permission.

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