Update:
There was a story published about this incident in the (highly biased) Vancouver Observer- I believe Ruth Meta’s words are the perfect response:
Jun 30
Lesson On The Charter Of Rights & Freedoms For The Vancouver Casseroles!
Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2012/06/30/lesson-on-the-charter-of-rights-freedoms-for-the-vancouver-casseroles/
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Only time I have ever agreed with Ruth.
Author
Indeed. I don’t agree with Ruth much these days either (she’s a crazy old bat)- but, she hit the nail on the head with this one…
Huuumm… this is retarded. The driver tried to run over a protester. The police should have arrested the driver – not the protester. Let’s take a look at it from a selfish point of view, since a lot of the people who don’t understand this situation is often quite selfish. Imagine you are crossing the street minding your own business. Then, suddenly, a car almost run you over on purpose. A policeman is standing right at the crosswalk. Your expectation is:
a) the policeman is going to, at the very VERY least, give the driver a ticket
b) the policeman is going to beat you up and arrest you for almost getting hit by a car
I’m eagerly awaiting a response.
Author
Watch the video again. The driver reversed, and then slowly went forward- in no way did he try to hit anyone. He certainly tried to make them worried he would, but that is a much different act than trying to hit someone…
I must respectfully disagree—I cannot watch the video right now, but if a driver in any propels his vehicle toward pedestrians in order to get them to move/move more quickly/etc. etc. it is an assault and ought to be punished by law, just the same as if you were walking toward someone and started winding up to take a swing at him, in order to afear him into getting out of the way.
Trying to create the impression of wanting to hit someone with a vehicle could legally constitute assault with a lethal weapon. It is the threat that constitutes the act of assault under recent precedents. If a person proceeds beyond the gesture to an actual strike, that creates the “battery” component.
I would say you are correct, but officers often think that assault means “serious battery” and that anything which isn’t “serious battery” isn’t even arrestable—they use this line typically to get away with assaulting people in the conduct of their business. If an officer touches anyone except to effect an arrest, he has committed a battery and ought to be immediately relieved of his weapon and uniform.
Up to you to post this or not greg, we have gotten into various discussions before normally with me spinning off in a tantrum. I was one of the individuals at the first march on Friday. After seeing a video of myself, being verbally aggressive i’m ashamed. When you’re walking down an ally and a gang starts to surround you, it’s probably time to leave instead of hanging around, and we hung around, outnumbered and afraid they had us escalating our emotions. These are tactics that we KNOW they use. Caged animals will always feel the need to defend themselves, but we should have never gotten into the situation of being caged, and they never should have caged us.
I don’t associate myself with anyone, I believe in organic people built movements that aren’t influenced by a groups mandate. Both sides police and protesters acted irresponsibly. I should have known especially being diagnosed with ptsd, that BOTH sides would want an escalation of violence, which was completely contradictory to why we were all there, which was for peace and EDUCATION (which is the most important of all). The idea has to be understood that Canada is not and never will be Europe or the middle east, and trying to escalate political PASSION and violence to that level is not even close to Canadian. Everyone who unfortunately wants to get away from those politics comes to this country, to not deal with it.
I will no long be attending anymore demonstrations in Canada, say what you want scared or chicken, whatever, I never EVER will believe in physical violence and that was the only place both sides seem to be heading. We are not Europe, you know those polish soccer matches and from what ive experienced at Lazio derby’s, Canadians don’t have the same passion and fight and we should use different methods that fit our CULTURE.
As the officer holding the camera told me, “the CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS no longer exists in this country, there is only law”
art will soon be the only chance at expression we have as human beings, and we should do our best to try and use art to do just that. Tifo
Author
Thank you for your very honest and balanced appraisal of what happened that day- if everyone was as fair in their representation we probably wouldn’t have ended-up with the media circus we are currently experiencing.