RCMP Spray Infant With Pepper Spray!
What is it with the RCMP and pepper spray!Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police used pepper spray on a mother and her baby!!
Witnesses say officers turned on a group of people celebrating a youth soccer victory, arresting the coach of the soccer team.
Chief Stan Dixon said Tuesday there were eight or nine 13-year-olds in the back of the truck, showing off the trophy they won from a tournament over the weekend.
Fifteen adults and children, including two children under the age of two, were treated at St. Mary's Hospital for exposure to pepper spray. Chief Dixon said he suspects the officers weren't familiar with the band's tradition of celebrating soccer victories, which he said they've been doing since the 1960s.
I don't give a shit if the Mounties feel that they were justified because some guys were standing up in a truck celebrating a sports victory.
There is something terribly wrong when we have yahoo cowboys playing 'tough guy cop' and an infant gets a face full of pepper spray.
I blog a lot of different stories that I find interesting. But this one is bullshit!!! I am pissed off! We should all be pissed off!
Here is the logic of the officers as I see it. 'In order to ensure that the boys standing in the back of the truck celebrating their soccer victory did not get injured, the RCMP pepper sprayed 15 other people! This simply reeks of mindless adherence to the letter of the law without ANY attempt at investigation prior to confrontation and with careless regard for infants, children and mothers! The Royal Canadian Mounted Police SHOULD feel ashamed.
-RCMP Simply Don't Get It!!
-Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs News Release
-CBC has more coverage
What I am curious to know is, how did a Highway Traffic offence turn into a "uncontrolable mob"?
As a side note, did you read the comments section at CBC?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/2007/07/bc_band_furious_over_pepper_sp.html
Posted by
Chad Moats |
11:27 pm, July 03, 2007
Just watched the National on CBC. It looked like the RCMP reacted scared due to the large amount of "protesters"; the RCMP was only with a few.
Nevertheless, the RCMP should never have pepper sprayed infants. Those RCMP who were shitting there pants about the crowed could have asked for more back-up police or simply left the scene.
Instead the one "trigger-happy" officer pulled his pepper-spray; pathetic, and yes, shameful.
What's next, tasering infants?
Posted by
Erik |
11:34 pm, July 03, 2007
As Chad said, this was over a traffic offence!
The logic of the RCMP was this - because it is unsafe for these boys to be standing in the back of the truck, we will pepper spray infants, toddlers, chldren, mothers etc.
This is what happens when an 'authoritarian' mind set is left unchecked.
Someone in the RCMP better get their shit together!!!!'
Posted by
leftdog |
8:19 am, July 04, 2007
Too many power-crazed lunatics are digsuising themselves as potential RCMP officers.
If an RCMP officer is using his pepper spray under these sorts of circumstances, my inclination is to suspect that he was looking for a reason to use it. He had to be looking awfully hard, at that.
Posted by
Patrick Ross |
2:57 pm, July 05, 2007
This is crazy.
Don't trust the RCMP! This is why there is needed an independent civilian oversight committee with real powers to make changes and lay charges. What kind of sense does it make to let the police police themselves?
This is getting outta hand, and someone is gonna end up dead at the hands of one of these power-mad, small-soul, big-gun authoritarians!
Oh, right. People already have. Remember Ian Bush? Remember Darren Varley?
Officers who abuse their power should receive max sentences to be served in general population. Theirs is the most heinous of crimes and should be punished harshly - but ferguson (shot Varley in the head, in the holding cell in Pincher Creek) got released and is appealing his conviction.
Canada is turning into a police state! Don't trust the RCMP!
On the issue of aboriginal treatment by RCMP or police officers - has it ever been fair? Has it ever been equal? Methinks it is the same genocidal view that has been in place since immigration to north america began. Hasn't changed - and most don't want to see it or deal with it. This story isn't news, not really... this type of treatment of aboriginal peoples by police officers happens every day in Canada. False arrest, harrassment, beatings, false charges, intimidation, "starlight" tours... the list goes on.
We need to pay more attention to these issues on a continual basis, not just when one outrageous incident makes national headlines...
Posted by
zoomorph |
10:10 am, July 06, 2007