VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

RCMP FAILS WOMEN

Re: “Charge against gunman's partner attempt to divert attention from RCMP: advocacy group” (Dec. 7 story).

The unfairness of this charge is unfortunately typical of the RCMP. The force is rife with misogyny and this just confirms that.

Female victims would be wary of reporting an assault to any RCMP officer. I am reminded of the tragic killing of a friend and member of our community, Susie Butlin. Susie wrote to the Bible Hill RCMP office, and when no action was forthcoming, she went in and pleaded to an officer to take some action against the fellow who was stalking her and who eventually killed her a short time later. There was no excuse for not paying her killer a visit — a wellness visit, just to perhaps cause him to stop.

Also, the shooting-up of an occupied firehall in Lower Onslow by two RCMP officers during the hunt for the Portapique gunman does nothing to give us confidence they actually know what they are doing.

Victim-blaming isn't the Nova Scotia way.

Don Wilson, Brule Point

AMMO CHARGES BOGUS

Re: “Common-law spouse of mass shooter, two others charged with supplying ammunition” (Dec. 4 story).

It is mind-boggling that the RCMP would even consider a charge of complicity, let alone laying one in the Portapique mass shooting.

To charge three people as “accessories” for supplying ammunition is beyond ludicrous. They did not supply the killer with illegal, smuggled guns; they apparently gave him some bullets! It's not unusual for responsible rural folks to have guns and bullets.

If someone borrows a pen from me and uses it to poke someone's eyes out, am I complicit in the crime? As one advocacy group argued (Dec. 7 story), the RCMP are trying to take the focus off their own poor response to the events of that day by deflecting blame onto someone else.

All the charges, especially those against the perpetrator's partner, should be dropped.

If the RCMP still think they are right to lay the charges, consider that the shooter's car was bought from the federal government surplus: that's right, it's an EX-RCMP vehicle! What next? Will they charge the gas station because it supplied the killer with gasoline?

Bob Found, Indian Harbour

INQUIRY WILL ILLUMINATE

The RCMP charging three people for supplying ammo to the killer is just the tip of the iceberg in their ongoing investigation into Canada's worst mass killing.

The public inquiry into the Portapique killings will also focus on the response time and deployment by the RCMP, because it is central to how the RCMP conducted the initial investigation.

There have been many suggestions by some former RCMP members that the response could have been much more effective. Also, some journalists have put forth some tantalizing conspiracy theories with no foundation.

It's indisputable that this was a nightmarish situation for responding officers and a huge challenge for those in command on the ground.

Having served in Ontario as a police officer and having responded to emergency calls in rural settings on occasion without backup officers available quickly to assist me, I know the danger and difficulties those RCMP officers in Portapique must have been facing.

The shooter killed 22 people and we must never forget that. We will get to the truth as best as possible through the public inquiry, and not through tantalizing conspiracy theories and allegations spread by some people.

Above all, the families of the victims must be kept as informed as possible and brought up to date on the progress of the RCMP investigation.

Jim Hoskins, retired Halifax Regional Police staff sergeant, Halifax

RCMP RESPONSE ON TRIAL

Re: “Common-law spouse of mass shooter, two others charged with supplying ammunition” (Dec. 4 story).

Hopefully this announcement will indeed provide the families of victims of the massacre with some small degree of reassurance about the RCMP'S commitment to this investigation.

Unfortunately, these charges do nothing to address the larger question of why the RCMP failed to intervene despite a decade-long series of public complaints and police reports of the killer's violent outbursts and possession of illegal firearms.

In this forthcoming inquiry, whose terms of reference have yet to be made public, it is the RCMP itself which is on trial, and closure in this instance can only come when all the ingredients of this egregious failure to protect the public are brought to light, and those responsible are held fully accountable for their actions and inaction, as the case may be.

Scott Burbidge, Port Williams

DANGEROUS PURSUIT

Re: “RCMP arrests, searches across Halifax area part of federal investigation by organized crime unit” (Dec. 10 story).

What were the RCMP thinking on Wednesday? There were six RCMP black SUVS or pickup trucks chasing a single vehicle down the off-ramp from the Bicentennial Highway in Halifax. The off-ramp was crowded with vehicles waiting for the light to change so they could exit onto Joseph Howe Drive. As a result, the chase vehicles went down the grass on the right side of the off-ramp, and then all vehicles raced over curbs, across Joseph Howe and down Elliott Street, where they stopped the suspect by ramming his vehicle.

People were standing on the island at the intersection of Joseph Howe and the off-ramp, and there were cyclists in the immediate area. It was a miracle that the RCMP and the suspect's vehicle made it across Joseph Howe without crashing into other vehicles. It was also a miracle that no pedestrians and cyclists were hurt during this chase.

I thought police used common sense and discretion when trying to apprehend a suspect in proximity to pedestrians and other vehicular traffic. Presumably, they could employ other means, such as radioing ahead and blocking off an area.

David Knowles, Bedford

INSIDIOUS ABUSE

I'd like to thank Premier Stephen McNeil for addressing the seriousness of violence against women earlier this month.

Recognizing and accepting you are in an abusive situation takes great courage, and so does moving forward. It is not just physical violence women face; it is hidden abuses, too — psychological, emotional and financial.

If the lawmakers, government and society could hear the silent cries of these abuses, so many women would have the courage to stand up and face their abusers and get the support they need to move forward and live healthier lives.

Families become collateral damage from these abuses, too — they are silent killers of many women. When given the opportunity to break free and to feel supported, women are then on a long road to recovery, and families can begin to heal. It is criminal what hidden abuses do to a person, and the abuser does not pay the consequences of his covert actions.

Please, Mr. Premier, help lawmakers and society recognize the dark triad of hidden abuses. It is insidious and so painful. Many women do not speak up for fear of losing their family and slowly start to normalize the abuse. It is not normal. The cycle of hidden abuses can destroy a person. I hope you can help women who are still stuck break free and feel supported.

Mary Lynne Mackay, Glen Haven