Blair’s carding comments cross line
Re Carding can cross line, Blair says, Dec. 28 Some of police Chief Bill Blair’s comments cry out for comment: 1. No doubt Mr. Blair has indeed found anonymous “very senior counsel” to reassure him that his “carding” activity is legal, for that is what he’s paying them to do. Instead, let Toronto city council ask the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to retain impartial lawyers to render a verdict on the chief’s continuing attack on the civil rights of Torontonians. 2. Mr. Blair excuses ignoring possible criminal activity by Mayor Rob Ford by pleading a greater interest in other things. However, as he says, “the public may want a different outcome.” It wants its police force to end crime wherever and whenever it finds it. It does not want Mr. Blair diluting his efforts on his “broader focus” — what a contradiction in terms — to “create the outcome (he personally) may want.” If he is, as he claims, “out there to gather all of the evidence,” he ought to have done precisely that in Mr. Ford’s case. It is disingenuous to whine that only the evidence matters and only the courts decide. We pay him to decide every day how to end the crime that is right in front of him. 3. Bandanas are an utter red herring in the investigation of G20. Thousands of Canadians were attacked by Mr. Blair’s force, Ontario police and the RCMP as they worked under a secretive and compliant McGuinty government to impose a security regime organized by Stephen Harper as part of his imperious international showpiece, unilaterally forced on the people of Toronto. The blame for G20 takes in that many offenders, but what are we left with? One poor cop whose superiors have left him to twist in the wind. A single newspaper interview will not bring Mr. Blair to account on this. But we must ignore his petty diversions and press for punitive measures against him and the rest of the guilty. Peter Ferguson, Kimberley Bill Blair is in the wrong job. The head of an armed force charged with protecting civilians mustn’t be an advocate for the troops but an understanding, top-down ruler who demands total obedience and discipline from them. Blair allowed his G20 cops to commit felonious assaults while masked. They clubbed innocent people after removing name tags and wearing helmets that hid their faces. He did fine many of them $100 each for the name-tag removal, so he knew it was wrong; just not wrong enough for him to remain our police chief.
His “troops” were often out of control, operating on incorrect or incomplete instructions from senior officers. They continue to gun down civilians and he wants to issue even more of the oftendeadly Tasers that will further encourage poorly trained officers to fire them into mentally disturbed civilians whom more professional police would handle without causing harm. Frank Touby, Toronto I was dismayed to see the nonchalance with which Bill Blair dismisses Torontonians’ civil rights. Blair said he thinks “there is a point at which, if a person is detained without justification, then it can be illegal.”
I’d like to ask the chief, at what point is having the freedom to go about one’s lawful business without being forcibly detained curtailed “without justification” not illegal? No person who isn’t acting illegally or wanted for a crime should be compelled to submit to police questioning. Period. Even if they are black. Or young. Or live in a poor neighbourhood.
If Blair doesn’t understand this, he’s in the wrong business — at least in a democratic society. Richard van Abbe, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair says that carding can cross a line. I say that carding does cross a line. It should be illegal, and just because it isn’t, doesn’t make it right. Mr. Blair, you seem to be past your “best before” date. You have done enough damage to the city of Toronto. Please resign — and take Rob Ford with you. K. Johnson, Burlington