Homeless man’s death ‘hate crime’: protestor
Street people rally to protest charges in beating death Victim’s ex- wife wants to meet attorney general
Street people and their supporters rallying outside Moss Park Armoury yesterday demanded that the beating death of a homeless man be prosecuted as a hate crime.
“We’re angry today,” said Michael Shapcott, research head of the antipoverty Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, which organized the protest.
“ Not angry enough to beat somebody to death, but we’re here to demand justice . . .,” he told a crowd gathered mostly from nearby parks and drop- in centres. “ We want it prosecuted as a hate crime so that homeless people do not remain targets ( of bias).”
Paul Croutch was beaten in his sleeping bag in Moss Park next to the armoury last Wednesday and died hours later in hospital.
Charged with second- degree murder and assault causing bodily harm are three Toronto reserve soldiers from the Queen’s Own Rifles, who train at the armoury: Jeffrey Hall, 21, Mountaz Ibrahim, 23, and Brian Deganis, who turns 22 today. All three made a brief appearance yesterday in provincial court to set further court dates.
Outside the armoury at Queen and Jarvis Sts., relief committee official Beric German called for the building to be torn down and replaced with public housing, saying “ this crime has sent chills through this whole community.” The 100 or so participants were mostly quiet during the hour- long event, watched by a row of 20 uniformed police officers. “ We can’t hold the whole ( armoury) accountable,” said one man, who described himself as homeless but declined to give his name. “ I would want them on my side,” he said of three uniformed reserve soldiers watching from the armoury doors, meaning he valued the country’s military.
Several participants questioned privately why it took police until midnight Friday night of a long weekend to issue anews release of Croutch’s death when he had died two days earlier. The same news release also told of the three arrests made Friday.
Police spokesperson Mark Pugash said in an interview: “ There were two considerations ( for holding back news of the homicide) — public safety and the integrity of the investigation.” The Croutch case will continue to be in the public eye next week when his ex- wife of 25 years, Marilyn Howard of Dawson Creek, B. C., arrives in Toronto. She wants to meet Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant on Tuesday, Shapcott said. Howard, who was divorced in 1993, also plans to attend a memorial service for Croutch Tuesday at the Church of the Holy Trinity. On the hate crime issue , a spokesperson for Bryant said the attorney general would make no comment on how the case would be prosecuted.
University of Toronto criminology professor Mariana Valverde, who also addressed the protest, said that categorizing Croutch’s death as a hate crime might not significantly affect any possible sentence, since murder is already punished severely. But the move might help raise awareness of discrimination against not only homeless people but all “ the visibly and publicly poor,” she said.
At the moment, Valverde said, “ the legal system doesn’t recognize ( homeless people) as an identifiable group for purposes of claiming discrimination.”
Putting forward such a highly visible case as a hate crime might help set a precedent, she said. “ It’s time to take the ( hate crime) issue to the legal system,” Valverde told the crowd.