And still no justice for G20 victims

Re G20 anniversary stories, June 27 and 28 Five years after the G20 fiasco, a handful of constables have been found guilty of misconduct, although the guilty verdicts are being appealed. Four other constables implicated in using excessive force against Adam Nobody had their charges dismissed by the Toronto Police Service disciplinary tribunal, while the Special Investigations Unit would not have proceeded with the cases had the Star not produced the incriminating video footage.

Superintendent Mark Fenton, who made the call to “kettle” protesters and bystanders alike, is the only senior commander facing discipline, subject to the outcome of a hearing. Meanwhile the former police chief presiding over this mess is being touted as the star candidate for the federal Liberals.

As the police watchdog, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director has proven abysmally ineffective against an aggressive police union.

Sadly, civil action is now the only avenue of justice for the G20 victims, albeit at a cost to you and me, the taxpayer, who has to ultimately foot the bill for police belligerence. Bob Wong, Richmond Hill

In your coverage of this event that resulted in “the largest mass arrests the country has ever seen,” you missed the role played by the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Against all advice, the G20 was held in the heart of Canada’s largest city. As is evident from the resulting chaos, this decision seems to have been made intentionally in order to send a message and test crowd control techniques.

Why is it that 20,000 police personnel were not able to maintain the peace? It’s apparent that the police were given the “green light” to do whatever was necessary.

The statement by one York Region police officer is instructive: “This ain’t Canada right now.” Ted Turner, Toronto