A Blast (of Pepper Spray) from the Past

[TrollBuster9090]

Run time: 02:27 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CWNKp0Uyyw   Posted on YouTube: August 24, 2007 By YouTube Member: rTarquin Views on YouTube: 3548   Posted on DU: October 19, 2011 By DU Member: TrollBuster9090 Views on DU: 1034

 
Maybe I'm dating myself here, but I was at this APEC protest in Vancouver Canada in 1997.

If you want to see what the fate of NYPD Tony Baloney will probably be in terms of disciplinary action for pepper spraying helpless protesters, check out his Canadian counterpart at about the 1:20 mark.

That's RCMP Sgt. Hugh Stewart (later dubbed "Sargeant Pepper"). The protesters were blocking the motorcade route the world leaders wanted to take, so he told the protesters to move off the road, and then started blasting with a canister of pepper spray before they even had a chance to move.

About 80 people were arrested for carrying protest signs. That was the REAL reason they were arrested, because the protesters would have embarrassed some of the world leaders. But since it's (technically) illegal to arrest people for protesting in Canada, they had to trump up some other reasons for arresting them. Those who were carrying signs were arrested ostensibly because the STICKS in the signs could be used as weapons, and were thus a potential threat. One pair of guys who were holding a banner (that had no sticks) was arrested because they MIGHT have decided to climb the 15 foot security fence, get in front of the limousines, and stretch the banner across the road, thus blinding the drivers. One guy (who was at UBC studying to become a civil liberties lawyer) hung a sign from a coatrack saying "FREE SPEECH." He was arrested. How that sign is embarrassing I'll never know.

80 arrests and...surprisingly..no charges! Fancy that. They just arrested all the high profile protesters before the summit started, strip searched many of them (probably hoping to find some reason for the arrest AFTER the fact-but without any luck), threw them all in jail, and then let them out later the same day without charging them. Funny that.


Anyway...the protesters filed complaints with the RCMP Complaints Commission, and lawsuits. The RCMP Complaints Commission was the FAST part. It wrapped up in 2001, a mere four years later, with only Sargeant Pepper receiving a mild reprimand. The lawsuits are still going on.
The results so far: NADA. NAUGHT. ZIP. NO SALE.

The one and only fall guy to receive any "punishment" was Sargeant Pepper. He received a line of reprimand in his service record for "discharging a firearm without aiming it first." If you look at the video, you'll see that he blasts the cameraman (you) with the pepper spray while his eyes are still looking in another direction.

So...I'll be very surprised if dear old Inspector Baloney gets anything harsher than that.

[midnight]

1. K&R