Harry Shannon
Another unpublished letter, this one sent to the Hamilton Spectator. Maybe too easy on the protesters, but the contrast is stark.
Re: Police launch criminal probe into ‘defund’ protest, July 25
In June, Peel police are called to a situation. A 62-year-old man may harm himself with a pocket knife. But he’s not the one to do himself harm. It’s one of the officers who shoots Ejaz Ahmed Choudry dead. The Special Investigations Unit cannot require the officer to be interviewed or even obtain his notes and he remains on full pay at public expense. Thanks to changes made by the Ford government to the Police Services Act, the SIU are hamstrung.
Meanwhile in Hamilton, peaceful protesters concerned about policing hold up traffic and paint a ‘defund’ message on the street. Within hours Hamilton police have launched a criminal investigation. One councillor, a former chair of the police board, calls the protesters ‘hooligans.’
The message seems to be: Police killing, no accountability. Peaceful protest, criminal. Is anyone still wondering about the need for changes in the legislation and policing?
Update: When I posted this, the letter had not appeared in the newspaper, and I assumed it would not be published. It did make it into the paper, on August 8.