Almost a year ago, a man was allegedly assaulted in downtown Toronto. The suspect in the assault, which was severe enough to leave the victim with a broken shoulder, was surrounded by police officers at the time of the incident.
His image was captured on camera and handed over to police. The police knew where the suspect was employed, and spoke with his co-workers and superiors. There is no indication that he skipped town or did anything at all to elude detection.
And yet, nearly 12 months later, he remains at large.
There are only two possible explanations. One is that our police are among the most inept on the continent. The other is that the suspect was a fellow officer.
Guess which one is true.
The officer who allegedly broke Dorian Barton’s shoulder at the G20 Summit has so far escaped charges, and despite the evidence against him, his colleagues refuse to come forward and name him.
Yesterday, June 1, the Police Services Board held the first hearing of its Independent Civilian Review. Many came forward to testify about what they saw during the chaos of the G20, but it will do little good as long as the cops refuse to use plain evidence to identify the criminals in their midst.
After nearly a year, there has yet to be a full accounting for the systematic abuses of power that weekend last June, let alone the arrest of the individual offenders still hiding behind the Blue Wall. Instead, the Toronto Police have just received a pay raise so large – 11 per cent over four years – that other forces say it will drive up the cost of policing across the province.
On Saturday, June 25, Torontonians will gather at Queen’s Park to mark the first anniversary of the G20 and protest the collective stonewalling of our governments and police forces. The Toronto Police will also be there, carrying out their duty to keep the peace and control the crowd. For all we know, the cop who broke Dorian Barton’s shoulder will be in their ranks.
They’d never tell.
