This video was recently put up on youtube, but this event in question took place on December 10, 2008. I arrived late to this event but heard about it ahead of time. Present was a large group of Jane-Finch activists, CityTv and local NDP candidate Kurtis Baily. I arrived after the main speeches were delivered. Basically we were making allegations at 31 Division of various instances of police brutality in the community.
I remember there were two officers present, one which flatly denied any of the charges. If you watch the video you can pretty much see the drama unfolding, the officers assuring the crowd that if any officers were conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner that one could go to the station to make complaints. It is clear that when one is abused by a police officer that he/she wouldn't feel quite comfortable entering a police station to make the complaint. There seems to be such a disconnect between the community, especially one like Jane-Finch and the police officers. This isn't to say I generalize with police officers, as I've met quite a few respectable ones, but the reality that many are no better than uniformed thugs is a truth; a harsh one nonetheless.
It sounds like a place for community members to lodge complaints about police brutality other than the police station itself is needed. Perhaps a community cooperative experiment is possible; a place where people can lodge complaints seperately. Community forums, perhaps, on this subjet are in need, as have be done in other poverty entrenched communities in Scarborough.
There are police/community member townhall meetings every first Monday of the month down at 31 Divison on Norfinch Drive near the Jane-Finch intersection. I was at the last one on the 6th of March. I did a quick interview with Liberal MP Judy Sgro (York West) when I was there for the community radio station (http://www.chry.fm/). Briefly before we did our quick interview I mentioned this event (the demo against police brutality). Judy Sgro made a sort of facial expression that could perhaps be described as a mix between an eye roll and a grin. I cannot guarantee what this reaction meant, but my personal impression was one of not talking the allegation seriously...as if it was merely a joke. From the elitist and out of touch attitudes I've seen from representatives like Judy Sgro and Mario Sergio, I wouldn't be surprised. More on this story later.
