Dve Hartless
Caledonia Resident
Dec 26, 2006
There are times when you have to look back and reflect upon where you have previously trodden and where you are about to tread next. This is a time to take stock, re-evaluate and then forge ahead with renewed vigor...
For those of us common citizens here in the once sleepy town of Caledonia there is a glaring discrepency in the balance of criminality that occurs within this jurisdiction, it is not only performed by the OPP organizationit is actually promoted by them...
We have arrest warrants issued for some of the offences that have occurred in the past, under the watchful eye of the powerless OPP I might add. We have also had some arrests on both sides of this dispute but let these not divert our attention away from the truth, from the reality that a system of wilful bias in policing and two tier Justice exists right here in
Caledonia and it is thriving under these conditions.
There have been acts of terrorism, attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, assault police, simple assault, mischief endangering life, arson, break and enter, mischief to property, public mischief, theft under $5000, theft over $5000, possession of stolen property, intimidation, criminal harassment and the list can and will go on from here..... BUT ..... these things are ok, they can be tolerated, they can even be ignored until that highly touted future date when the OPP can act on the information they know and arrest the perpatrators (we are not holding our collective breath).... These things can occur in front of the OPP while the front line officers who are trained to act immediately in defence of the law are ordered to hold their positions. Do not engage the natives involved because it could be a catalyst for a bigger event, the natives (who by the way are just people like you and I) may riot in defiance, it may become a bigger problem....
There is one crime however that is acted upon with immediate and overwhelming response, the people who commit this act are cognizant of their actions and for the most part have been arrested without incident or scuffle... Did I mention that these people that have been so readily and easily arrested just happen to be non-native Caledonians...
What is this crime wave that streaks through the non-native community in Caledonia, it is the all encompassing Breach of the Peace.
A Breach of the Peace is not a criminal charge it is merely an arrest and temporary detention authority that allows the police to arrest and detain a person committing a common fray or disorder until such time as a Breach of the Peace is no longer imminent.
In simple terms it seems like a reasonable and responsible tool for the police to stop someone acting like an out of control jackass and essentially give them a time out while they calm down, therefore averting a true criminal offence from occurring.
In Caledonia however the practical application of such by the OPP is truly disheartening, arrests for Breach of the Peace have been made against non-native people hanging Canadian Flags or sitting in a deck chair drinking coffee on the DCE. Threats of arrest under the Breach of the Peace provisions have been levied at non-native people for attempting to hang Canadian Flags, attempting to walk onto the DCE (still at last check Provincially owned land), or attempting to remove Native flags hanging from the same hydro poles a Canadian Flag is deemed offensive to fly on. The occupiers too have engaged in various Breaches of the Peace during these same time frames they however were not arrested. In fact during some of the incidents the Breach of the Peace was being solely committed or was about to be committed by the occupiers against the non-natives. This was of course until the non-natives were arrested and removed under the guise of the provisions of the Breach of the Peace section, voila' the Breach of the Peace was deemed no longer imminent.
Does this seem unbalanced to anyone else? Does this seem grossly prejudicial? Does this create an indefenceable air of bias and discrimination?
This is what we live in here in Caledonia, this (amongst other transgressions) is what the OPP command, their policies and practices have subjected us to, and this is why the ability for the OPP to legitimately police this county is non-existent and will never be regained.
Equal application of law, unbiased policing, general equality, this is all the majority of us want and have ever wanted. These things are not present in OPP policed Caledonia, we have been washed aside as a community for thesake of optics and the easiest path of resistance.
REPLACE THE OPP
Bring us back to a place where the colour of ones skin or basis of their heritage does not play a factor in how the law is applied or enforced.
David Hartless
Caledonia