Toronto’s G20 Summit left a deep, permanent scar in the heart of the city. While some of the protesters may have been lawfully detained for endangering the lives of their peers that weekend, it must be understood that a majority of the citizen’s that were detained and assaulted by the enormous policing force were victims of senseless bullying and unwarranted serial arrests.

Almost 1000 arrests were made in total that weekend by 11000 on-duty officers. Maybe the budget would have been better spent on training fewer officers more diligently on effective mass-crowd control? Instead, our tax dollars promoted acts that severely traumatized our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and placed them in indecent, unbearable conditions comparable to prisons in war-torn, developing countries.

The pain that we have thus far allowed to be inflicted upon our fellow citizens must not be allowed to go without consequence. It is important that we make sure that every victim’s story be told and recorded so to deter such mob-style policing from ever occurring again.

IF YOU ARE A VICTIM OF TORONTO G20:
It is very important for you to contact office of the Independent Police Review Director and send them a detailed account of your encounter with the police. All submissions will be taken into consideration during the Independent Civilian Review of the G20 put together by the Toronto Police Services Board. This review will analyze policing tactics used in Toronto during the G20 summit. The e-file complaints page can be found here: https://www.oiprd.on.ca/OIPRD.Efile/frm_efile_1.aspx?LanguageType=English

You are also strongly encouraged to share your pictures and stories with me. I will be glad to post any submitted content from my readers. You can reach me at contact@newsense.org. It is absolutely paramount that every story be told so that those at fault receive their due consequences, and so that we do not to repeat or allow such negligent, incompetent policing ever again.

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A&E’s hit crime show, The First 48, accompanies cops during the first 48 hours of homicide investigations. The premise of the show is based around the first 48 hours being the most critical time in successfully finding a killer.

Just after midnight on Sunday May 16, 2010, the A&E camera crew filmed a police raid in Detroit that will never air on the show. In fact, those involved are trying their hardest to ensure that no one ever sees the footage.

That morning, Detroit police began their raid on the Jones’ house, by throwing a flash-bang grenade through the window and shooting their way through the door. This grenade landed on or next to little seven year old Aiyana Jones, who was fast asleep on the couch. Upon detonation, Aiyana was severely burnt and then struck and killed by a bullet from the entering police.

In a ridiculous effort to point the finger, Detroit police arrested Aiyana’s grandmother Mertilla Jones. Mertilla was assaulted and humiliated and tested for drugs and gunpowder (all tests came back negative).

Mertilla was quoted on Tuesday saying,

“As soon as they hit the window, I hit the floor, and I went to reach for my granddaughter. I call her Malia—her name is Aiyana—because she’s my Mini-Me. My Mini-Me. I seen the light leave out her eyes. I knew she was dead. She had blood coming out of her mouth. Lord Jesus, I ain’t never seen nothing like that in my life. And my seven-year-old grandbaby! My beautiful, beautiful, gorgeous granddaughter! My goodness! What type of people? What type of people?

You can’t trust the police. You can’t trust Detroit police. You can’t trust them. You can’t trust them. They wouldn’t even let us go check on the other babies. They wouldn’t even let us go check on the other kids. They were so rude to us. And when I see y’all done killed my grandbaby on an effed-up [inaudible], then one of them said, ‘Oh, [bleep],’ and grabbed her up and ran out the house.”

A seven year old baby girl burnt and shot dead by police in North America. How many more children need to die at the hands of foolish policing and “mistakes” before we rise up together and change the system?  I’ll bet this never even made your local six o’clock news. Don’t let it be your baby before you decide to take a stand.

My heart goes out to the Jones family on their tragic loss.

Rest In Peace Aiyana Jones.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/She-Has-A-Name-Aiyana-Jones/122734241085128

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Nations To Nations - A protestor pleas for for the Canadian Government to recognize the needs of the First Nations community

Colonizing forces have spent more than 500 very controversial years developing in North America. Murder, destruction, rape, pillage, slavery, and displacement are all very real words to describe those 500 years. We often try to portray a mothering nation, always ready to aid in problems abroad with hopes of creating stability and shining responsibility; maybe we are only consoling the guilt of a history of violence?

The First Nations people of North America are directly linked to the land which we collect our commodities from, build our structures on and prosper with. They have been displaced a countless number of times and continue to be forced into seclusion. While there are many fighting for the rights of First Nations people, both inside and outside of the community, the idea of restitution needs to be much larger than is currently being discussed.

A problem is never resolved until it is properly addressed from the foundation up. To this present day we have placed plenty of band-aid solutions on the concerns of the First Nations community, but have yet to address their needs on a whole.

As ironic as it might sound, the indigenous people deserve a piece of North America to call their own. It should be a sovereign state for an exclusive, democratic First Nations government that is recognized by the global community. This government should be able to meet the needs of the First Nations people and address the issues of Native American rights in other nations.

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I saw the comandante in the front window seat.
He looked on, but said nothing, as her face hit the street.
She lay, but not long; lots of strength so discreet.
She was strong, but in her eyes there was a spirit so sweet.

In the instant she dropped, I replayed it real slow.
How did they not understand, where she had come from to go.
I wanted to help, but again my courage lay too low.
So I stood there and just watched, like the others in a row.

...in the front window seat

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* CLICK HERE to sign the official petition to President Obama, speaking out against the death penalty for Mumia Abu-Jamal, and all the men, women and children facing execution around the world!

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Help Free The Innocent

Mumia Abu-Jamal: public intellectual, community leader and victim of an intense police plot to hide corruption, at a time when there was no one overseeing police activity in Philadelphia. Since 1995, Mumia has spent his time locked down on death row at Greene, a super-max prison in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. Regardless of his wrongful incarceration, he gallantly continues his creative community work, successfully shedding light on topics that are often kept dim and out of the public’s eye.

Police corruption is very real and happens often enough to be caught on your local 6 o’clock news. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” and that is just what officers in Philadelphia had, absolute power. It wasn’t until 1986 that the Special Investigations Unit was created and began to oversee and investigate into corruption and misconduct. Unfortunately, this came five years too late for Mumia.

Now let’s jump to 1995, 9 years after the inception of the SIU, the 39th District Corruption Scandal was big news. Investigations led by SIU and the FBI told a long time story of police misconduct that led to dozens of arrests of average beat cops to the DA, and even FBI agents who were involved in the investigation. The corruption at 39 and other collaborating divisions was very deep and could be traced back for years. And this brings us back to Mumia Abu Jamal.

Mumia had been charged with the death of Officer Daniel Faulkner. Faulkner was a cop with aspirations of continuing his education with hopes of one day becoming a prosecutor. Officer Faulkner was aware of the rampant corruption that went on within the Philadelphia police force, and along with others opposed to it, he tried to stop it. However, the corruption was very deeply rooted within the police community and proved too difficult to overcome. Faulkner’s knowledge became too large a liability for those involved in the corruption, and on December 9, 1981 (5 years before the SIU came into existence, don’t forget), he was murdered.

At this time, Mumia spent his time working for the community and following his journalistic instinct. Being at the forefront of many civil liberty movements, and being in the position of a renowned journalist and interviewer, he was well aware of the corruption around him and often spoke out about it. Being a very active community speaker made Mumia an excellent target for the framed murder of Daniel Faulkner.

5 Reasons Why Mumia Abu-Jamal Should Be Free
1. Arresting officers were part of a large ring of police corruption
2. Mumia’s appointed council was unqualified to handle a case involving capital punishment
3. The prosecution’s witness was a call girl who was a regular police informant
4. Court stenographer stated in a 2001 affidavit that the presiding judge, Albert Sabo, had exclaimed, “Yeah, and I’m going to help them fry the nigger” when speaking on the sentencing of Mumia
5. Mumia Abu-Jamal has proven himself a valuable asset of the human race, continuing exceptional, inspiring journalism from behind bars

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A broken hour glass
Shines an opportune time.
Now there’s no time to fear
Go and follow the line.
A path of adventure
Leads abrupt change of mind.
Never follow your heart
All the weak living blind.

The door was never shut
Destiny holds a light.
Roam the dark hall of life
Eyes wide shut full of fright.
There’s no end to this game
And that’s just what I like.
Always make a next move
Trust your thought over sight.

When you hear the sand fall
Know it’s your time to go.
There’s no time to half step,
Trust yourself and let go.
Life is but a party
And one day you wont show.
Make the most of your life
Move, smile, learn, love and grow.

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The answer is not to throw away a child's life

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is coming through with an election-time promise to crack down on youth crime. Changes to Canada’s Youth Act are being proposed in order to further ensure that the system has an easier time charging, convicting and sentencing our youth in trouble. The proposed changes are being referred to as Sébastien’s Law, named after Sébastien Lacasse, who was killed in 2004. It was decided that Sébastien’s 17 year old killer was too dangerous to be tried as a youth and was tried and sentenced as an adult.

Some of the changes include:

1. Easier adult sentencing for violent youth offenders
2. A full disclosure of the alleged violent offender’s identity
3. Previous court sanctions can be taken into account for new sentencing
4. Irresponsible behavior becomes a chargeable youth offense

It has been officially determined by the Canadian senate, that juveniles are different from adults and therefore should be subjected to an alternative justice system. The rules set out in the original Youth Act are there to provide the benefit of an easy recovery for young offenders after being charged with a crime. Right now, identities can only be disclosed at the request of the crown, and only if the young offender poses a serious threat to the community. This allows for many young offenders to start fresh at 18, and not be plagued and judged by mistakes from their past.

Yet again, this is another blatant example of how the federal government tries its hardest to provide a false sense of security to its people. The new proposed amendments to the Youth Act will not decrease youth crime; on the contrary, we are making the juvenile rehabilitation process even harder. Should these proposed amendments become official, we are only tightening the gap between the differences in the adult and juvenile justice systems. The long term results of this will only lead to a larger number of hardened career criminals. Most operating with a sense that they have had no other path in life because of those harsh, determining judgments imposed on them in their youth.

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Mr. Money Man, please don’t take my land.
I work so long and hard, can’t you understand.
Lord please, I need a hand, I don’t see you in the sand.
I really need you now, please hold me while I stand.

And time keeps on rolling thru the night.
If I miss the next train will I be alright?
When I come around the corner, if I’m facing the light,
Please Lord don’t judge me bad, I always put up a fight.

Mr. Money Man, please don’t take my car.
I gotta get to work and I work real far.
Lord please, I never had to squeeze or live behind bars.
But if they try to stop me now, they won’t win this war.

And time keeps on rolling thru the night.
If I miss the next train will I be alright?
When I come around the corner, if I’m facing the light,
Please Lord don’t judge me bad, I always put up a fight.

Mr. Money Man, please don’t take my life.
It was you who kept me low, cut me down with your knife.
Oh Lord, they made me do it, now I’m running for life.
Forced to take an action, with a double edge knife.

And time keeps on rolling thru the night.
If I miss the next train will I be alright?
When I come around the corner, if I’m facing the light,
Please Lord don’t judge me bad, I always put up a fight.

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According to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, the number of reported occurrences of police misconduct resulting in injury or death in Ontario, has been steadily increasing since 2004. Police dash cams have proven to be a valuable witness that presents a precise, just and unbiased account of events. They should definitely be a standard requirement of any police force in North America; where our police system is still flawed and filled with deceit. Of course dash cameras are still only a band aid to a much larger problem.

San Jose's new officer cam

In an attempt to step back and address the larger issue of police misconduct on a whole, Canada’s Senate Security Committee release a position paper dealing with the overseeing of police services. The 102 page report calls for similar methods to be used in Canada as being piloted right now in San Jose, CA. Since December ’09, members of San Jose’s police department have participated in a project where a small, audio-video earpiece records each individual officer as they go on about their duties.

This method and device are long overdue considering the history of police misconduct and corruption throughout Canada and the United States. Vancouver, BC has volunteered to pilot a similar program with its officers, but it has been reluctant to assign a date for commencement. It is paramount that we make these devices mandatory for all police departments. The implementing of such a project would certainly be the logical first step in protecting the security of our citizens and ending a terrible reign of terror brought on by those who are there to protect us.

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You need not be a mathematician, historian or English professor to know that ‘proactive government’ equals a big oxymoron. But finally, it pleases me to say that our society may be showing a hint of civilization after all. Since 2008, the provincial government of Alberta has heavily invested in affordable housing for what is part of an attempt to end homelessness over the next 10 years.

The program is designed around the housing first philosophy, also known as Rapid Re-housing. It is currently up and working in many capitol cities across the United States and has now finally touched down in Canada (Alberta and Vancouver). The idea behind the philosophy is to secure a home for all people currently homeless or facing homelessness. Providing a stable home is the first step in a long process which addresses all mental and physical health concerns, and provides free education in order to allow individuals the chance to regain control of their lives.

This program is absolutely necessary and long overdue. Unfortunately it will only work as intended if the assistance truly goes beyond providing housing and delves into the heart of each individual’s personal issue(s). Every year, conditions caused from homelessness claim many lives including children. Unfortunately, it is not only individuals that end up homeless, but rather whole families. No price is too great to pay to provide the gift of private shelter and practical social assistance to every citizen of our country.

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Oh what times we live.
No responsibility, so who’s to blame?
Never time to give.
Lost in generosity, here that ain’t our game.
My destructive thoughts
And my endless list of wants, rule throughout the day.
Understand my soughts.
See this world with swag and flaunts, join this way we play.

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If religion preaches peace and prosperity, then why is the idea of a world without religion often thought to be the more peaceful when compared to our current state of affairs? Often religious lessons are taken out of context and the overzealous end up becoming the greatest sinners of all. Traditions and interpretations mutate overtime leaving a broken telephone effect of a misunderstood story.

The division of church and state is very important to us here in North America, and while we do see some bias towards religious ideals from our leaders and the national holidays we observe, we are still free to practice any religion and its rules at our own discretion. Those living in countries that are heavily influenced by the ideas of their archbishop, usually do not have such liberties.

One of the most controversial debates in state-religion control is the prolife debate. Since 2006 in Nicaragua there has been a zero tolerance policy towards abortions. If caught, those engaged in the process face serious jail time of 10-30 years depending on the circumstances. As a result to this law, women facing maternal death, or women carrying a baby conceived from rape are forced to carry the baby to term. No matter your opinion on abortion, these women are unnecessarily suffering.

Nicaragua is the sixth country to fully ban abortion. Religion is here to provide hope, comfort and understanding for those who seek it. The Buddhist philosophy taught by the Dali Lama says to keep your own beliefs close while keeping an open mind and always showing respect to the beliefs of those around you. We need to continue to promote the separation of state and religion globally; we all deserve to live side by side anywhere in this world as equals and without fear or oppression.

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Familiar faces, lost smiles, most seeming distant today.
What has changed over time, leaving blue skies gray?

When I walk through the valley, walk all alone that day.
Will I blame myself, on judgment day?

Understand me not! But see my will do good.
When push come to shove, I break through where problems once stood.

My face carved deep, by the long paths of time.
Experience always teaches, but leaves your loved ones behind.

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To begin to find the resolution of any problem, you must start by recognizing and understanding that there is in fact a problem. The infamous step one of any get-help series. We as a human race have been battling a cancerous problem that has been eating at our global community since the beginning of time. This cancer is known as racism and it is one of the largest pandemics that our world has ever faced; claiming the lives of billions throughout time.

Unlike many other cancers and pandemics, you need nothing more than genuine goodness to defeat racism. Racism comes from humanity’s instinct to form tribes and communities. Long ago, before travel and civilized intelligence, we formed these tribes and villages based on our similarities out of comfort and security. As centuries pass, we continue to study civilization and psychology and as our world becomes more and more accessible, we now understand that this fear of others (or the unknown), is nothing more than ignorance.

Education is paramount in destroying this pandemic, but many who are educated still remain ignorant. It is important that we also shed this ancient instinct, or tradition if you will, that keeps us in small family units. We must understand that we all have similarities that go beyond our physical characteristics and religious beliefs and that there is only one race in this world and that is the human race. Once we can grasp this concept, many of our world’s most devastating problems will cease to exist.

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Hush now my child,
Go to sleep, no resistance.
To live in this world,
There’s some rules like for instance.

Never talk back,
Must obey all authority.
Step out of line,
And you join the minority.
Regardless your race,
Colour, creed or beliefs,
Look out of place,
For you they send the police.
No, can’t explain,
Or, understand what you did.
Disrupt their order,
And they’ll make sure that you bid.

Life is so short,
Here comes lesson number two.
Knowledge is key,
But only what they teach you.
Din’t think out loud,
Or, even out of the box.
Only read their books,
Ideas bring chains and locks.
Talk how they talk,
Only repeat what you learned.
Follow these steps,
I promise you won’t get burned.

No time to stop,
Ready to hear lesson three?
Keep the mass poor,
That’s modern day slavery.
You can’t be boss,
And no you can’t have a say.
Keep dreams real small,
A worker bee you must stay.
Give them that cheque,
I know you worked real hard.
Don’t pay their tax,
And you will be sent behind bars.

Last but not least,
Now some more, lesson four.
Never can hide,
Your privacy is no more.
Many will laugh,
They’re convinced it’s ok.
How do you feel,
As they watch, listen and prey.
Keep us in check,
Cut us off when we begin.
Always in wrong,
Unless you’re born next of kin.

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The epitome of corruption can be said as brute over brain.

The injustice in justice, take my life like a game.

We progress through time, but what really has changed?

Protect the elite? No more, time for change!

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We send our doctors, lawyers and professors down an extraordinary educational path, before we can trust them to help us with our problems. No one would feel comfortable seeking care from a doctor who has been in training for less than year. So why do we then entrust the most important job in our community to people with little training and education. To become a police officer, you require no more than a high school diploma and good physical and mental health.

This lack of education murdered 258 people in 2009 in the United States; all reported deaths involved police misconduct. All of these deaths were avoidable had the police officers involved known how to react to the situation at the time. Ignorance and poor training leaves these officers with the inability to properly assess situations, and handle confrontation. Unfortunately, the victims of this broken system will always be our loved ones.

There is only one way to fix this problem, we need to educate our police forces. It should be mandatory for all those interested in law enforcement to take a rigorous post-secondary course. This course should delve into psychology, philosophy and mathematics. We need to build a police force that is interested in making the necessary moves to better our communities, instead of an alternate profession for those seeking excitement, power and benefits. Just think of the values such a police force would add to your community.

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Since the collapse of our economy in 2008, debt has become a
household word. The general public is almost expected to have accrued debt over
the past few years. And as the economy strengthens, sacrifices will be made and
debts will be paid off. But for many, debt is not a temporary inconvenience to
be sorted; for many, debt is a way of life.