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"From the Left"
The 1998 Guelph Tribune columns
July 30, 1998
Small problems that are not dealt with properly do not go away.
The longer they fester, the worse they get. Our police chief should
have learned this a long time ago. Apparently she didn't, and
a situation that could have been put to rest eight and a half
months ago continues to cast a shadow over her department.
Last November 18, in the middle of widespread anger over Bill
160, the Minister of Education came to Guelph for a fund raising
dinner. A couple of thousand teachers, students and parents turned
out to let him know what they thought of his plans to gut the
public education system. The Guelph police, bolstered by reinforcements
from other communities, were obviously inexperienced and ill-prepared
to deal with this crowd. They arrested protesters for actions
which, at larger protests in larger cities, would have gone unnoticed.
By the end of the night, the holding cells at the police station
were full. This was a violation of an agreement reached with the
teachers' unions, and the local labour council, not to hold people
in custody. Those arrested were to have been brought to the station,
charged with breach of the peace and released with instructions
not to return to the protest. With no room left on Fountain St.,
seven women were sent to the Wellington Detention Centre on Stone
Road where they were subjected to the gross indignity of a strip
search. This was unnecessary, and wrong.
The police used the detention centre as an extension of their
holding cells. The women, who shouldn't have been in cells in
the first place, could have gone there under the same rules as
apply at the police station. They would not have been strip searched
downtown, and it should not have happened at Stone Rd. The police
could have made this agreement with the provincial correctional
officers. Having failed to do so, they should have apologized
to the women and assured the community that similar lapses of
judgment will not happen again. This would have resolved the situation.
But the police missed the opportunity. They denied that a problem
exists, and decided no corrective action was called for. They
tried to stonewall the situation, hoping that if they waited long
enough it would go away.
But it didn't. The women showed themselves to be more courageous
and determined than the police had expected. As a result, the
Canadian Civil Liberties Association became involved. Five of
the women filed formal complaints. Now the Ontario Civilian Commission
on Police Services has asked the Waterloo Regional Police to investigate
the complaints. If there is any cause for concern in this, it
is that the Waterloo police were on standby alert last November,
ready to come in to Guelph if the crowd grew bigger, or became
unruly.
The most important thing about this review is that it must be
perceived to be impartial, open and fair. It cannot be seen as
a whitewash of the Guelph force. Such an outcome would not do
either the community or the police any good. There are many good
police officers in Guelph. I've seen them deal with domestic matters
sensitively and carefully. It isn't a stretch for them to extend
this to matters of political and civil protest. It can be seen
as part of the maturing process that people and organizations
go through. One sign of maturity is knowing when to say "I'm sorry."
For the police, that time is now.
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