Cowards and Apologists: The Police Brutality Rant

February 10, 2009
Mike Cowie (Oredakedo)- www.mikesanddislikes.com

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died

Leonard Cohen, "Everybody Knows"

Cowards. That's the one word that continuously comes to mind when I hear about these out-of-control cops and their tasers.

There have been numerous cases of these weapons being unleashed on harmless victims in recent years, but I think two cases in particular highlight just how cowardly some police have become.

First, we have the ongoing inquiry into Robert Dziekanski's death on the news almost daily, reminding us of how four big, burly, fully-trained cops felt so threatened by a 40-year-old man holding a stapler that they saw no alternative but to zap him five times with thousands of volts of electricity immediately upon encountering him at Vancouver International Airport back in October 2007.

And now we have this new case. A case from last summer in Ontario, which has just come to light in recent days. A case that involves two cops tasering a 14-year-old girl inside a jail cell for - wait for it - refusing to stop scratching at the chipped paint on the jail cell wall.

Is there any other word that comes to mind other than "cowards"? Because "cowards" really does seem like too weak of a word in this case. Well, sure, an assault like this one on a 14-year-old girl certainly does conjure up words like "psychotic", "mentally unstable" and even "evil", but I do think "cowardice" is also appropriate.

In the Vancouver airport case, as we've all seem numerous times on that now-infamous video recording, the four cops didn't even bother trying to restrain Dziekanski, they simply whipped out their tasers and let him have it... over and over again. "Cowards" really seems like the perfect word in this case. Were they scared he might hurt them? If so, then it'd appear that they're not just cowards but also incompetent and improperly trained.

However, as we all know, they are, in fact, well trained in martial arts and their job description clearly involves being able to handcuff someone when necessary without resorting to the use of weapons.

So, considering the fact that they didn't even try to restrain him and instead went straight for their weapons - for the easiest option - I'd say they're not just incompetent, untrained cowards, but lazy as well.

Spare The Taser, Spoil The Paint Job

Now I think we'd all have to agree that a child being tasered for peeling some paint off of a jail cell wall is not only cowardly, but also a clear case of criminal assault. Not that the cops will ever be punished, of course. They never are. When you can get away with killing unarmed 40-year old men then surely you can torture a little teenage girl if the rage-infused notion so strikes you.

But, sadly, this and the Dziekanski case are only two of the worst - and most publicized - cases. There are so many other horrible stories out there: Cops tasering people sitting in their cars, tasering people inside jail cells, tasering people already handcuffed in the back seat of patrol cars, tasering people for not immediately responding to a command in a non-violent situation, repeatedly tasering people when they're already down on the ground.

I'll say it again: This is clearly the work of unprofessional, incompetent cowards.

Knee-jerk Apologists For Brutality

Of course this article you're reading right now, like all others that are provoked by feelings of revulsion and outrage after hearing of yet another case of police brutality, will undoubtedly elicit the typical knee-jerk defensive response from all those either so naive or so completely reactionary that they feel the uncontrollable need to try and excuse even the most horrific cases of police misconduct.

"You don't know what they have to go through each day", the knee-jerkers exclaim. "They risk their lives to keep you safe", they cry out.

All 100% irrelevant nonsense, of course. These people - the police - are paid to PROTECT society, and risking their lives in the line of work is absolutely no excuse for any form of brutality or abuse of power.

But "You don't know what you would do in such a case. Put yourself in their shoes", the apologists bellow, showing an amazing lack of concern for the victims.

Well, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty and that's that I would never be able to live with myself if I ever acted in such a brutal, cowardly manner.

Good Cops

These tasering-at-the-slightest-provocation cops can't make anyone proud. Not their families, not society at large, not even their knee-jerk defenders... and certainly not all the decent cops out there.

And, believe me, there are indeed lots of good cops out there who are sickened by all of this; cops who know how to do their job without brutalizing anyone; cops who take pride in their work; cops willing and able to restrain a 40-year-old man without pulling out their weapons, especially when accompanied by three big strong colleagues.

We all know that these good cops are out there on the job in every community, so why would anyone feel so compelled to come to the defense of those who are so obviously not good and decent? Well, it would seem that the kneeejerkers would want us to believe that all police are good, decent, honest human beings, and that the real problem is not police brutality but rather the media. "How can the media publicize these awful, outlandish, slanderous stories of abuse and misconduct?", they ask. "No police officer would ever behave in such an unprofessional manner".

Now that's obviously just ridiculous, isn't it?

Everybody Knows

Everybody knows that there are sinister, horrific cops out there, particularly in places such as North Korea, Zimbabwe, Iran, Russia, China, Los Angeles, New York, etc. Everybody knows about the case from a few years back of the New York cops convicted of torturing a suspect by ramming a toilet plunger up his ass, rupturing his intestines. Everyone knows about the Rodney King case. Everyone knows about the dreadful history of the horrifically racist cops in the American Deep South who tormented, framed and even murdered African Americans right up until a few decades ago. And this list could go on forever. Bad cops do indeed exist (just like corrupt politicians and businessmen).

So why is it so hard, I wonder, for some people here in Canada to accept that they also exist in our country?

Perhaps these apologists are unaware of those corrupt narc squad cops in Toronto who were selling drugs and beating the shit out of people earlier this decade. Perhaps they're unaware of the numerous reported cases involving cops in the Prairies dropping off Natives on the outskirts of town in the middle of minus-40-degree winter nights. And perhaps they haven't heard of the recent case of the two off-duty cops charged with assaulting and robbing that poor guy in downtown Vancouver last month. And perhaps they haven't read about the hundreds of other police brutality cases here in Canada over the years.

Perhaps they can't read? I don't know. But you'd at least think they'd know how to watch the news.

Seriously, these apologists are a bit ludicrous. They're kind of like the few remaining people who claim that there's no problem with sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church. Not only in their denial of the obvious, but also in their feigning of outrage that anyone would even suggest such a thing.

Respect

The way I see it, anyone who truly respects the police would want these cowards within their ranks immediately removed from the force so that all those cops brave and competent enough to do their jobs properly could go about their work in a professional manner... and in so doing earn the respect and trust of the whole community.

Seriously, who wants the cowards kept on the job smearing the reputation of the whole force?

Sadly, the answer seems to be not just the apologists out in the public, but also the police forces themselves, particularly the RCMP. There clearly seems to be some sort of internal police code that involves doing everything possible to help any and all fellow officers escape punishment, no matter how terrible their behavior. In other words they're smearing their own names.

As one person asked in a comment left in response to my earlier piece on the Robert Dziekanski case, And Injustice For All: Cops Face No Charges In Death of Robert Dziekanski, "Where are the Mounties I grew up to respect?"

Another very interesting comment - one that I think everyone should read - was posted in response to that same article by a former police officer, a cop who's just as appalled by police brutality as almost everyone else out there... and actually did something to try and stop it.

Too Much To Ask?

So, think about it police forces of Canada (and any and all apologists for police brutality out there), wouldn't it in fact be far more logical and productive for you to perhaps consider working for the removal of all the incompetent brutal cowards within your ranks, rather than defending them at all costs?

I mean, seriously, why not champion a courageous, competent, professional police force? Something that could indeed be a reality here in Canada someday... if only the prosecutors, apologists and the police themselves refrained from blocking any and all attempts to bring the cowards to justice and get them removed from the force.

Accountability, professionalism, competence, bravery and an end to violent attacks on newly-arrived immigrants and 14-year-old girls, among others - is it really too much to ask from those paid to protect us?

Mike Cowie (Oredakedo)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

And injustice for all: Cops face no charges in death of Robert Dziekanski

December 14, 2008
By Mike Cowie, Georgia Strait

You who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now's the time for your tears

Bob Dylan, "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll"

The cops who brutally attacked newly-arrived immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport on October 14, 2007, tragically causing his death, will face absolutely no criminal charges. That's right, none.

A year ago, when I wrote my sad and angry piece, "Kill, Duck and Cover: The RCMP Rant", I was outraged and sickened but at least I knew that, with the video evidence the whole world had just seen, there would eventually be some sort of justice for Dziekanski and his heartbroken mother, Sofia Cisowski. Sadly, I was wrong. There will be no justice. None whatsoever.

Self-Investigation
As in just about every other case of police brutality here in Canada, the system has done almost everything possible to protect the cops from prosecution. As is generally the case with police forces around the world, the RCMP almost always tries to protect its own, even if that means keeping its most violent members out on the streets, "protecting" the public.

It's been asked by so many people so many times before, but it really needs to be asked once more here: What the fuck is up with the RCMP investigating itself anyway?! Because that's what happened, once again, in this case. Is it some sort of sick joke? Because I don't get the punch line. And, in case you couldn't guess, they almost never find anything criminal in any of their own actions. Does anyone really think they want to?

A Job Well Done
As for the prosecutors, it's hard not to see them as completely aligned with the cops who they work with day in and day out, rather than with the public who they are supposed to serve. To any regular follower of the news, it would appear that what matters to your typical prosecutor is protecting cops from justice, not protecting the public from brutality, or even death.

"Insufficient evidence to bring charges", they say, even if, in this case, the whole assault is right there on video for all to see.

But it's not just that there's insufficient evidence to press charges. No, it would seem that, in the minds of the prosecutors, this Robert Dziekanski case simply involved standard police procedure. Nothing criminal here at all. And that's not just my opinion, that's what was said Friday by the spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

Not only was there nothing wrong with the actions of these four cops, but, it seems, they did an outstanding job in the way they handled the situation. Seriously!

According to Stan Lowe, spokesman for the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch, "the officers in question were lawfully engaged in their duties when they encountered Mr. Dziekanski and the force they used to subdue and restrain him was reasonable and necessary in all the circumstances”.

The scariest thing is that Lowe went on to say that the officers followed RCMP policy on the use of force. That is to say, the way they violently took the unarmed, non-resisting Dziekanski down is exactly the way they should act in such situations. What is this, fucking North Korea?!

I'd love to see how Mr. Lowe would react if that had been one of his loved ones being taken out in such a "reasonable and necessary" manner.

And just so we all got this right, going in and talking calmly to the man and then handcuffing him and leading him away peacefully would not have been the right course of action. Violently taking him down, now that was the right thing to do.

Apology? Hell no, give these guys medals! He was holding a stapler, after all, and that's pretty scary for four big, muscular, fully-trained-in-hand-to-hand-combat professionals. Hey man, they could have been stapled!

Good Cops/Bad Cops
Obviously, society needs the police and clearly they do put their lives on the line at times. But that in no way excuses brutality in any form. They're simply civil servants paid to do a job for the public. But that's certainly not how some of them act.

Similarly, we need teachers, but I don't hear anyone saying we've got to tolerate any teachers who molest students.

And let's not forget that there are other people out there who risk their lives in the course of their work, most notably firefighters and search and rescue personnel. But we wouldn't tolerate any brutality on their part. So why is it tolerated when the police engage in it?

What we need in this country are good, decent cops who would be sickened by the type of brutal force that was used against Dziekanski. And I believe there are many of them out there who were. We do know that many retired cops have spoken out about their dismay and even disgust at how quickly many police resort to violence and, particularly, the use of the taser these days.

Apologists
The apologists for police brutality will say that it's a tough job and that they're risking their lives, so all is excused. To which I say, what a load of bullshit! Again, firefighters have much more dangerous jobs and risk their lives constantly, but they don't go around killing people who refuse to obey an order now do they?

Those who say that these guys were "just doing their jobs" must seriously think the job of a cop is to use brutal violence against unarmed civilians. But who would think such a thing?

If unprovoked, unnecessary brutality leading to death was just part of the job of the police then their jobs would involve inherently criminal behaviour. And society would need protecting from them. But, of course, their real job involves no such license to rough up such utterly harmless people as Robert Dziekanski.

As a number of retired police officers have said in interviews, these four reckless cops were completely out of control. What was needed here was a calm response to a man in distress. Instead, they barged in and immediately–within 30 seconds–violently tasered him five times.

Excessive Use of Force
If tasering a passive, 40-year-old, unarmed man five times and then jumping on him so he can no longer breathe isn't excessive use of force, what is?

Yeah, ok, if someone's shooting at you, shoot back. But all these other cases–cases of people being shot dead when either armed with just a knife or, in many other cases, tasered or shot to death when completely unarmed–are just ridiculous.

Not As Accepting of Brutality
Last week, a cop killed a teenager in Greece (the first killing of a teenager by police there in over 20 years) and the whole nation erupted into a week-long fit of rage, riots, and repulsion. And the cop was immediately charged with voluntary homicide.

Contrast that with Canada, where three teenagers were shot dead by the police in a one-month period across the country this past summer–and everyone shrugged.

The thing that really gets me is that they don't shoot for the legs, they actually shoot to kill–15-year-olds!

Can you imagine shooting to kill a 15-year-old because he wouldn't drop a knife? Not because he lunged at you, just because he refused repeated orders to drop the knife. That's what happened to a kid in Winnipeg this past summer. There's got to be a more professional–and less lethal–way of dealing with such situations. Perhaps such as trying to talk the person down.

Not Such A Funny Joke
The more cases one reads, the more apparent it becomes that the whole "justice" system is a joke in this country.

Even in the rarest of cases where one cop testifies in court that a shooting by a colleague was unprovoked, such as the horrific case in Vanderhoof, B.C., the judge still let's the killer go free...and back to work.

The only time cops seem to get charged and convicted is when they get caught stealing and/or dealing drugs. That's right, drugs are bad, brutalizing and even killing members of the public is okay.

Hit-and-run drunk driving causing death (with your own kids in the car!), as one of the four cops who killed Dziekanski is now accused of, is pretty unacceptable too. Though I can almost guarantee he'll get a light sentence because he's a cop. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Throw the book at him because he's a cop and should know better than anyone else. Either way, what a guy–killing two innocent people in just one short year.

Embarrassing... To Say The Least
Really now, think about it: Shouldn't the RCMP be extremely embarrassed by the fact that four of their highly-trained officers couldn't handle a 40-year-old man, armed with nothing more than a stapler, in any other way than by tasering him five times and then jumping on him, causing his death?

Far from embarrassment, however, the RCMP seem to have little regret. In fact, it's totally mind-boggling to read RCMP statements about the case and see how incredibly arrogant they are in their belief that they are faultless and that their officers performed to absolute perfection. As always, it seems that it was the victim's own fault (and, man, you can't get much more pathetic than actually trying to blame Dziekanski for his own death - but that's exactly what they, along with the prosecutors, seem to be doing).

A Clear Message
The prosecutors say that the tasers contributed to, but didn't cause Dziekanski's death. But that's hardly the point here. It's not whether the tasers killed him or not. What's certain is that the actions of the cops did. If they hadn't handled the situation in such a violent way, today Dziekanski would still be alive and enjoying his new life in Canada.

Finally, just let me say what a great message I think this sends to all the other cops out there. If you approach an unarmed man with his hands raised who isn't resisting arrest in any way, you can brutally take him down. And if he dies in the process, so be it, you'll face no repercussions whatsoever.

One thing is absolutely clear, though, and that's that the RCMP and the entire "justice" system is set up to protect the police and not the public. Anyone who follows the news on a regular basis and could still argue with that statement is either willingly ignorant or staggeringly blind.

One other thing that no one can argue with is that three of those four cops who used "reasonable and necessary" force against Dziekanski are out there "protecting" us right at this very moment. Almost makes you want to move to Greece.

Mike Cowie is a writer currently embarked on a book about his three-year trip across Asia with his wife, Sonoko. Read more of Mike’s views on his Web site.