Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Mayor Ford says it's 'time to declare war' on gangs

Mayor Rob Ford blames the bloody Scarborough shooting that left two dead and 24 injured on gangs and says it's "time to declare war" on them.

Earlier in the day, Ford said "everyone has to move on and carry on with their life." But he sounded more aggressive later in the day.

"This is about gangs and gang violence," a statement said. "Frankly, it doesn’t matter if they hurt people with guns or knives, bats or bricks. There is no room in Toronto for violent gangs."

Ford said he plans to meet with Premier Dalton McGuinty soon to discuss gang violence, and will be calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper for support.

"We must use every legal means to make life for these thugs miserable, to put them behind bars, or to run them out of town," he said. "We will not rest until being a gang member is a miserable, undesirable life."

He also called anyone who knows anything about the shooting or saw what happened to call police.

"Some people have suggested there is a gang war brewing," he said. "I don't know if that's true. But, I do know it's time for us to declare war on these violent gangs."

'This is the safest city in the world'

Earlier in the day, Ford stressed Toronto's safety at an impromptu news conference in Scarborough.

He called three high profile public shootings that took place in Toronto in less than two months are really "a couple of isolated and unfortunate incidents."

Ford said then that everyone has to move on with their life. "And the most important thing right now is that we apprehend the suspects and let the courts proceed as they may."

Ford told reporters he toured the scene of the shooting on Danzig Street, in southeast Scarborough.

"It looked like the aftermath of a party, except for a lot of gun casings," he said.

Although he said he was "bothered" by what he saw he still considers the crime an "isolated" incident. He didn't mention if he had met with any of the people forced to flee for their lives.

"I'm just here to support the police," Ford said.

And in spite of the recent brazen shootings at Toronto's Eaton Centre and in Little Italy, Ford continued to insist Toronto is safe.

"You know this is the safest city in the world. I've always said that, and I truly believe it, and the numbers show that."

He didn't specify which statistics he was citing, adding he was "very, very proud to live here. I was born here and intend to spend the rest of my life here. And I encourage other people to come here and enjoy this great city."

Original Article
Source: CBC
Author: cbc

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