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.]

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Victoria Police Knee Teen Girl In Ribs During Takedown

A 16-year-old girl was kneed in the ribs and had her face pushed into the ground during an arrest, prompting the Victoria Police Department to review the conduct of two officers.​

The aggressive takedown on Feb. 27 was caught on video by a bystander and posted on Facebook.

The teenager said she had been trying to protect an abandoned dog when she was apprehended. Now she will likely be charged with resisting arrest, and consequently cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

"I am really skinny. Do we really need three officers and animal control to put me on the ground? I think that is completely uncalled for," she told CBC News.

"It was so traumatizing, I have never been arrested … it was just cruel and horrible."

The video shows the officers talking to the teenager and then physically subduing her when she becomes agitated.

According to the teenager, an animal control officer tried to take away the abandoned dog, and when she intervened, the officer also threatened to take away her dog, Buddha. That's when she said the Victoria police were called in.

"I'm resisting arrest because I was trying to figure out why they had the right to take my dog, and they're not answering my questions and they just persist with trying to hurt me."

She was taken into custody and remained there for a few hours.

Const. Mike Russell said the Victoria police are reviewing the arrest.

"Members will be looking at that video, finding out exactly what happened and making sure it was by the book and that everything was OK," he said.

The teenager said she plans to file a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. In the meantime, she must remain in Victoria while she awaits her court appearance.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca/
Author: cbc

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