A picture is worth a thousand words. This everyday saying was proven true when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s national police force, shot and killed a newly arrived Polish immigrant at the Vancouver International Airport in October 2007.
___Here is the intro from today’s Globe and Mail:
A bulletproof vest, handgun, baton and pepper spray were not enough to quell the fear RCMP Constable Kwesi Millington says he felt when confronted by Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski during a fatal October 2007 incident at Vancouver airport.
If you have not watched the video, please do, so you can decide on your own whether police action was warranted.
___What immediately strikes me as odd was the violent response of the RCMP. This is in stark contrast to Mr. Dziekanski’s relative calm nature to those around him. Just minutes before he is close to a lady who tries to help him. He does not hurt her. Two security guards are also within 3 feet of him and he also does not hurt them. Further, when he picks up a table and tries to throw it at a glass wall, when people raise their voices in protest, he puts the table down. From these observations I would say that Mr. Dziekanski, while agitated, is not displaying violent actions. I can sympathize with him, after taking a 24 hr flight from his homeland, not being able to find his mother, and not being able to communicate in English.
___One should also note that the Vancouver International Airport is the gateway to Asia. It is so much more international than, say the Toronto International Airport. When I was there I saw and heard more Chinese than English. Announcements were done in 4 languages: English, French, Chinese and Japanese. If you work in this airport you should expect that many people here will not speak English. In fact it is common at most airports to have translators at airports, or at least a phone call away. This is common practice here in Canada.
___There are comments from people in the video that Mr. Dziekanski only spoke Russian. That very well might be, but as someone who has learned 3 foreign languages, there are more ways to communicate than through a spoken language. In fact many tourists, myself included, travel to different parts of the world who do not know the local language and despite this they sight see, eat, find lodging and have a good time. A lack of a common spoken language is not a barrier to basic communication, and should not be used as an excuse to hurt or kill someone.
___I’ve tried to put myself in the position of the 4 RCMP officers, and still cannot understand their actions. I believe their actions to be blatantly aggressive and violent against what appears to be a non violent and unarmed person. Here are four highly trained Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, all with bulletproof vests, guns, batons and pepper spray, against one unarmed Polish imigrant. I see an overwhelming display of force by the RCMP. The RCMP, I thought, represented the top tier of police in Canada. What if they all jumped on him at once, football style? Surely with their combined weight and physical training they would overpower him.
___Instead, Mr. Dziekanski is shot 5 times with a taser, then jumped on, only to subsequently die from his treatment. The inquiry into his death continues this week with the testimony of the RCMP officers involved. No officers will be tried for his death. With overwhelming video evidence I cannot understand nor accept this.
___I see a blatant lack of justice in this case. While I read the officers’ testimony I see they sharply contrast with video evidence. With their training and equipment, these four officers were afraid of a guy brandishing a stapler? Here in Toronto there was a standoff on a TTC bus between an unarmed psychiatric patient and the Toronto Police. Eventually the Toronto Police calmed him down and escorted him off the bus. No harm came to anyone. Why did this polish immigrant not have the same care and consideration?
___It is clear that the four RCMP officers were incompetent, they completely mishandled the case, their training was flawed or insufficient, or a combination of the above. It is clear that these four officers are not fit to put on their uniform. This is not how I feel we should be greeting newly landed immigrants to our lovely country. Canada’s top RCMP officer should apologize to Mr. Dziekanski’s mother and to the people of Poland, and the four officers should be charged with manslaughter. Their badge should not shield them from their violent actions.
___While we point the finger at countries such as China and the US for human rights violations, as Canadians we should also look at cases such as Mr. Dziekanski and acknowledge that we, too, need to improve ourselves. Sadly Mr. Dziekanski will not be able to see our progress. Mr. Dziekanski, welcome to Canada.
Links:
– Taser Inquiry: Could Mounties be charged after all?
– Taser’s Delirium Defense
– Braidwood Inquiry
– B.C. minister hints Mounties could face charges in Taser death
–Perjury charges recommended against Mounties in Dziekanski death
-June 22 2015: Robert Dziekanski Taser death: Kwesi Millington sentenced to 30 months for perjury
The RCMP should be as disgusted with the dishonesty and incompetence displayed by these 4 members of their service as are most Canadians. The RCMP has fostered a belief among its members that they are above the law and that, coupled with the abysmal standard of their recruits has destroyed whatever respect they once deserved.
lets begin with this: no doubt its wrong with what happened to
Robert Dziekanski;
lets look at one common point that happened to Robert Dziekanski
and the motorcyclist that was killed by robinson, neither one pays
taxes, sound sick ??? we , those of us do pay taxes gets a guarantee
we have a lesser chance to be killed, sounds like taxes = protection
money, of course legalized protection money…
the next positive thing about this rcmp’s robinson taser team is
this: we have finally find a way to win ALL olympic medals just by
sending ( and it has been done…robinson has been”promoted”/”transferred”
to olympic security organization… ) and station robins and his taser
team at the airport with vodka and alcohol drinks to taser all those
foreign atheletes … see that is how we can win all olympic medals???
sounds sick??? yes, so let them explain( i am being polite ) why robinson
has been “transferred”/”promoted” to olympic security team??? so rcmp and
their robinson taser team can claim credits for all the olympic medals
won for this country??? and look at all the money we save without investing
in any athelets ???
Pingback: Don Tai (Canada) Blog » Blog Archive » RCMP Officers Illegally Tasered Polish Visitor
Dear RCMP:
What seems to be the problem with respect to trying the four armed RCMP Officers who killed the unarmed Polish visitor to Canada at the Vancouver Airoort? This murder was caught on tape and thus the RCMP have no excuse.
Perhaps you should remember what happened when the LAPD Officers nearly beat the Rodney King black man to death even as he was unarmed many years ago. The biast trial resulted in no charges to the guilty cops and the Blacks rioted with just cause. Is that why our RCMP doing nothing on this case. If so, you are very foolish and/ir forgrtfull. In both cases the racist beating and murder were caught on tape.
Dear RCMP:
How do you feel that we have a two-tiered justice system in Canada. One for the ordinary tax-paying citizen and another, much more leniet, for the RCMP. Toronto Metro Police and the OPP? Would you please tell me what legislation you are using to justify this? I an also very fed up with Judges who give out very leniet sentences for terrible crimes. Is there not some Government Body that keeps tab on how each judge has his/her decisions challanged? Many of us members of the Public are fed up with the lenicy given to those who have committed violent crimes. The U.S.A. System of locking everyone up does not work nor does our very lenied system. What is the third option and where is it being tested?
Victume Statements are vital and should be used in evert court Case. This si the only way that you will ever get an indication of the severity of a crime. Lawyers have hidden agendas and once involved, they take over the TRUTH and you may but probably not ever see it again.
Looking forward to your written reply,
Rob Evans
151 Cliffwood Road
Toronto, Ontario
M2H 2E3
Feb. 28, 2011.
I do not think that anyone deserves to die does not matter what. Specially if someone is innocent :( too bad things like this happen :((