Computer issues and 100-hour work weeks have kept me away from the blog for a bit. There are many stories to cover but the two STAR articles in the COMMENTS section seem particularly germane to the intent of this blog.
The first one has to do with the tragic death of Darcy Allan Sheppard, the cyclist who was bumped and then dragged along by Michael Bryant in his SAAB convertible. When this story first broke, readers of this blog may recall that I did not jump in as aggressively as I often do. This is because there were no underlying signs that enabled me to infer things that others sometimes think I’m crazy for inferring–but as readers of this blog know, I have never been wrong in any of my inferences. Some people were salivating over the chance to tear down a “powerful, entitled, elite figure,” which I admit can be fun; but again, I did not take this route because that’s antithetical to critical thinking. Others made this a “class” issue or a “car vs bike” issue. Others tried to paint a sympathetic picture of Mr. Sheppard. All of this is still going on, especially since Mr. Bryant was acquitted. Some argue that he was acquitted because of his position; others argued that he was convicted too quickly because of that position–in order to prevent people from thinking he was getting special treatment. Some question why Mr. Sheppard’s past is being used against him. And on and on it goes.
For what it’s worth, here’s my take: Mr. Sheppard clearly had a tragic childhood the haunted him until his death. I have the utmost sympathy for him and I know how easy it is for someone with such a history to fall into substance abuse as he did. It’s a further tragedy that he was never able to get the help he needed to battle his demons. But those who claim he was turning his life around obviously don’t know about substance abuse: that is, most abusers make that claim at some point, long before they’re ready to do something about it. And most people who even do something about it are going to fail in their efforts the first number of times. These are FACTS.
Another FACT is that Ms. Sheppard was drunk and aggressive the morning of his death. And for weeks before, he was assaulting a number of motorists. Does he deserve to die for this? Of course not. But people have to realize that it has long been shown that we rarely act as we think we would when we’re in a “special” situation. Trained professionals have a hard enough time responding in a calm, rational manner to crises, so why would an average person be expected to do so? That is, Mr. Bryant was assaulted by a drunk, enraged cyclist who was grabbing into his convertible, trying to get at the steering wheel, with Bryant’s wife beside him. Who wouldn’t take off and try to shake loose this guy? That’s the fact. And that’s why Mr. Bryant was released before the case went to trial. It happens all the time and the prosecution is LEGALLY OBLIGED to throw out such cases before they go to court. In fact, I think it happens too often in cases I think they COULD have won. But given the facts of the case that have come to light, there’s no way that a reasonable judge or jury would have convicted Mr. Bryant. That is the fact. That’s all there is. Simple.
If you want to discuss how cycle-unfriendly Toronto is, go ahead. If you want to discuss class wars, go ahead. But be a critical thinker and realize that these issues are irrelevant in the current case.
The only things that bother me about this case is 1) If the VICTIM’S history can be considered relevant in determining the outcome, why is it that the jury is often prevented from learning about the PERPETRATOR’S history, even when this history is directly relevant to the case?! “It’s prejudicial” is the answer. Bullshit. If it’s RELEVANT and helps show a certain pattern that can help people understand the current case, it should be included. And 2) Justice was served because the proper resources were allocated to their fullest extent–likely because of who Mr. Bryant is. Why can’t more effort be put into investigating and prosecuting other cases so that maybe “normal people” can feel that justice has been served far more than it really is? Fucking messed up system…
As for the next story, I’ll comment on it more later. But for now, one of my “heroes,” Andre Marin, is in trouble because he and his managers are reportedly bullying anyone in their staff who is “non-white, overweight or older than 40.” Read the Star article in the COMMENTS section. Maybe Marin is over-zealous in his management style; if so, I hope he is held accountable. However, reading between the lines, it seems that his staff are used to being paid for doing a bad job, and now they are entitled and take umbrage at the fact that they are being asked to improve on their poor work skills.
I really hope that my initial inferences are correct, since Mr. Marin should be considered by all of us in Ontario to be a true hero. Since 2005, he has been holding a bunch of incompetent, apathetic, unethical, entitled asshole MPPs and their lackeys accountable for the first time in the history of Ontario. People don’t like him because he is blunt. Boo hoo. Maybe he’s power-tripping, which I don’t respect. But if he’s not acting inappropriately, he has all my support. Again, if he’s actually ABUSIVE, then I will revise my stance. For now, this looks like more of a smear campaign by those who do not like to be told they are NOT omnipotent…
Ontario ombudsman Andre Marin. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
In a photo released by the family that has filed a lawsuit, OPP officer Pablo Perriera returns landscaping equipment that had earlier been confiscated as stolen property, according to the statement of claim.
Giuseppe “Joe” Sansone, shown with son Joseph Sansone Jr., is behind three waste disposal bin companies.
Kamikar Dhillon is shown in a 2009 court sketch. (Alex Tavshunsky for the Toronto Star)
(TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)
Arif Adnan Syed, owner of 13 of Desi Movers’ aliases, is arrested at his home on Thursday.