[Tman1]

I just have to laugh at the Flintstone chewables bit...great source of vitaminC.

[Dayseed]

ShepherdsDog wrote:

Don't you remember that you knew everything there is to know by the time you were in Grade 10, like Flinstone Chewables? But then you have finished high school and are on the downslide towards senility and are experiencing memory lapses. See you in the nursing home soon Dayseed, but I likely won't remember you.

Say who now? Are you here to take me to the Bobby Darin show? Back in my day, we used to call hotdogs "pig in a cupped breadie".

Seriously though, to say that the officer is "obviously completely untrained" slants the argument towards provoking an image of some guy, fresh off his shift running the return counter at Futureshop, being given a badge, gun and car and told to come back when he feels tired of goofing around.

In the end, it's even MORE pointless than saying the 22 year old "kid" (yet another linguistic coat of paint) was "obviously completely untrained" in how not to get capped by the po-po.

I reiterate that we should just wait for the fruits of the investigation to see how they taste.

[Robair]

Quote:

Weekend of Services for Ian Bush



The sign at the A&W sent out a call through the community of Houston.


More than 500 people are beleived to have attended the memorial service
for 22 year old Ian Bush, the young man shot to death October 29th while in police custody.



The church parking lot was full, and as the photo shows, vehicles lined the street heading to the church. Those in attendance talked about Ian's love for fishing, and sledding, that even in the summer he would have his sled out tearing across a field or jumping water.




The night before the service, hundreds more gathered for a candlelight memorial for the young man outside the Houston police station where Ian died. Canfor even let one shift off so workers could attend that candlelight service for Ian Bush who had worked at Canfor for three years.


Ian had been arrested by police for "obstruction of justice" after giving a fake name to an officer who had asked Ian to identify himself.


In a release from the RCMP, the police say they were in the process of releasing Ian from the interrogation room when there was a struggle and Ian died. The release failed to mention Ian had been shot in the back of the head. The video monitor was either not working or had been turned off, as there is no record of the events.

[Bigboy]

Yeah thats messed up accouple days after the media said there was no RCMP in site since they've been there.

[ridenrain]

Rodair: Good to see the community pull together. Police should be a part of the community, not imposed upon them. I've got nothing personally (well, not much) against the RCMP but it's a state police force. I'd rather a good natured Barny Fife than a haywire temp, out to make a name for himself.

All I can say is, at least you're not poor East end drug addicts or Indians, because then you'd never get press.

[ridenrain]

This is smelling pretty damned bad.

Quote:

Mounties want to delay review of man's death
RCMP quashes group's complaint over fatal shooting involving officer
SHANNON KARI

From Monday's Globe and Mail

VANCOUVER — The RCMP is attempting to delay a review by its civilian oversight agency into its conduct in the death of Ian Bush, who was shot during a scuffle by a Mountie in October in the Northern British Columbia community of Houston.

The national police force sent a letter to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association last week saying its complaint into the shooting of the 22-year-old mill worker has been terminated.

The civil liberties group filed a complaint with the RCMP last fall, as it does after any death in the custody or at the hands of the RCMP. Mr. Bush was shot at the local RCMP detachment after he was detained for having an open beer in public.

Unsatisfied with the force's response, the civil liberties group requested a review of the shooting by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.

The RCMP letter, which was written by the head of its internal affairs unit in B.C., cites a section of the RCMP Act as authority to quash a complaint.

"Further investigation is not necessary or reasonably practicable at this time," said the letter, which noted that the RCMP criminal investigation has been reviewed by the New Westminster police.

"The complaint has been terminated, because there is an ongoing process that is not yet complete," said Corporal Tom Seaman, a spokesman for the RCMP.

Cpl. Seaman said the B.C. Civil Liberties Association may file a new complaint once the criminal investigation process is over.

The findings of the police investigation were turned over to the Crown more than a month ago to determine if any criminal charges will be laid. A spokesman for Crown counsel in B.C. said Friday it was still reviewing the file.

The Bush family says it has been told virtually nothing by the RCMP about what happened the night of Oct. 29, other than that there was a scuffle at the station between Mr. Bush and Constable Paul Koester, the arresting officer. Minutes later, Mr. Bush lay dead with a bullet in the back of his head.

Jason Gratl, president of the civil liberties group, said this was the first time in any of its complaints that the RCMP Act has been invoked to shut down the process. He said the group does not believe the RCMP has the authority to delay the complaints commission from conducting its review and said this would not interfere with the criminal process.

"There are elaborate procedural protections," for every RCMP officer, Mr. Gratl said. He said the chairman of the complaints commission can make recommendations or call a public hearing, but has no disciplinary authority.

The attempt to terminate the complaint "begs the question, what do they want to hide," Mr. Gratl added. He accused the RCMP in B.C. of using stalling tactics in cases where someone has been shot by police or has died in custody.

The RCMP led the investigation into the death of 16-year-old Kyle Tait, who was a passenger in a stolen car when he was shot and killed by Constable Todd Sweet of the New Westminster police last August. The RCMP investigation of the officer's conduct in the shooting of Mr. Tait was not forwarded to the Crown until last month and it is still reviewing the file. Constable Sweet, who has been a defendant in four lawsuits alleging excessive force, two of which are ongoing and two of which were settled out of court, is on administrative duties. They include the training of police recruits at the Justice Institute of B.C.

The lengthy period to investigate and then determine whether there should be charges in these cases also delays a mandatory coroner's inquest.

The B.C. Coroner's Service confirmed Friday that it will hold an inquest in January into the death of Kevin St. Arnaud, who was shot to death in December 2004 during a police chase by an RCMP officer in Vanderhoof.

The Crown announced in February, 14 months after the shooting, that no charges would be filed. The RCMP complaints commission is reviewing the conduct of the police force in that case.

"Ideally, we would hold an inquest within 12 months of the death occurring," said Jeff Dolan, the assistant deputy chief coroner of B.C.

[Dayseed]

Ridenrain,

As I commented many months ago with regard to this case, let the fruits come forth before casting judgement. Already, there seems to be this idea that since the evidence has not been presented to the public by the police, but rather to the Crown, there is something to hide. I can see that frustrating public inquiry into the RCMP is troubling, but I can also see that the RCMP don't necessarily want the public dictating the investigation by casting judgement on the parts made public.

A person killed in police custody no more inculpates the police than it does the person killed as the cause lacking any other evidence.

Again, if the case is with the Crown, let the Crown bring forth charges it deems necessary by the evidence gathered. Once the circumstances are adduced at trial, let the public judgement begin. If the public demands an inquiry after the court case, so be it. But let's not be planting the seeds for one so prematurely.

[ridenrain]

I'm not really taking a side but when I came across this, I wanted to put it in an existing thread, instead of starting a new one.
All I'm saying is this looks bad. This is taking far too long and people have a right to be angry.

[Dayseed]

Ridenrain,

The next question then is: How long, according to you, should it take? And why that particular length of time?

[ridenrain]

I guess, not fast enough for the folks in Huston.