AW@L Statement on Targeted Policing at the Toronto G20 Convergence and the Continued Criminalization of Community Organizations.

September 15th 2010 – Kitchener-Waterloo
G20 Policing, Political Targeting, and Anarchy
The Toronto G20 and G8 summits of so-called “leaders” of the self-described free world were defiantly met by a massive convergence of people oriented towards social justice. Indigenous Nations and anti-poverty groups, migrant justice activists, anti-capitalists, environmentalists, community builders, disAbility rights advocates, radical feminists, anarchists, moms and grandmothers, animal liberation crusaders, maternal health advocates, civil libertarians, liberals, and some people from the right and a score of others from the entire spectrum of the ecological and social justice movements took the streets to share their love and rage. For another time on Turtle Island in 2010, a people’s convergence was met with scorn and repudiation from these uncaring leaders and with violence and violations from the massive security operation mobilized to keep us silent.

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Laurier gives Ombusdman role to Security Guard

January 23, 2009

"This message is being sent on behalf of Dr. Max Blouw, President and Vice-Chancellor

To members of the Laurier Community

I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Laurie will be taking over the responsibility of Ombudsperson, effective February 17, 2009. Jennifer is a member of our Special Constable Service and holds the position of Crime Prevention Officer.

The Ombudsperson is here to respond to any questions or complaints from members of the Laurier community concerning the justice or fairness of the University's regulations, policies, and rules, or the application thereof.

Jennifer can be reached for any related matters at ext 2108 or email to ombuds[@]wlu.ca. For more information on the role of the Ombudsperson Office, please see the Ombudsperson website: at www.wlu.ca"

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Check this out...

York University prevents media from filming sit-in, kicks out reporter

On Monday, December 15, 2008, York University undergraduate and graduate workers and students started a sit-in outside York President Shoukris office. At 7 p.m. the same day, York University security guards kicked-out a City TV reporter from the sit-in. York University security guards have consistently not been allowing media into the sit-in.

Read more and watch video at: rabble.ca

Firecrackers trigger police lockdown at Montreal university

Thursday night's exams cancelled after lockdown

Thursday, December 11, 2008

"A police lockdown at a busy downtown Montreal university that forced thousands of people to hole up inside a building was sparked by a firecracker, officials confirmed late Thursday afternoon.

As many as 20 police squad units and several ambulances rushed to the education pavilion at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQÀM) after numerous 911 calls were made at around 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Students reported hearing detonation-like sounds in the Thérèse-Casgrain Pavilion, while rumours circulated of an armed man inside.

Tactical units surrounded the nine-storey building at the corner of René Lévesque Boulevard and St. Denis Street while students and staff were instructed to stay inside their classrooms and laboratories."

Read full story at: -cbc.ca-

Former Guelph officer cleared by SIU

Tuesday, December 02, 2008
From -570am News-

"A former officer with the Guelph Police Service has been cleared following allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct.

The Special Investigations Unit says there are no reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence took place.

The officer was accused of sexual contact with two teenage girls.
SIU Director Ian Scott says the contact was consensual.

The officer resigned from the Guelph Police service in July."

Montreal officer cleared, inquiry called into teen shooting death

"A Montreal police officer used justified force when he shot a teenager at close range during a brawl in an arena parking lot last summer, Quebec's public prosecutions office said late Monday..."

Read Full story Here: -CBC.ca-
Dec 2, 2008

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Laurier to arm "Special Constables" with Pepper Spray.

But Check this out...

Manitoba Man Pepper Sprayed by RCMP Dies

-From CBC.ca-
December 1, 2008

An investigation is underway following the death of a 43-year-old man who was pepper-sprayed by RCMP in The Pas, Man.

The man died Saturday afternoon, a day after officers had removed him from his ex-wife's home in The Pas, about 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Police were called to the home Friday morning when the man was allegedly intoxicated and had become violent.

Officers managed to arrest him, but police say he became combative.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Line Karpish said there was a struggle, and police used pepper spray against him.

Karpish said officers then noticed the man was in medical distress and took him to the hospital, where he died on Saturday. An autopsy was to be conducted Monday in Winnipeg.

Karpish says police are treating the incident as an "in custody" death.

"As a matter of course because he was under arrest, despite the fact that he was not in our facilities, it is considered by the RCMP as an in-custody death and as such will be investigated accordingly."

Karpish said the officers involved in the arrest have been put on leave during the investigation.

"They were sent home, and we will have to let the investigation take its due course and see what the autopsy reveals."

In October, a Regina man suffered a fatal heart attack after police used pepper spray on him during a struggle. Two other men died in Regina under similar circumstances in 2001.

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Laurier Stages "Critical Incident" and Lockdown Simulation.

On Wednesday November 26, Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) joined Universities across the continent, by stepping up its involvement in the modern Culture of Fear, and the imperial “Global War on Terror”. It is troublesome that Laurier wants to participate in this cultural phenomenon of psychological terrorism. And that is what this "critical incident" lockdown drill on our campus is, an exercise designed to make us afraid.

Check this out…

“Laurier to stage emergency lockdown exercise November 26:
Wilfrid Laurier University will be staging a critical-incident exercise on the Waterloo campus between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26 so that emergency and university personnel can rehearse Laurier’s emergency lockdown procedures.

The exercise will involve a police officer playing the role of an armed intruder who takes hostages inside the Willison Hall residence. There will be a visible police and emergency services presence for this exercise and teams of tactical officers will be on campus with emergency vehicles and full gear.

…We are committed to providing a safe environment for Laurier’s faculty, staff and students, therefore it is important for us as an institution to practice our emergency response plans,” said Laurier president Dr. Max Blouw. “This simulation will allow us to test our lockdown procedures and make improvements as needed.”
-from wlu.ca

Why does Laurier feel the need to run such an exercise? The school has made no meaningful attempt to justify the “critical incident” lockdown exercise, and so it must be seen as part of a pattern that has been emerging across the continent. Since 9-11, schools have been running lockdown drills, emergency scenarios and other "preemptive" or "protective" measures supposedly aimed at ensuring public safety. These measures instead serve as a background condition for the sort of omnipresent Culture of Fear necessary for the Global War on Terror. There was little increase of these sorts of procedures after the Virginia Tech shooting, but while our school tells us this is about “armed intruders,” it is really about making us afraid and complacent.

By focusing public attention on nightmarishly violent scenarios, this Culture of Fear diverts our conversations away from the very real problems at hand in our society and works to ensure that we sleep less soundly at night, all in the name of compliance with increasingly severe restrictions on our freedom. This fear allows us to be complicit in such things as the persecution of minorities, racist wars abroad, and the militarization of our own communities.

Laurier is currently in the process of arming the “Special Constables” on campus with Pepper Spray. Even the Student’s Union has endorsed this move, putting the safety of security above the safety of students. This is despite the fact that the only evidence suggesting that this was a good idea came from a presentation made by a consultancy firm that pushes for Universities to adopt a model of security that would bring armed police onto our campus. They advocate for American style security on Canadian campuses. However, independent research has shown that pepper spray is much better for crowd control situations than for fending off direct assaults or dealing with intoxicated individuals. When pepper spray has been used in combination with physical restraint of an individual arrestee, there have been incidents that have resulted in severe respiratory or other injury, and even deaths. All of which begs the question, what kind of relationship do we want to have with security on our campus—an adversarial one, or one where we are all concerned about mutual safety?

Through both of these acts, the arming of security and "critical incident" simulation, our school is incorporating us deeper into the Culture of Fear that has leaked over our border from the United States. This is something we actually have to be afraid of, not mythical armed invasions or terrorist attacks.

More Info Coming Soon…