Tag Archives: Canada

HOW COPS HARASS CITIZENS — THE WETASKIWIN, ALBERTA WAY

Police harassment is a serious issue. No one wants to be hassled by the cops. That’s true, but the vast number of contacts between the police and the public are really good. However, there’re rare times where some cops overstep their civil boundaries and exercise questionable behavior when dealing with citizens. Then, there’s time for fun.

Most police harassment complaints are trumped up or leave something out about what started the conflict. Over my years in policing, I can honestly say I never saw a case where an officer intentionally went overboard without there being some sort of provocation on a citizen’s part. Maybe that’s because I’m from Canada where we’ve got polite policing down to a science—especially our red-coated Mounties who start reading suspect rights with a “Sorry”.

I won’t say legitimate police harassment doesn’t happen. But, I will say there’re usually two sides to a story. Speaking of stories, I got a laugh the other day when a friend shipped me a letter from Wetaskiwin’s local newspaper. For those who’ve never heard of Wetaskiwin, it’s a small town 40 miles south of Edmonton, in the Province of Alberta in western Canada. Like so many Canadian prairie towns, Wetaskiwin has the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) maintaining their right.

They’ve also got an RCMP Sergeant with a great sense of humor. Part of the Wetaskiwin, Alberta RCMP detachment’s community service is maintaining a newspaper crime page. This article was so bang-on that I had to steal the content and post it on DyingWords. With no apologies for plagiarism or copyright invasion, here’s how the good Sergeant replied to this reader question:

“I’d like to know how it’s possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?”

Sergeant Dooright: “First off, let me tell you this—it ain’t easy. In Wetaskiwin and rural surrounding areas, we average one cop for every 505 people. Only about 60 percent of our cops are on general duty (or what you might refer to as “general patrols”). This is where we do most of our harassing.

The rest are in non-harassing units that don’t allow them to contact with day to day innocents. And, at any given moment, only one-fifth of the 60 percent of general patrols are on duty and available for harassing people. The rest are off duty. They don’t want to be bothered harassing people on their own time.

So, roughly, one cop is responsible for regularly harassing about 6000 permanent residents at any given time. When you toss in the commercial business and tourist locations that attract people from other areas, sometimes you got a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing 15,000 people a day. Or maybe even more.

Consider this—your average cop’s eight-hour shift runs 28,800 seconds long. This gives that cop only two-thirds of a second to harass a person. Then they have just another third of a second to sip a Tim Horton’s coffee, scarf a donut, and then find a new person to harass. This isn’t an easy task. Far from it.

To be honest, most cops aren’t up to the challenge day in and day out. It’s just too tiring. What we do is utilize some trade tools to help narrow down those people we can realistically spend time giving quality harassment.

PHONE: People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on a person for special harassment. For example, “My neighbor is beating his wife” is a code phrase often used. This means we’ll come out and give somebody some special harassment. Another popular one is, “There’s a guy breaking into a house.” The harassment team is then put into action.

CARS: We have special cops assigned to harass people who drive. They like to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars with no insurance, or drivers with no licenses and the like. It’s lots of fun when you pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you find they have drugs in the car, they are drunk or have an outstanding warrant on file.

LAWS: When we don’t have phones or cars and have nothing better to do, there are actually books that give us ideas for reasons to harass folks. They’re called “Statutes”. These include the Crimes Act, Summary Offences Act, Land Transport Act and a whole bunch of others.

Laws spell out all sorts of things for how you can really mess with people. After you read the law, you can just drive around for a while until you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass them. Just last week, I saw a guy trying to steal a car. Well, the book says that’s not allowed. That meant I had permission to harass this guy.

It is a really cool system we’ve set up, and it works pretty well. We seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass. And we get away with it. Why? Because, for the good citizens who pay the tab, we try to keep the streets safe for them, and they pay us to “harass” some people.

Next time you’re in small-town Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, give me the old “single finger wave”. That’s another one of those codes. It means, “You can harass me.” It’s one of our favorite harassment go-aheads—and I love getting away with it.”

THE PSYCHO-BATES MOTEL ON VANCOUVER ISLAND

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on Canada’s West Coast is one of the world’s most popular tourist spots—especially those seeking comfort and luxury with unspoiled natural beauty. There’s no shortage of accommodations on “The Island”. That includes options for wealthy and not-so-rich. Most places you find are clean, safe and secure with nothing to worry about. Then, there’s the Psycho-Bates Motel I found on Vancouver Island.

Like, you can’t make this shit up. I’ve lived in Nanaimo on central Vancouver Island for thirty years. I rarely leave because why go out for burgers when you have steak at home. But, sometimes you need to get out of Dodge. So I decided to do the tourist-in-your-own-backyard and surfed the net to plan a road trip on Van Isle.

Tofino and Ucluelet (You-Clue-Lit) are the epitome of Vancouver Island attractions. They’re small sister villages on the extreme west edge of “The Island” about three hours by a windy mountain road from Nanaimo. That grueling drive doesn’t stop folks because the Pacific Rim National Park where Ucluelet (Ukie) and Tofino sit gets about 1 million visits each year. They’re like the Cape Cod and Nantucket of Canada.

It’s shoulder season for Pacific Rim tourism in the spring. That means low room rates. Christmas and New Years with spectacular storm watching bring premium prices. Mid-summer is also crazy expensive with no-vacancies, traffic jams and crowded surf-swept sand beaches. However, mid-April promises great deals as hospitality people hustle for business.

I’ve been over to Tofino and Ukie lots of times. There’s no “must-stay” because new places constantly crop up or old ones change hands. Probably like you, price is always an issue with this guy. Prudently, I went online to look for seasonal deals. But, I wasn’t looking to totally cheap-out, flaunt danger or put my life in serious peril. Here’s what I initially found for lodging before the Psycho-Bates Motel showed up:

Wikininnish Inn — “The Wick” rates as one of Canada’s Top-10 luxury resorts. I went there for New Years dinner once and it nearly broke me. Dinner for 5 was 500 bucks and that didn’t include the cheapest bottle of wine @ $100. Off-season room rates start at $399 per night for no view. It climbs fast if you want a look at the water. No, this was not happening.

Long Beach Lodge Resort — Now, this place is gorgeous. It’s West Coast Craftsman architecture with big timber frames, Douglas Fir trim and blue slate everywhere. The “LBR” is right on a massive sand beach where you see whales from your bed. You have to call for pricing. Nope, not staying there either.
Cox Bay Beach Resort — Another magnificent lodge. I’ve dropped in here too, just to check it out. If I ever win the big one, this is the first stop. Singles start at $225 off-season, but you have to read the fine print. Electricity, running water, locks and wi-fi are a-la-carte. Pass.

Tin-Wis — Now this is a Best Western on Chesterman’s Beach. It’s run by the local native band and I remember my mother sitting on the deck with her “sun-downer” watching the sun go down over the wide open Pacific. Nostalgia apart, the $199 price ain’t there.
Black Rock Oceanfront Resort — This is Ucluelet’s flagship threatening The Wick. It’s cheese-to-chalk in terrain and equally scenic. Where the Wick’s on flat sand, the Rock’s where the name says. I prefer Ukie to Tofino, but @ $250+ I can’t afford staying at the Rock.

Waters Edge Shoreside Suites — This place is interesting and it’s starting to get in the affordable range. They want $183 per night for a room with a view. Non-views are $145. On the safety side, they have complimentary Tsunami warnings as Pacific Rim National Park is part of the Rim-of-Fire where a devastating earthquake and tidal wave is long overdue. Moving on…
Pacific Rim Motel — Hesitantly, I clicked here. Hmmm… this is a really nice facility in my class. Clean. Great location. Simple amenities. And an attractive daily rate of $99. No strings attached. Sadly, it was full. No wonder why.

I figured there must be more shoulder season deals so I kept Googling. I found a few in my under $100 budget. Then… I clicked on the Psycho-Bates Motel.

I’d spent about two hours surfing lodgings. I went to Trivago, Expedia and Craigslist. Something I noticed was most had attractive photos and interactive websites. Most were also on the upsell. The Psycho-Bates Motel was an exception.

My first red flag was their Expedia cover shot. Instead of the gourmet Dungeness crab at the Wick, fabulous fir timbers at the LBR and lovely flower baskets at Cox Bay, I clicked on a bathtub image. Not any ordinary bathtub. No, this one highlighted a stopper with a rusty chain, chipped porcelain and some nasty black mold. All for only 85 bucks a night.

I back-clicked and refreshed. Surely, they couldn’t use this pic as their click-bait? No, the other images were even weirder. A stove with spaghetti-stains. A backsplash with more mold. Something red on the shower curtain. And the toilet? I simply can’t describe it.

I found one photo that really summed it up. No doubt the placed was dated with the colors, the huge tube TV and the phone with a cord. There was a bowl of pet food on the floor and crap on the bed. The metal chair was like something we used in the interrogation room. And when you looked closely at the TV screen, it appeared some porn show was playing.

Being an old cop, coroner and crime writer, this place got my interest. A lot of serious stuff goes down in motel rooms. I had one murder case where 5 people were shot in a motel room. It looked like an abattoir. I’ve had lots of suicides and drug overdoses in motel rooms. They can be messy. Also, tons of tricks get turned in seedy motels that rent by the hour so you never know what’s laying between the sheets. But I never found an online place like the Psycho-Bates Motel. I expected it being managed by a man with a knife. Instead, this motel is run by a woman. A crazy drunk woman.

Sometimes your best accommodation advice can be online reviews. I had to see what others said about their experience here. Trip Adviser for the Psycho-Bates Motel was a gold mine. Like I said, you can’t make this shit up. These are actual quotes of what surviving guests posted.

The place creeped me out. I thought I was becoming sick just from being there. It stank, felt uncomfortable, and the lady at the reception was very rude. I know she was drunk. Would never stay there again or recommend anyone going there. I can deal with a lot, have no high expectations, but the hostel on Seymour in Vancouver was better even – I seriously considered sleeping in my car while my friend was already asleep. Very gross atmosphere. Yiuck! Room Tip: No room would be your best bet on this disgusting place.

Serious bedbug problem, do NOT stay here! My friend was covered in bites after one night, this place is disgusting and should be shut down by the health board. I would rather sleep in my truck than ever stay here again. Room Tip: Do not rent a room here, it is plagued by bedbugs.

We need a low cost place to stay and this seemed a good deal but was terrible. Its hard to find a motel takeing animals and let you smoke but this place was terrible dirty and the manager was real bad when she wouldn’t give us money back for leaving early. She seemed a bit crazy but we wouldn’t argue, just left. Don’t bother going here. Room Tip: you get what you pay for.

Only stayed one night, and glad as the room could be cleaner. Typical dated room with lots of chipped paint, stained grout in tub, etc. Huge clump of black hair in the tub (how do you miss that?!?) with dirty feet prints, and when I patted the bed calling my pooch to jump up, ALOT of dirt flew up. Kind of gross actually. I’m not super fussy, so dealt with it. Room was big, two queen beds (for one person), good larger flat screen tv, coffee maker, microwave, fridge, air conditioner and fan. Enough coffee for one tiny cup only in spite of having two queen beds. When I checking in the room they assigned was still not made up from the previous occupant, had to go back to the front desk and change. The manager woman seemed intoxicated or stoned or on something. If you’re the type that has to have a decent room, go elsewhere. Room Tip: Don’t stay here.

I could not believe that drunk woman at the front desk and how amazingly RUDE she was about everything, straight down to the parking spots. I recommend a different hotel unless being treated like complete garbage!!

This motel is dated, even unadequate if you are not looking for luxury; and the price is cheap. My single room, with one double bed, had a fridge, microwave, coffee maker and TV that didn’t work. Bedsprings are pokey so you sleep ontop the covers. The motel is just across the road from a small plaza with a grocery store, bank, pizza place and coffee shop. The local bus exchange is also very handy when you have to leave fast.

When i booked my room here i assumed that it was a larger size suite going by the description i got from the lying woman i spoke to on the phone. It in fact was very small. The beds and pillows where super uncomfortable and they had a musty overly used smell so gross…. The bathroom was so dirty and the small fridge we got didnt even work. Nether did the tv remote… We were unable to sleep due to a party going on right above us and i must mention the water running constently. When the party faded around 4 am the ongoing traffic took its place big rigs just flying by. A Nightmare. Room Tip: trust me do not waste your money here.

I requested non smoking rooms both stank of smoke, The bed linen stank, it was gross. There was hair in the bathroom, the sofa had stains all over it, there were dirty marks on the walls. stayed one night and i moved to a different place. Room Tip: Beware!

The bathroom is rotting and falling apart. I requested for a non-smoking and the room stink with smoke smell. Others are right about the manager. When I ask for a refund she threatened to call the cops on me. I will never go back.

With a vision of someone standing outside the Psycho-Bates shower with a knife in the air, I moved on to other motel websites with more expensive prices. I found one called The Little Green Cabin at the West Coast Motel on the harbor in downtown Ukie. It was a bit over budget at $110 a night—but it’s safe and a good deal for what I got. Like one reviewer wrote, “You get what you pay for.” No way was I paying to meet drunk Norma Bates.

THE MOOSE HIDE CAMPAIGN—ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & CHILDREN

Violence by men against women and children is a severe, secluded crime in every society. That goes for all forms of male-dominated violence—mental cruelty, beatings within families, child abuse, molestations, sexual assault in social situations, stranger to stranger rapes and sexually-motivated kidnappings with sadistic serial killers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a grassroots movement occurred where men hold other men accountable for violent behavior towards women and children, ending this travesty? Well, it’s happening and just hit one million contacts. It’s called the Moose Hide Campaign.

The Moose Hide Campaign started when a father and daughter realized they could make a difference. Have they ever. In 2011, Paul Lacerte and Raven Lacerte were hunting moose in accordance with their indigenous sustenance rights along British Columbia’s infamous Highway of Tears in northern Canada. Dozens of women have gone missing or were found murdered along this remote road system. It’s part of a pattern where over 1,200 Canadian indigenous women have disappeared or were violently killed in unsolved murders during the past three decades.

Raven and Paul harvested their moose and were field-dressing it. They began discussing the horrid Highway of Tears situation occurring around them and how they could help. As they skinned their moose, they realized the answer was creating a national dialogue to generate widespread awareness of violence against women and children. Getting people to talk and recognize the magnitude of the problem became their mission. As a talk-stimulator, they tanned their moose hide and cut it into one-inch squares, pinning them to as many people as possible. Seven years later, their one-millionth moose hide square got pinned on a very deserving person.

One Million Moose Hide Squares Have Been Handed Out

Inspiring one million people to stop what they’re doing, pin-on a square and discuss ending violence against women is impressive. But that’s nothing compared to the Moose Hide Campaign’s vision to have ten million people wearing moosehide squares and pledging their part. So far, the Moose Hide Campaign extends across every region in Canada. It’s getting international notice as well as high-profile political support. At the 2018 campaign gathering in Victoria, the British Columbia Provincial Government granted $2 million to help fund the campaign. That’s additional to money donated by many strong supporters in the private sector.

The Moose Hide Campaign originated within Canada’s indigenous peoples’ community. It’s far from exclusive, however. Sadly, Canada’s First Nations women and children experience three times the rate of violence compared to main-street Canadian society. That’s not unique to Canada, though. Violence against women and children permeates every country. That includes first-world nations like Australia, Great Britain and the United States.

The Moose Hide Campaign Creed

Promoting family decency, gender equality, healthy relationships and curbing substance abuse are core to the Moose Hide Campaign. In the center of the circle is promoting ideas of positive masculinity where men stand up and hold each other accountable for learned and aggressive behavior. Supporting each other is also central to the Moose Hide movement. This is the creed Moose Hide Campaign male supporters adhere to:

Stand up with women and children.
Speak out against violence towards them.
Support each other as men yet hold violent offenders accountable.
Teach boys about the true meaning of love and respect.
Become healthy role models for youth and other men.
Help, hold accountable and heal those who are violent offenders.
Encourage everyone to take action, make a pledge and pitch in.

Part of the Moose Hide Campaign is helping to address reconciliation from years of systematic abuse against Canada’s indigenous people. Historically, most violent indigenous male offenders were made—not born. For over a century, indigenous people were forced from their traditional lands where sustenance activities like moose hunting were critical to their very survival. Men, women and children were stocked in a reservation system where a cycle of poverty, lack of education, unemployment and suppression of culture created generations of substance abuse and terrible violence.

Reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples

Government agencies reacted to the “Native Problem” by creating residential schools in urban centers. This misguided program took children from their parents and housed them in institutional warehouses where innocent kids were punished for speaking their traditional language and wearing cultural clothes. Behind the shadows, many indigenous children were violently beaten and sexually assaulted. It’s no wonder boys grew into men practicing this learned behavior.

This isn’t making excuses for today’s violent men. It’s a look at reality. The Moose Hide Campaign recognizes horrors of the past and wants that violent behavior to be history. It’s only through actions like those from Raven and Paul Lacerte and their dedicated Moose Hide Campaign supporters that this goal of ending violence against women and children will become a reality.

Currently, there is another large Canadian movement to reconcile wrongs and injustices done to indigenous peoples. Aside from acknowledging, apologizing and compensating for the residential school disaster, there is a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls underway to determine how so many innocent souls have disappeared or been found murdered. At the center of this circle is the Highway of Tears.

The Highway of Tears

Over the past 30+ years, dozens of women have gone missing or were found murdered along the stretch of road from Prince George in central British Columbia to Prince Rupert on the Pacific coast. Undoubtedly, many are victims of one or more serial killers. Despite police putting massive resources into the investigation, they don’t appear close to solving this mystery and ending the problem. The solution needs to come from grassroots prevention.

Abduction, rape and murder are the ultimate acts of violence against women and children. Many of these Highway of Tears victims are indigenous women unfortunately placed in high-risk lifestyles like sex workers and hitchhikers. Those actions make them easy targets for predators like whoever are behind the Highway of Tears tragedy.

The geographic area of the Highway of Tears is symbolic of a much larger region where similar acts occurred or are occurring. The pattern began in the 1970s. Initially, they were known as the Highway Murders. Now, the investigation region expands to include southern and eastern routes. The true victim count could be in the thousands.

This certainly isn’t saying all these missing and murdered women and children are serial killer victims. Many are likely victims of domestic violence or violent acts by someone they’re familiar with. That’s the real signature of violence against women and children. Most of these crimes happen within privacy. Many are never reported.

It’s enough, already. Enough. It has to stop.

The only way to truly end violence against women and children is for everyone to stand up, discuss this massive problem and take action. It’s enough, already. Enough. It has to stop. That starts with supporting movements like the Moose Hide Campaign created by daughter and father, Raven and Paul Lacerte. Bringing this issue into public view and holding violent men accountable is a start. Ending the cycle of violence will work if enough people get involved. It’s a lot of work, and it’s long overdue.

Key to the Moose Hide Campaign’s vision is individuals being inspired to do something about the tragic reality of gender-based and domestic violence. Everyone can find a way to share the campaign message with family, friends, co-workers, organizations and communities. Wearing the moosehide square is a start to engaging conversations… even with complete strangers.

Volunteers for the Moose Hide Campaign pitch in to organize community events and host public kiosks. The spirit is generating awareness and conversations leading to men being held responsible for violent acts. It’s also about helping these men correct their behavior as well as treating and healing underlying issues.

For individuals opposed to moose hunting and using authentic moose hide, there are synthetic squares available. Be assured, all moose hides originate from traditional hunters who harvest moose for food or ceremonial purposes. Many hides come from unfortunate animals in road mishaps. No moose are intentionally hunted to support the Moose Hide Campaign.

For more information on the Moose Hide Campaign, please email garry.rodgers@shaw.ca. Also, please visit the campaign’s website at www.moosehidecampaign.ca. Follow on Facebook and Twitter. Financial donations are appreciated. *No Moose Hide squares are ever sold* The best help you can give is spreading the word about this grassroots movement and raise awareness about the Moose Hide Campaign. Together, we can stand strong to end violence against all women and children.

Here are some interesting links about the Moose Hide Campaign:

Dying Words

Provoking Thoughts on Life, Death, and Writing