Pictures copyrighted to Canwest Media Inc., owner of CHCH News in Hamilton.
1. Picture shows of local doctor, being slammed down onto a police car by policemen.
2. Picture shows man who lit up his sign during the candlelight vigil being handcuffed by police, while the doctor is intercepting.
Here is some background on the news story from Niagara Falls Review;
Three people, including a local doctor critical of changes to Fort Erie's hospital, were arrested and charged during a candle-light demonstration at Douglas Memorial Hospital Thursday night.
About 150 protestors gathered at the hospital to rally against the closing of Douglas Memorial’s emergency room, one of the changes made under the Niagara Health System's hospital improvement plan. At 8:25 p.m., police on scene were alerted to a fire that had been set upon the property, specifically, a homemade canvas “H” in front of the hospital, states a press release from Niagara Regional Police. As one officer began to extinguish the fire, the fire setter and apparent owner of the “H” sign began to interfere with the officer, the statement reads. This person was arrested. A large group of protesters began to move towards the officers, surrounding the police car in attempts to prevent both the arrest, as well as the movement of the police car. One protestor sat on the hood of the cruiser as it bagn to move forward and then slid down onto the road in an attempt to prevent the removal of the arrested person from the scene. He was also arrested and later removed from the area. A third protestor began to kick the police cruiser, causing damage to the rear passenger door. This person was arrested.
About 150 protestors gathered at the hospital to rally against the closing of Douglas Memorial’s emergency room, one of the changes made under the Niagara Health System's hospital improvement plan. At 8:25 p.m., police on scene were alerted to a fire that had been set upon the property, specifically, a homemade canvas “H” in front of the hospital, states a press release from Niagara Regional Police. As one officer began to extinguish the fire, the fire setter and apparent owner of the “H” sign began to interfere with the officer, the statement reads. This person was arrested. A large group of protesters began to move towards the officers, surrounding the police car in attempts to prevent both the arrest, as well as the movement of the police car. One protestor sat on the hood of the cruiser as it bagn to move forward and then slid down onto the road in an attempt to prevent the removal of the arrested person from the scene. He was also arrested and later removed from the area. A third protestor began to kick the police cruiser, causing damage to the rear passenger door. This person was arrested.
With more on the news story, head to http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1570225 and http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/communities/FortErie/article/254375 . Watch the footage at http://www.chtv.com/ch/chchnews/video/index.html , scroll down and click on "Hospital demo follow" link.
My rambles and thoughts.
First of all, what the police did is just plain stupid. Handcuffing and slamming a doctor who is the chief of health and is at least 60 sum years old then arresting him? Do they have no respect for the elders at all? This event was a candlelight vigil, and the individual who lit up his sign, brought his OWN sign, and brought his OWN FIRE EXTINGUISHER. How is that arson? It isn't like he's creating public danger by throwing the sign around at people, or at police or he isn't setting fires at THE HOSPITAL. This was his own sign, and he just wanted to show his anger and disbelief and show his support for the hospital. And the police arrest him for doing that? Holy smokes, this is nothing! Remember the CALEDONIA RIOTS AND DISPUTES? Remember the TORONTO TAMIL TIGERS DEMONSTRATION? In each cases, THE PUBLIC was at danger because at Caledonia, First Nations drew guns and assaulted/attacked the police and even the media, and during the Tamil Tigers demonstration, people in draws went on the GARDINER EXPRESSWAY, a highway for god's sakes, and demonstrated their frustration, closing down the roads and caused severe road tieups. And just what did the police do there? The Caledonia dispute was stretched on for 2 years for crying out loud. 2 YEARS. And during each and every single riot, the public's safety was at large. Surely the provincial government could've done something in 730 days. And plus, the Tamil Tigers had demonstrations across the GTA for WEEKS. What did the police do? Oh, just sit there and watch them demonstrate. And people, including the important doctor get arrested for one small incident? Now that's crazy. People there are standing for their right to have access to public health care, isn't that what Harper and McGuinty wanted for Canadians and Ontarioians? And what you see here, is a hospital's ER closing down, setting up paths for future hospitals to close down! What if someone had a gunshot wound and lost a lot of blood? They'd have to go to Welland region hospitals that's SEVERAL KILOMETERS away! How would that person survive? How would people with critical, in need of life-saving surgeries be able to survive that long trip? You are putting people's lives at danger, Mr. McGuinty. Several thousand of them in fact, not just one or two persons. Why couldn't you be the one arrested? You're the one that's putting people's lives at risk, not that man who lit up his OWN sign. This is getting outrageous. At least the two men, including the doctor, later downplayed the incident and forgave them. Niagara Police have stated that they are not regretting what they did and they stand behind the actions of the police officers that night. The action of slamming an elderly doctor to a hood of a police car and wrecking his glasses in the process? Shame. Utter shame on you. I am in disgust. You stand behind actions of doing that to the elderly? Should we all be slamming our elderly, respected doctors onto a hood of a car just because he is standing for the rights of not letting the hospital close its ER down?
Want your say? Got something to rant about? Think you want to disagree with me?
Comment!
