Doesn’t matter that they had the wrong guy - he “roughly fit” the description of the person for whom they were looking. Doesn’t matter that he couldn’t respond to their attempts to communicate because of mental and physical disabilities - why ascertain important information like that before tackling a man to the ground? Doesn’t matter that his elderly mother, out for a walk with him that day, TOLD THEM he couldn’t speak because of mental disabilities - no, no. They needed her to shut up so they could hold an innocent man on the ground, stomach down, while he lay dying. But of course the police are cleared. Of course! The police in Toronto aren’t held accountable for their actions, no matter how illogical, no matter how brutal. No matter if they kill innocent people who “roughly fit the description” of a suspect - Toronto police are never, ever in the wrong.
Charles McGillivary was 45. He was out for a summer walk with his mother. They were going to get a slice of pizza. He couldn’t speak, so he used sign language to communicate. He was tackled by police and forcibly held to the ground, despite his mother begging police to stop, telling them he couldn’t speak because of his disabilities. He turned blue, and then he died. His crime? Once again, he “roughly fit the description” of a suspect for whom they were looking.
When his mother begged to go along with him in the ambulance, the police refused and told her to take a cab.
I’d really, really love to know what exactly a police officer would have to do before the SIU calls it wrongdoing. FTP.
