From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #657 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Tuesday, November 22 2005 Volume 08 : Number 657 In this issue: Editorial: Summit on gun crime "None of it is stopping the gun violence." Letter: Pray for answer to city's gun problem Today in history Jail time vexes police: MAYOR PLEDGES WITNESS SAFETY MCGUINTY REQUESTS SHOOTINGS MEETING Editorial: The wall of silence in Toronto's killings PASTOR WANTS PM TO SEND IN ARMY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:46:26 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Editorial: Summit on gun crime PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: ONT SECTION: Editorial PAGE: A22 WORD COUNT: 435 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summit on gun crime - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No one can, with fairness, accuse Toronto's black leaders of ignoring the gangsters, guns and gore threatening to overwhelm their community. From church to community centre, they are demanding an end to the "code of silence" that keeps witnesses from talking to police. And a group of influential black leaders is travelling to Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Paul Martin today to press for long-term solutions. They need all the help they can get. This is a fight that pastors and business people, lawyers and black police officers, cannot win alone. Gun violence has claimed more than 45 lives in Toronto so far this year, including the brazen slaying last Friday of Amon Beckles, 18, killed while attending the funeral of an earlier shooting victim. In all probability, the death toll won't stop there. The grim arithmetic of gang life dictates that more black youths are unlikely to see another Christmas. The Coalition of African Canadian Organizations has, for months, been calling for a summit of government leaders - federal, provincial and municipal - on the gun crime ravaging this community. As long as it doesn't occur during a federal election, which would turn the event into a callous campaign publicity circus, the Prime Minister should agree to the proposed summit, as should Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller. A large forum pulling everyone together could speed progress on vital reforms such as education programs, advocacy funding and employment initiatives counteracting the dead weight of racism still burdening the black community. Some steps are already being taken, including a new Service Canada Centre announced in the troubled Malvern area yesterday, providing one-stop access to a host of federal assistance programs. That is good news. But more must be done, not just in Malvern, but across Toronto. A summit of government leaders would show the struggling black community that it is not alone confronting gangs and guns and that all Canadians are determined to cut a deadly chain of shootings that, as of now, seems endless. Confidence is vital. When people lack any real hope that gangs can be stopped, few venture to tell police what they know, or testify to what they have seen. Police have responded to the current crisis by concentrating their forces in Toronto's most troubled zones. But they can't be everywhere. The gun crime plaguing Toronto requires deeper solutions than deploying officers at the right street corner, strip mall or funeral service. Toronto police are rightly responding to the broader problem by reaching out to stricken communities, and by making every effort to hire more black officers. Other long-term action includes enhanced recreation programs, job training, mentoring and other initiatives rooted in the community. Leaders, at all levels of government, must work to deliver those changes. And a good first step would be a summit dedicated to reform. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:46:47 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: "None of it is stopping the gun violence." PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL DATE: 2005.11.22 PAGE: A16 BYLINE: JENNIFER LEWINGTON SECTION: Toronto News EDITION: Metro WORD COUNT: 516 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Church-step shooting keeps the heat on Politicians at all levels are under pressure to find a way to curb gun violence - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The brazen shooting on the steps of a church in northwest Toronto -- considered a new low in an already murderous year -- put politicians at all levels of government in the hot seat yesterday with demands they do more to stop gun violence. Hammered in the legislature by opposition critics, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he will meet soon with Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and Brian Lennox, Chief Justice of the Ontario Court. While reciting recent government measures that include beefed-up support for Toronto's guns-and-gangs task force, the Premier conceded, "I think there might be a few things that we might have overlooked." His comments came in response to questions about Toronto's 69th homicide -- 18-year-old Amon Beckles, who was gunned down on Friday as mourners gathered for the church funeral of another 17-year-old gun victim. His death brought to 48 the number of people -- the majority young black men -- shot dead in the city this year. At a separate event in northeast Scarborough yesterday, Mayor David Miller and federal Human Resources Minister Belinda Stronach were peppered with questions about what they can do for neighbourhoods hit by gun violence and poverty. "Friday was different," the mayor said of the jolt to the city from the latest slaying. He and Ms. Stronach were in Malvern in northeast Scarborough to announce $1-million in funding for a new youth job counselling centre. The centre will not be up and running until next spring at the earliest. While praising recent assistance from Ottawa and Queen's Park, the mayor said stemming gun violence is not a problem for political leaders alone. "People can't sit by and say it is the prime minister's responsibility, the premier's responsibility or the mayor's responsibility," he told reporters. "Every single Torontonian can contribute," he added, whether it is in providing information to the police or hiring young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods. "It is the city's job to lead, but it is everybody's job to make the city safe," he said. "It is the community's job to come forward when there are witnesses." Echoing the words of church leaders, he said those with information "need to come forward and say, 'I am not going to be afraid any more, I am going to help put people in jail.' " Like the Premier, Mr. Miller also plans to meet Chief Blair to review lessons learned from last Friday's shooting. No uniformed police were at the funeral, raising questions about their presence at the coming funeral for Mr. Beckles. A spokesman for Chief Blair would say only "we make decisions on a case-by-case basis." Back at Queen's Park, opposition leaders were unimpressed by the Premier's checklist of measures that include more judges, Crown attorneys and probation officers. Community residents "are looking for a greater sense of urgency from their governments, including the government of Ontario," said Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory, calling for new ways for people to relay information to community leaders if they fear phoning in anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers. New Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton chided the Premier. "Yes, you've made a lot of announcements, but when you talk to people out there in the community they're very clear. None of it is effective," he said. "None of it is stopping the gun violence." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:47:45 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Letter: Pray for answer to city's gun problem PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: ONT SECTION: Letter PAGE: A23 WORD COUNT: 77 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pray for answer to city's gun problem - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Everybody's losing somebody somewhere, Nov. 20. Everybody is praying for an answer to the city's violence. Let them now pray that the next shooting victim is not a member of our unappreciated police force. Let us pray that a marshmallow mayor shows the strength to attack the gun problem head-on before that happens. Before we can get to the root of the problem, we may have to remove some diseased branches. Charles Cook, Toronto ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:48:11 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Today in history PUBLICATION: Belleville Intelligencer DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: Final SECTION: Opinion PAGE: A6 SOURCE: The Canadian Press WORD COUNT: 82 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Today in history - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Senate passed Canada's toughest -- and most controversial -- gun-control legislation 10 years ago today, in 1995. The legislation made it mandatory to register all firearms, banned the importation and sale of a variety of handguns and imposed a minimum four-year jail sentence for serious crimes committed with a gun. Even 10 years later the registration of firearms is still an issue with some Canadians. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:48:30 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Jail time vexes police: PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: Final SECTION: WestCoast News PAGE: B5 BYLINE: Kim Bolan SOURCE: Vancouver Sun DATELINE: VANCOUVER ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: Vancouver Sun files / Police found a loaded AK-47 on swings in a playground where Peter and Mike Adiwal were meeting with associates.; Colour Photo: Vancouver Sun files / Peter Adiwal (left) will serve an additional 18 months of jail time and his twin brother Mike will serve two more months for the February 2003 kidnapping and beating of another man. WORD COUNT: 612 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jail time vexes police: Sentences for kidnappers are 'disappointing,' says organized crime expert - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VANCOUVER - A B.C. Supreme Court judge has sentenced Peter Adiwal to an additional 18 months in jail for the February 2003 kidnapping and beating of Sukhjit Singh Basi. The sentence, imposed by Justice William Ehrcke on Monday, is the equivalent of seven years because Adiwal received double-time credit for the 33 months served in pretrial custody. Adiwal's twin brother Mike was sentenced to an additional two months in jail, making his total sentence the equivalent of six years. The sentences for the 26-year-old brothers, who pleaded guilty last month to kidnapping and assaulting Basi, are a letdown for a senior RCMP officer who headed an Indo-Canadian gang task force. "Those are significant charges and significant convictions," said Insp. Wayne Rideout, who now leads the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. "It is really the sentencing that is disappointing from the police perspective. And the impact that that will likely have on the greater overall problem." He said he is not optimistic about the chances of the Adiwals going straight after their involvement in Indo-Canadian organized crime. "The reality is that for Peter and Mike Adiwal there are three options for them now. One, they will go straight, and I am not overly optimistic. Two, like many of their criminal associates they will be killed, or three, they will carry on hurting people and perhaps killing people." Police have expressed frustration with the increasing violence related to Indo-Canadian organized crime. Dozens of murders remain unprosecuted and the number of shootings across the Lower Mainland is escalating. Last month, a Port Moody woman named Laurie Tinga was shot in the head inside her house by a stray bullet from an Indo-Canadian gang shootout outside. The Adiwals were among the subjects of a massive murder investigation that included wiretaps, listening devices in homes and surveillance designed to collect evidence in a series of unsolved slayings related to Indo-Canadian organized crime. But the investigation ended prematurely and dramatically when police overheard Basi's moans and cries and broke down the door of the apartment where he was being held, exposing the undercover operation to the suspects. The guilty pleas by the Adiwals were among the first major convictions related to Indo-Canadian criminal groups. A new police task force has now been struck to tackle the continuing violence. The task force works closely with Rideout's investigators. "The reality is that they, like all participants in gang violence, are cowardly," said Rideout. "They prey upon their friends, their associates and they are prepared to put those same friends and associates, as well as innocent men, women and children at risk and I think that makes them particularly despicable," he said. "Whatever kind of criminal activity is similar to what these guys do in that their own greed, their own needs and their own wants are so paramount that they are willing to put innocent people at risk, the only other two offences that strike me as the same are terrorism and sex offenders. They are no different." Rideout was particularly disturbed in 2002 when police found a loaded AK-47 assault rifle and an Uzi sub-machinegun on the swings in a New Westminster children's park where the Adiwals and their associates had been seen meeting the night before. A smoke bomb was also recovered, but no charges were laid in connection with the incident. "When you think about it -- these guys left machineguns, fully loaded, ready to roll . . . when you really stand back and look at that, how despicable is that?" Rideout said. He said police will continue to monitor and investigate Indo-Canadian gangs. "We will keep chasing them around and keep doing what we can within the law to charge them. What happens after that is really the mandate and responsibility of others. "And as much as I lose sleep at night over the fact that these guys keep getting out and keep carrying on, we are doing all we can do and we'll keep doing it." kbolan@png.canwest.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:49:32 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: MAYOR PLEDGES WITNESS SAFETY PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 7 ILLUSTRATION: 1. photo of DAVID MILLER "Reassured" 2. photo of BILL BLAIR Needs info BYLINE: ZEN RURYK, CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF WORD COUNT: 212 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MAYOR PLEDGES WITNESS SAFETY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Witnesses to gang-related shootings are at risk if they fail to come forward to help put murderers in jail, Mayor David Miller warned. Miller said yesterday that Friday's shooting in an Etobicoke church shows there is no safety in refusing to co-operate with police. Miller conceded people have to know they'll be safe if they come forward with information, adding the city has had discussions with the federal government about beefing up the witness protection program. "People have to be reassured they're safe, but they're not going to be safe unless they come forward," Miller said. Amon Beckles, 18, was shot dead at the Toronto West Seventh Day Adventist Church, at Martin Grove and Albion Rds. He went to the church to attend a funeral service for another shooting victim, Jamal Michael Hemmings, 17, who died Nov. 9. AT SCENE Police said Beckles was present when Hemmings was shot. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has said if investigators received information about the people who shot Hemmings, it's likely those responsible for Friday's murder would have been in jail -- and not at the church. Miller made the comments after joining federal Human Resources Minister Belinda Stronach in Scarborough's Malvern area -- a spot that has been plagued by gang violence -- to announce plans to build a $1 million Services Canada centre to help poor youth with social assistance. Meanwhile, Premier Dalton McGuinty has asked for a meeting with Blair and Ontario Chief Justice Brian Lennox to discuss ways of curbing the gun violence in Toronto. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:49:45 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: MCGUINTY REQUESTS SHOOTINGS MEETING PUBLICATION: The London Free Press DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: Early SECTION: City & Region PAGE: B4 BYLINE: ANTONELLA ARTUSO, FREE PRESS QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU DATELINE: TORONTO WORD COUNT: 150 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MCGUINTY REQUESTS SHOOTINGS MEETING - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Premier Dalton McGuinty has asked for a meeting with Toronto police Chief Bill Blair and Ontario Chief Justice Brian Lennox to discuss the gun violence in Toronto. McGuinty said he intends to explore what else might be done to keep the deadly toll from climbing. "Let me take this opportunity to express on behalf of not just our party, not just our government, but indeed on behalf of all Ontarians our terrible concern connected with this endless string of tragedies affecting not only the lives of the young people involved and their potential but their families and their friends and their communities," McGuinty said in the legislature yesterday. PC Leader John Tory said the premier has not had much to say about the gun violence and has repeatedly ignored his invitations to work together on solutions. "That's been disappointing to me and that's been disappointing to the community because they expect their leaders to speak up, to show up," Tory said. NDP Leader Howard Hampton said there was little to admire in the premier's announcement. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:50:00 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Editorial: The wall of silence in Toronto's killings PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL DATE: 2005.11.22 PAGE: A22 BYLINE: SECTION: Editorial EDITION: Metro WORD COUNT: 550 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The wall of silence in Toronto's killings - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Young black people tempted to adopt the urban gangster culture in Toronto now know they can kill with impunity. Canada's biggest city is in a full-fledged crisis of violence, and at the heart of it is a wall of silence in parts of the black community that protects killers. On Friday, one of the most shocking killings in the city's history occurred. An 18-year-old man was shot dead on the steps of a church during the funeral of his 17-year-old best friend. This killing may be unprecedented in North America, says Police Chief Bill Blair, who has discussed it with the heads of several U.S. police departments. Even in Jamaica, which has a murder rate nearly 40 times as high as Toronto's, funerals are apparently off-limits. Yet there were mourners among the 300 at the funeral in suburban Rexdale who had word in advance that violence would occur, and even a pastor at the church has reportedly said he was informed, in the moments before the shooting, that there were guns in the audience. No one called the police. And few witnesses have come forward to help police bring the killers to justice. This is far from the only incident of depraved public violence to hit Toronto in the past few years, but the incidents are coming thicker and faster than anyone would have believed even five years ago. A bus driver was shot in the face in October; a four-year-old boy was seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting in August; a 20-year-old man just returned from Jamaica was executed in front of his four-year-old brother in July; and a widowed mother of four celebrating her birthday at a crowded nightclub was shot dead in April. But the wall of silence is as formidable as ever. Last November, an 11-year-old black girl was shot in the eye on a packed bus, after three young black men took offence when a 25-year-old asked them to curb their loud, threatening behaviour. Chief Blair says the police have suspects, but lack witnesses, even though there were 39 people on that bus. Why does the silence exist? Ralph Agard, an educator and former black-community leader, suggests it is a symptom of the very alienation that gives rise to the killings. "More and more society is seen to be the enemy by young people who have come through systems that have not treated them equally." The result, he says, is that "in a certain aspect of the black community, anarchy reigns. There's no control. There's no lawful execution of authority." Toronto should be very frightened, both of the anarchy and of the us-against-them mentality that is developing in its wake. (The vast majority of affluent Torontonians live in safe neighbourhoods and may be tempted to dismiss the violence as not their concern.) The violence is taking a horrifying toll on black youth; the divisiveness will destroy the city's social fabric. The first point of attack should be on the wall of silence. Dr. Agard, who has served twice on police committees, says he learned that police cannot solve crimes unless they receive leads, and that happens only where there's a relationship of trust with communities. All civic institutions and all responsible adults need to focus on tearing down that wall before any more young people die needlessly. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:50:16 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: PASTOR WANTS PM TO SEND IN ARMY PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2005.11.22 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 7 ILLUSTRATION: 1. photo by Dave Thomas Nadia Beckles, mother of slain teen Amon Beckles, is comforted by her father Desmond yesterday as she made funeral arrangements at the Abundant Life Assembly church. 2. photo of AMON BECKLES Murdered at funeral BYLINE: TOM GODFREY, TORONTO SUN WORD COUNT: 261 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MOTHER OF SLAIN TEEN ALSO FEARS GUNMEN PASTOR WANTS PM TO SEND IN ARMY TO MAINTAIN ORDER IN AREA - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The mom of latest gunshot victim Amon Beckles believes she too may be in danger from gunmen as her pastor seeks a meeting with Prime Minister Paul Martin to request the army's help in rounding up area gunmen. A god-fearing Nadia Beckles, 35, said she can't grasp why her eldest son, Amon, 18, was gunned down outside a Rexdale church while attending Friday's funeral for buddy Jamal Hemmings, 17. Some church leaders predict the revenge shootings will worsen and have decided to increase security, including security cameras, claiming their churches are no longer a sanctuary from gunmen. "I am not scared but I am concerned," Beckles said yesterday as she made funeral arrangements. "I believe those coming to say goodbye to my son should feel comfortable and welcomed." Amon leaves behind a baby daughter, Moesha. The family is setting up a trust fund to help the child. "He was my world and now he is gone," Beckles sobbed at the Abundant Life Assembly church, where she was comforted by dad, Desmond, and his wife, Angela. "He is my baby and I believe he went peacefully." She said Amon, the eldest of five, was a happy-go-lucky child who enjoyed dancing, music and basketball. Abundant Life Pastor Allan Bowen said he's trying to meet with Martin, who is returning to the neighbourhood soon, to ask for the military's help in cleaning up the guns. "Something has to be done," he said. "Soldiers can be brought into this community to help get the gun dealers and shooters." Toronto Police Supt. Ron Taverner said there will be a beefed-up police presence at the funeral. He once again asked for witnesses to come forward. "We are 100% convinced there are people out there who know who the shooters are," Taverner said, adding police are trying to organize a town hall meeting and a coalition of church leaders and others to develop solutions. Visitation for Beckles will be Thursday and Friday at Ward's Funeral Home on Weston Rd. The funeral is Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Abundant Life Assembly church on Dixon Rd. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #657 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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