Thursday, February 12, 2009

 

This is war: Gang Warfare on the streets of Vancouver, Surrey, Montreal and Ottawa

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Nearly 700 police officers were involved in today's major raids on gangs who allegedly traffic cocaine in Montreal and Ottawa. 47 people have been arrested so far on various charges, including gangsterism, weapons possession as well as drug-trafficking. It begins to look as if that's the way to do the job. But the lesson passes unremarked by the leadership of British Columbia.

In Vancouver, where 6 people have been shot in the past 7 days, the premier says he will shift police around, ask Ottawa for better wire-tap laws, and (in his opinion) provide families with a sense of safety. The man is a fool.

Julian Sher, author of two books on Organized Crime in Canada, said in a CBC interview that it's impossible to have any effect on organized crime without having a serious plan of infiltration. He agrees with Jerry Paradis, a BC provincial court judge for 28 years, who says that putting more police officers on the ground won’t lessen the danger to ordinary citizens, who are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire. “The police will be unaware of when the next explosion will happen. They don’t know about [the shootings] until they happen.” The only method that works is when a brave cop puts his life on the line by taking up with the gangs, running with them, learning their secrets, and never forgetting that he's a cop there to arrest the gangsters.

So Campbell and his Attorney-General are talking nonsense about putting more cops on the street and about how this can be done by shuffling cops from one unit to another without hiring new ones.

Campbell and Oppal can't help but know that a drug war has broken out on the streets of Surrey and Vancouver. They can't be so stupid as to not know what's really going on. Although that's exactly what the premier told us when he returned from his Hawaii holiday after the police raid: "I know nothing," he said. Prime Minister Martin stood up to say the same thing. Fools. They were briefed, as much as 3 weeks before the raid was launched. Do we think they never asked "Why?"

How can they forget that it was a drug trafficking investigation which led police to make that unprecedented raid on the B.C. Legislature? Such a thing had never before happened in Canada. It was about drugs ... drugs which, in B.C., add up to to $6Billion a year for marijuana alone ... and traded in the U.S. for cocaine which came back into Canada. Traded for guns, too. They knew that. Solicitor-General Rich Coleman told us about the guns himself, saying that some of them ended up in the hands of the insurgents fighting Canadian troops in Afghanistan. How could they fail to see their duty, when the opportunity presented itself to put these issues on trial?

Caught on wire-taps and available as evidence were the cell-phone conversations between Ministry of Finance aide, Dave Basi, and his cousin, Jasmohan Singh Bains who in 2003 was thought to be the new Mr Big on the West Coast. The Bains trial was held in Victoria in June 2008, the guilty verdict was given in August 2008, the 9-year sentence was pronounced in September 2008, but nothing was known of this until December 2008 ... why? We'd be fools ourselves to think that the Attorney-General, and therefore the premier, had paid no attention to the Bains trial. So ... was Dave Basi a witness at that trial? Probably. But we the people don't know.

Drug charges were actually laid against Dave Basi as well as Jas Bains after the Legislature Raids. We know this from a little exchange in Supreme Court:

Ms. Winteringham [Crown Prosecutor] said the defence was simply wrong when it stated that the investigation, code named Project Everywhichway, suddenly veered off course to target Mr. Basi ... In fact, she said, Mr. Basi emerged as an early person of interest in a drug investigation that was triggered when informants told the RCMP that the arrest, in May, 2002, of U.S. drug dealer Cirilo Lopez had created an opening for a new drug boss on Vancouver Island. "The word on the street was that Jas Bains was going to be the person taking over," Ms. Winteringham said. There were 26 calls recorded between the cousins in the summer of 2003.

Then, all of a sudden and without explanation, the drug charges against Basi were stayed. Why? Does this make sense? I don't think so. But it's a great pity that the police didn't seize the opportunity to learn more. Instead, over 5 years have passed with an official silence offering, in effect, a protective cover.

Retired judge Paradis put it this way, with regard to the drug wars underway on the streets of Vancouver:

“I’m satisfied in my own mind that although organized crime is involved in other things at the moment, while this particular or several gang wars may be due to other things that I’m not aware of, I have no doubt in my mind that it’s [an] attempt to either get status or maintain status in the drug market and protect turf,” he said.

In my view, the leadership in British Columbia has failed to take action when it could have and should have. The people of this province -- even their children -- are in danger. Therefore, the BC government is in serious default in its duty to protect the people of this province. - BC Mary.


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Read more here: Gang violence tightens grip on Canadian cities, which reports that drug sales have doubled in the past 10 years.

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Comments:
"EARLY SOLUTIONS/FASTER JUSTICE"!!!!!!

Who's writing these BC Government web site press releases?

Is anybody really doing anything about crime and justice?

Many individuals and agencies are working hard to reduce crime and make the justice system as effective as possible. Solid research evidence from Canada and other countries has given us some answers about effective ways of reducing crime.

Police are using new technology and crime analysis to focus on crime "hot spots" and "prolific offenders."

Problem-solving courts, like drug courts and community courts, are zeroing in on the underlying causes of offending behaviour and designing sentences that better protect the public by attempting to change offenders' behaviour.

Correctional agencies are applying proven treatment programs and supervision techniques to high-risk and repeat offenders.
Health and social service agencies are supporting these efforts with help for people with mental illness, addicted or who are homeless.

Victim service workers are helping victims recover from their encounters with crime and reducing the chances they will be victimized again.

And, most importantly, police, government agencies and local community groups are preventing crime from occurring in the first place, by reducing criminal opportunities and by supporting families and communities in raising healthy, responsible and law-abiding young people.

The most encouraging development in the past 10 years is that all of these partners are working more co-operatively than ever before. They are making sure their efforts have the maximum impact.


oh really, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Oppal, is that what you want us to believe as we look through your pairs of eyes? We, the public, open our newspapers each morning and find ourselve face to face with the headlines of yet another killing.




PS There is one hitch to the BC Government's websites and its contained in their Disclaimer:

Disclaimer
Warranty Disclaimer

This information is provided as a public service by the Government of British Columbia, Box 9411, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 9V1.

This website and all of the information it contains are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied. All implied warranties, including, without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, are hereby expressly disclaimed. Links and references to any other websites are provided for information only and listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind. The Government of British Columbia is not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites and does not endorse the content, products, services or views expressed within them.

Limitation of Liabilities

Under no circumstances will the Government of British Columbia be liable to any person or business entity for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages based on any use of this website or any other website to which this site is linked, including, without limitation, any lost profits, business interruption, or loss of programs or information, even if the Government of British Columbia has been specifically advised of the possibility of such damages.
 
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Taxpayers actually fork over the money which goes toward paying these people to run that factory which produces nothing but weasel words like this.

Which, if you ask me, is an insult to weasels.
 
Or how about this from The Canadian Press on how the Premier and the AG are going to fight crime:

Attorney General Wally Oppal said he's lobbied the federal government to amend the current wiretap provisions in the Criminal Code to allow police to conduct better surveillance of suspected gang members.

"Wiretap really fosters a lot more evidence," he said. "It's a great tool for gathering evidence because there are no witnesses available when police attend upon the scene. It takes a while to build a case against these people."




Of course there's no fine line between blue, white, gangster or politician collared individuals now is there? Wasn't it Project Everywhichway that brought the police knocking on the Legislative Assembly doors?

I'll say it again:

"It's a great tool for gathering evidence because there are no witnesses available when police attend upon the scene. It takes a while to build a case against these people."
 
Mary

Dig out your copy pf Paul Palango's Dispersing the Fog and turn to page 300 and read what the final paragraph has to say about the RCMP in Surrey. You might even want to post it on your blog. It sheds quite a bit of light on why things are so screwed up south of the Fraser.
 
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9:06,

Any chance you could copy it into a comment here?? I don't remember what you refer to.

I've loaned my copy of Palango's book to someone who took it to a far-off vacation spot and can't get it back until Feb 20.

Thanks for the tip.

I noted what you had said to Bill and asked for my book back ... sigh ... it's always so tempting to get a friend to read a good book and very often the book never finds its way back again.

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Do share!!! I just had a personal visit from the Surrey RCMP... Send it on when it comes Mary, I'm posting this, and Bill's post today.
 
Here is what Paul Palngo's "Dispersing the Fog" has to say about Surrey on page 300:

"...The community has both been the prime training centre for new Mounties and the biggest profit centre for the RCMP, the economic and policing implications of which don't seem to have dawned on the local guardians. Every six months, the RCMP spits out fresh new Mounties and sends the largest contingent of most graduating classes to Surrey. Until 2004, these rookies were paid a minimum wage of $33,000 a year. in 2007,the rate had risen to $44,513. The community, however is billed for the full freight of an experienced three year officer, whose pay is around 80,000 a year. In Surrey, young officers with little or no experience cut their teeth on policing, but never really get to know the community. A Mountie in Surrey with five years years experience is considered to be an elder statesman of the local force,but still wet behind the ears by the standards of any major metropolitan police service. A new Mountie rarely lasts long enough in Surrey to get the maximum pay level before he or she is shipped to fill some other hole in the force. Some find it so difficult to exist in Surrey on RCMP wages that they are forced to take second jobs like night security work at Wal-mart. Some left the RCMP for that reason.
That Surrey was the RCMP's kindergarten was formalized in a September 2007 memorandum of understanding brokered by the force's human resources officer. In it, the federal divisions in Ontario, Ottawa and Quebec signed an agreement with "E" division in British Columbia to put newly inducted members onto the streets of Surrey to whip them into shape for complex federal policing responsibilities back in central Canada..."

Mary, feel free to post this on your blog. I think it tells a lot.
 
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Anon 10:06,

Many thanks indeed for taking time to copy that Surrey segment from Paul Palango's book. Funny how I can see the importance in these words today, way more than seemed apparent even 2 months ago when I read the book myself. Thanks again.

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To the captain's friend:

Thank you for your information.

I won't post it, as it isn't connected to Basi Virk Basi or BC Rail but I do think you should write to others who may be closer to that kind of thing.

I'd suggest that, first, you ask yourself what's expected; what exactly are you trying to accomplish?

I might also suggest that you contact Paul Palango (his e.mail address is on his book-cover, I think -- maybe even on the booksellers listings online, such as Chapters or Alibris). I've talked to Paul and found him very approachable.

Citizens have new responsibilities in these troubled times. Me, I think that our leadership (both provincial and federal) shows very poor examples of good citizenship and they as well as the police, deserve close attention.

Stay safe, OK?

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Comment posted at CBC article Re Feb 10

Campbell promises more police, prosecutors to curb gun violence

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/02/10/bc-legislature-gun-violence.html

heresthedeal wrote:
How many Provinces have every seen the likes of a Raid on the Legislature that including drugs as a prime target????? WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS & STONEWALLED EVIDENCE?????

Here's BC Mary's superb link to to whole smorgasbord of garbage & 'games' being covered-up; ' by the dirty delay of this trial - a must read: http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/

Why won't the Prem and his club allow the Auditor General to audit all of the venues and connected 'projects' in the VANOC circle???? Why did they drastically cut courts and justice services across BC???

Why do RCMP Commercial Crime investigations always get blocked and/or dismissed into oblivion surrounding politically tainted cases????

The cleanup of crime must start at home: IN THE PEOPLES' HOUSE FIRST. We, THE PEOPLE deserve to know the whole story.

lots of great post's
here is another
billguy wrote:
Well HELLO Gordon !

It's taken 8 years for you to start to deal with this horrible problem and it's almost too late !
Gordon Campbell's provincial BC government has slashed budgets blindly and mindlessly for the last 8 years ! Campbell has closed 10 jails, he has failed to tighten bail rules to keep dangerous accused gang members off of the streets of Vancouver and other BC cities, and Campbell has stalled the release of the government report that is supposed to recommend ways to get all of the illegal guns off the streets of BC.

The astronomical rise in gang violence in British Columbia is directly connected to Campbell's BC Liberal government cuts to the BC court system and to provincial jails and corrections services.

"Ten correctional institutions closed, youth services cut, and fewer courthouses in British Columbia — this is obvious for anyone to see!
 
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