Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, May 04, 2012

New cellblock abuse allegations levelled against Ottawa police

OTTAWA — Ottawa police are facing new allegations of cellblock abuse from a man who alleges he was put in a chokehold, punched in the face and beaten to unconsciousness as he lay in the fetal position on the floor of his cell.

Michael Larocque also alleges the Ottawa police officer who initially arrested him tried to cover up his injuries by reporting that Larocque voluntarily slammed his head off the glass partition of the police cruiser, even though surveillance video allegedly shows him without any injuries until after the incident in the cellblock.

Larocque is asking a judge to stay charges of assault, mischief, resisting arrest and breaching his probation, alleging that his Charter Rights were violated following his arrest on Sept. 12, 2010.

According to a stay application filed earlier this week, Larocque had been in the cellblock following his arrest in relation to a disturbance with a woman.

Larocque alleges he had been compliant with officers after turning himself in. Surveillance video allegedly shows Larocque getting out of the police car, having his handcuffs removed as he is searched and going into a private room to call a lawyer.

It isn’t until 5:46 a.m., as Larocque walks in front of Ottawa police Const. Thanh Tran and special constables Mark Johnson and Sebastien Castonguay, that the situation changes.

Larocque, who can be seen on the video turning around and talking to the officers, appears to be pushed into the cellblock hallway, according to the court filing.

One of the officers, believed to be Castonguay, then puts Larocque — who denies being belligerent or aggressive — in a headlock before delivering an uppercut to his face, the documents allege.

Larocque is then dragged to a cell, with Tran and Johnson each holding one of his outstretched arms. The three officers then enter the cell, spending between seven and 15 seconds inside.

What occurs in the cell isn’t caught on video, but, in an affidavit filed with the court, the 31-year-old Larocque alleges that he lay in the fetal position on the floor, gasping for air because he still couldn’t breathe from the chokehold, as one of the officers kicked and punched him.

Larocque says he tried to use his arms to shield his head before losing consciousness.

When he woke up, Larocque said he found an item he believed was used with the handcuffs stuck in his arm. He says he was never offered medical attention for his injuries, which included a purple and swollen eye.

None of Larocque’s allegations have been proven in court.

A copy of the cellblock video was filed as part of the stay application, but was not immediately publicly available.

Larocque alleges the cellblock abuse occurred after he was violently grounded by Tran and had his head slammed off a police cruiser during his arrest outside a Beechwood Avenue church after he called 911 to turn himself in.

According to Larocque, he also told a dispatcher he was carrying a utility knife that he used for work.

When Tran arrived, Larocque said he raised his arms and walked toward the officers, showing them the location of the knife, which was tucked in his belt. He was then taken to the ground, he said.

Following his arrest, Larocque said an officer told him to “give me one reason to put one in you,” a statement he believed meant that the officer was threatening to shoot him with his firearm.

Tran alleges that Larocque disputed his directions to lie on the ground and began to flex his arms and pull away from him. Tran — who is facing an assault charge stemming from an incident involving a homeless man last August — said he grounded Larocque as a result of his failure to follow directions.

Tran also alleged that a belligerent Larocque smashed his own head into the glass partition in the police cruiser while making “thinly veiled threats” to fight police at the next encounter.

Larocque, who has prior convictions for fraud and theft, denies those allegations.

In the stay application, lawyer Paolo Giancaterino alleges that Larocque’s treatment was meant to “punish and degrade him.”

“The level of force used was shockingly excessive and completely disproportionate to the situation,” wrote Giancaterino, who is expected to argue the motion on May 22, when the case goes to trial.

“The officers essentially attacked the applicant at various stages during his arrest and detention when he was clearly incapable of defending himself and offered no resistance to the officers’ repeated blows.”

Larocque’s allegations of cellblock abuse come after a series of high-profile incidents involving cellblock video and allegations of police misconduct. Charges against four others — Stacy Bonds, Terry Delay, Roxanne Carr and William Sarazin — have all either been stayed or withdrawn after video of their treatment in the cells came to light.

Ottawa police said they would not comment on the allegations while the matter was before the court.

Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Andrew Seymour

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