51 Division Assaults Community Worker, Seizes Footage From Filmmaker And Steps Up Harassment Of Homeless People

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PRESS CONFERENCE AND DELEGATION TO 51 DIVISION

Monday October 6th, 2003 - 1:00 pm
Friendship Centre - 315 Dundas St East
at All Saints Church - Dundas Street entrance
(Dundas Street just East of Sherbourne)
Speakers will include:

· Tony Neale, filmmaker
· Valerie Scott, Sex Professionals of Canada
· Bob Kellerman, Defence lawyer
· Gaetan Heroux, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
· Beric German, Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
· Paul Kellogg, Justice for Otto Vass
· speakers from the Dundas/Sherbourne area

Toronto's Dundas/Sherbourne area, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, feels injury every day at the hands of a division that seems to pride itself in beating down the very community it purports to "serve and protect". The frequency and severity of police misconduct and brutality in this neighborhood cannot be simply explained away by "crime levels".

Recent incidents speak loudly to this. Gaetan Heroux, a well-known OCAP member, was among a crowd of people witness to the racist harassment of a Black man by city housing private security guards. The crowd of people watching this incident were nearly mowed down by a police cruiser. Subsequently, Gaetan was assaulted by an officer from 51 Division.

Last month, Tony Neale, a filmmaker currently working on a documentary on policing in Toronto, was attempting to film outside of 51 division. He was surrounded by police and threatened. They went so far as to seize the video tape and warn Neale not to step foot in the division ever again.

The ticketing and illegal searching of homeless people and sex workers is yet another assault on peoples lives. The proliferation of tickets dispensed by officers of 51 division hits people with exorbitant fines they can never afford and often results in restrictions on people's ability to move freely in their own neighbourhoods. One woman has been slapped with a ticket with an expensive fine simply for butting a cigarette on the sidewalk. She will be at the press conference to speak out on this issue. This ticketing is instrumental in trying to force poor people out of the Dundas/Sherbourne area.

At this press conference, we will take a stand against police harassment and confront 51 division officers.

This press conference is co-sponsored by the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.