Has anybody else been following this?
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/10/18/bc-taser.html
A man who witnessed a Taser incident at Vancouver International Airport last Sunday said security at the facility and RCMP are to blame for the death of a distraught man in the terminal who didn't understand English.Lorne Meltzer insists the RCMP were too hasty to use the Taser. Lorne Meltzer insists the RCMP were too hasty to use the Taser.
(CBC)Lorne Meltzer, a corporate valet, told CBC News Thursday he was at the airport picking up a client just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday and found himself facing Robert Dziekanski.
He said he tried to calm an agitated Dziekanski, 40, in the public arrivals area and unwittingly let the Polish immigrant back into the secure international arrivals area, using his pass to open the one-way doors.
Meltzer has a security pass to the secure international arrivals area, as a personal assistant to a Vancouver businessman who often has clients fly into town.
"I think the responsible parties are the Vancouver Airport and the RCMP for not having other negotiating tactics once he's at the heightened state," said Meltzer, who was the person who called in RCMP.
He said he clearly warned them the man didn't speak English.
Meltzer claimed the officers gave Dziekanski two commands in English and within seconds Tasered him after he held a stapler in an apparent threatening manner.
Robert Dziekanski, seen in this picture taken in Poland, was a construction worker in his home country. Robert Dziekanski, seen in this picture taken in Poland, was a construction worker in his home country.
(Global)"He [Dziekanski] raised the stapler in the air and they [RCMP] said, 'Put your hands on the desk,' in English," Meltzer said.
Meltzer said the RCMP were too hasty to use the Taser and he refutes the police claim that the area was too crowded to use pepper spray, because "it was empty."
Dziekanski was Tasered by RCMP and later died. Police and a witness conflict in the number of jolts the man is alleged to have received.
RCMP insist that the man was zapped two times, but Sima Ashrafinia, who was at the airport and recorded the incident on her cellphone, told CBC News on Monday that RCMP officers stunned Dziekanski four times.
An autopsy by the B.C. Coroner's Service on Tuesday did not find the cause of death, citing no trauma or disease was found. Officials are still waiting for the results of toxicology tests and microscopic examinations.
i heard about this, apparently it is all on tape, so hopefully the police who murdered him will be put in jail and stripped of their badges.
it is sooo fucking sad. he was upset and couldn't communicate, so they killed him. Disgusting. I feel so sad for his poor family.
You can find the tape on youtube as well as on debunkingwhite on livejournal.
It's very disturbing though because it's basically watching him die. I watched it right up until the actual taser part, and I couldn't see what he was doing that was so wrong. He was waiting for someone, and it seemed like he didn't quite know how airports here worked, he kept holding a table in the automatic doorway to stop it from closing, but if he were waiting for someone maybe he didn't realize that it would open again for them. Anyways, he was not aggressive, he was not a threat, and they used the HIGHEST level of defense against him BEFORE even trying any other method.
I hope they're held accountable, and as disturbing as the video is I think it's important that it got out so that they cannot lie about what happened.
I haven't watched the video yet, but I plan to.
From what I've heard, his mother was supposed to be meeting him at the baggage claim, but couldn't get in because it's secured area. He was in a new country where he didn't speak the language and had been waiting at least 6 hours for his mother.
Outside the baggage claim area, when his mother realized that she wasn't going to be allowed in, she went to airport staff to explain the situation. She was repeatedly told that he wasn't there, and finally went home thinking he had missed his flight.
Here is a link to the video and another article describing it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10476459
Of course it's disturbing, so just to warn you before you watch it.
I think the RCMP have been having issues lately, and I've been thinking, what exactly is the purpose of the RCMP except a tourist attraction and some idealized image of what 'Canadian' is. I wonder what kind of training they go through and if it's anything like what the police officers do?
I was baffled when I heard that this happened. How does stuff like this keep happening? And of course those responsible will get away with it, like they always do. :?
the Rcmp provide police service where there is none, in rural areas, and in small towns which aren't big enough for their own police department.
There is a lot of use for rcmp, and the training they go through is good, there just isn't anything keeping them in check or enough accountability.
When I flew from a small airport to Calgary (my first time flying), I was really confused by the whole secured area/baggage claim thing. I walked into the terminal expecting my friends to be there, and it took me a while to realize that I had to go past the Tim Hortons (!!) through the doors before I could find them. I can completely understand why this man was so worried.
I just read something about that also:
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jxSljakysYCEh7pn7eB3NewG1Thw
I thought there were translators at airports?
In BC we have huge issues with police brutality, both with the RCMP and VPD (Vancouver Police Department). There was just a elderly man with disabilities tasered because he started his car when he realized he was going to get a ticket, drove about half a block and realized that he did the wrong thing. He stopped and they tasered him before he could even get out of his car. This was about a week ago, not sure if it was RCMP or VPD.
There are a lot of places out here who don't have their own police dept and rely completely on RCMP.
I'm really confused about the secure baggage claim thing. Any time I've flown, including to YVR, I've had my ride meet me in baggage claim. I assumed the secure thing was just on international flights.
Ok ... I am speechless. Fucked up.
CM there def are issues with RCMP brutality! My SOs hometown is highly aboriginal, and there's been an amazing amount of RCMP who drag aboriginals out of town and leave them there, or beat them for no reason, etc. RCMP is good in idea, and I'm sure there are many good ones out there, the flaw in the system is the fact that there is nothing to keep them in check
I know that there are issues with RCMP brutality. I didn't mean to come off as saying there wasn't, just that it's not only an issue within the RCMP, that the VPD has a huge problem within as well.
As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong, this is how it was explained to me), RCMP are the only police allowed on reserves, and there's always been a huge problem with police brutality against aboriginals both on and off reserve, much moreso than against PWOC.
I've been following it. I saw the tape a few days ago and I couldnt believe what i was seeing, and I feel so so horrible for his mother. Anytime ive ever been to yvr ive been confused, and so for someone coming to a new country i can totally see how things could get confusing. I think it was beyond obvious that using the taser was completely unneccessary and its just yet another sad story of police here using excessive force. Even after the man had been tasered and there were a number of police officers retaining him on the groung the one officer knelt on the mans neck for a really long time. Like, hes been tasered and the officers out number the man like 5 to one if not more, where do you think hes going to go?
i was agreeing with you.
and no they aren't reserve police, reservatioms create their own police and create their own bylaws
Oh ok sorry, I was confused. I'm glad what I was told about police on reservations is wrong.
I saw this video on the news last week I think.
Yeah, he was acting out but I'd hate to think if I was acting out I'd be tasered to death. I can't believe that they show this video to everyone of this man dying. It's sad.
What a power trip
People need to learn when to stop.