CANADA - Toronto man Jason Wall has won his lawsuit against Toronto police for his treatment during the G20. He was on his way home to go to church on Sunday, June 27th 2010, when he was "mobbed by police" and arrested for wearing a bandanna (which they considered to be a disguise). He was then verbally abused and handled roughly before being released without charge the next day. Jason Wall has settled the lawsuit against Toronto police for an undisclosed amount and terms.
Not only was his arrest illegal, but a OPIRD report on his case shows senior police command ordered officers to deliberately make illegitimate arrests, stopping people for wearing black clothing or carrying a backpack, or any number of idiotic reasons, just so police could claim to the media that they arrested suspects.
“We need to hold police accountable,” says Jason Wall, a 25-year-old Toronto graphic designer.
Wall has settled a $25,000 lawsuit against Toronto police on undisclosed terms, and will hold a news conference Tuesday.
The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OPIRD) report concluded that Jason Wall was arrested illegally on a charge of wearing a disguise with intent. Wearing a bandanna on its own does not show intent. Many people at the G20 wore something to protect their nostrils and eyes in event of police using teargas.
A “disguise” on its own is not enough for a charge but requires the intent to commit an indictable offence, the report said.n
Officers detaining Wall on June 27, 2010, told OPIRD investigators they were instructed to arrest people wearing bandannas, masks or gas masks concealing their identity. One officer said he was told to search anyone with a backpack, and if that person refused, he or she could be arrested for obstructing police.
The report shows the many unlawful arrests of the G20 weekend were not just the result of a few bad apples or overreaction from front-line officers. “The orders must have come from the top," says lawyer Davin Charney.
In a related story there are photos of Black Bloc members wearing police issue boots. This has sparked a theory that the so-called anarchist group was actually police in disguise the whole time. One photo shows a Black Bloc member with an arm tattoo and there are other photos of a police officer with the same build with an identical tattoo.
Increasingly it is becoming clear that all the G20 arrests was part of a carefully orchestrated plan coming from Ottawa.
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