Headlines for 3 February 2010

Winnipeg police beating caught on video

On Thursday, a video was presented in court showing Winnipeg police officers beating a man in a parking lot in downtown Winnipeg almost a year ago.  The video shows four officers pinning the man to the ground, while others kick, knee, and punch him, as well as taser him twice. The police officers had earlier claimed the man had resisted arrest, but there was no evidence of this in the video.

His lawyer, Dan Manning, is quoted as saying that when he saw him the next morning,  “I honestly did not recognize him. His face was swollen to twice its normal size. His eyes were black. There was blood around his face — dried blood.”

The Winnipeg Police Service have since initiated an investigation into the incident by the RCMP. An ex-deputy Winnipeg police chief expressed concerns about this, writing in his blog “why was that investigation not undertaken a year ago when the Winnipeg Police Service first became aware of the contents of the video?”

All of the officers involved in the video are still on active duty, except for constable Ryan Law, who is on desk duty because of an unrelated police brutality investigation.

Winnipeg Copwatch expressed concern that this kind of incident reflects a broader policing pattern. 

Whenever a violent arrest is made, there will almost certainly be accusations or charges laid for resisting arrest or assaulting the police.  Often, evidence surfaces showing no resistance on the part of the person being arrested. We can only understand this to show that police use the charges and accusations to justify the violence of their arrests, and to tie people up defending themselves against criminal charges instead of pursuing the police for their abuse.

Venezuela cancels Haitian debt

Hugo Chavez cancelled Haiti's $167 debt to Venezuela, saying "Haiti has no debt with Venezuela—on the contrary, it is Venezuela that has a historic debt with Haiti thanks to the support that Haiti gave to Simon Bolivar," referring to the Latin American struggle for independence from European powers in the 19th century.

Haiti relief fundraiser

The Winnipeg-Haiti Solidarity Group and the West End Cultural Centre are hosting a Haiti Relief Fundraiser on Thursday February 11th at 8pm.  Performers will include The Weakerthans' John K Samson, Ruth Moody & Nicky Mehta of The Wailin' Jennys and Daniel ROA.

It takes place at the West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Av at Sherbrook, and 100% of funds raised are being donated to Partners in Health's Zanmi Lasante project in Haiti, the largest NGO in Haiti to provide comprehensive primary health care regardless of ability to pay.

Tickets are $15 in advance and are available through Ticketmaster, Mondragon, the WECC, and the Winnipeg-Haiti Solidarity Group. Donations to Partners In Health will be collected throughout the event and charitable tax receipts will be issued for donations over $10.