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Received With Much Thanks To:
Russ Mitchell
We send smoke and prayer for this young man and his
family We ask for healing for them...... And that Just -us is not allowed to go
one ... That the Truth We Be Told ....
Toronto Srar September 5, 2002
Ipperwash tape trashed,
letter claims
Order allegedly made by OPP senior officer By Peter Edwards and Harold Levy STAFF REPORTERS A senior OPP officer ordered the destruction of
records of a telephone conversation from the police operation at Ipperwash
Provincial Park the night native activist Anthony (Dudley) George was shot to
death, say documents filed in court. The allegation is made in an anonymous letter contained in court papers filed yesterday by George family lawyer Murray Klippenstein. The family believes the letter was written by an Ontario Provincial Police officer who participated in the confrontation at the park in 1995. Klippenstein represents several members of the George family in their wrongful-death lawsuit against former premier Mike Harris, several provincial government officials and members of the OPP. According to the letter, a senior officer called the OPP media centre and ordered a junior officer to "stop recording" and "destroy the tape." "An official press release was later dictated ... after the tape was destroyed," the letter continues. The letter writer claims to have been a police officer involved in the Ipperwash operation and says he or she has "been experiencing a great deal of shame and guilt for my part in the death of ... George." "Firstly, I would like to apologize to his family for my part in the fiasco that led to his death," the letter begins. The writer says he or she hopes there will be an inquiry into the death. "However, I suspect many of the documents and tapes that support your case have been destroyed as they have exceeded the two-year retention dates mandated by the government." Several phone lines into the command post were not recorded, and officers relied heavily on cell phones, even though they were not reliable, the writer says. "Cellular phones were used frequently in the command post with no capability for recording these conversations," the letter says. The lawsuit, now in its sixth year, accuses the province of pressuring the OPP to use "severe action" rather than "patience, negotiation and other non-violent policing techniques." George, who was unarmed, was shot to death on Sept. 6, 1995 when native people occupied Ipperwash, south of Sarnia, saying it is located on a sacred burial ground. That claim was later upheld by the federal government. His older brother Sam is scheduled to speak at a vigil in front of Queen's Park tomorrow night, from 9 to 11 p.m., to mark the seventh anniversary of the shooting. The lawsuit alleges that government workers and police � including the one whom Klippenstein believes wrote the letter � are being blocked by oaths of secrecy from shedding light on the shooting. Klippenstein has asked the court to allow lawyers for the George family to freely question several key police and government workers http://thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1026144869591&call_page=TS_Ontario&call_pageid=968256289824&call_pagepath=News/Ontario&col=968342212737 _______________________
Sharon
on:en Gathering Place First Nations Canadian News http://gatheringplacefn.tripod.ca/ Never befriend the oppressed unless you are prepared to take on the oppressor. (Author unknown) If your not living on the edge ...
your taking up way too much space ... fr.my sistergirl Delsey Visit and show your support for the Grass Roots Oyate http://members.tripod.com/GrassRootsOyate Clemency for Leonard Peltier. Sign the Petition. http://petitiononline.com/Release/petition.html ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1ddNB.b2HgmN Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ |
