Canadian Civil Liberties Association closes door on Caledonia civil rights abuses

UPDATE: TorSun founder Peter Worthington comments re CCLA lack of interest in Caledonia abuses in ‘Why is G20 outrageous and Caledonia is not?‘
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In reply to a joint request by CANACE and the Caledonia Victims Project, the Canadian Civil Liberties (CCLA) has, once again, refused to even consider meeting to discuss the civil rights abuses in Caledonia, and has made it clear it has no intention of addressing the issue at all.

Here are our most recent communications with the CCLA, followed by a complete list of references of our unsuccessful attempts to persuade the CCLA to assist Caledonia’s victims…

1. CANACE/CVP LETTER TO CCLA, Mar 01/11 (via email & fax) [PDF]

March 01, 2011 BY FAX & EMAIL

Canadian Civil Liberties Association
506-360 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M5S 1X1
t: 416.363.0321 f: 416.861.1291
mail@ccla.org

Dear CCLA:

Beginning in early 2007 I contacted your office on a number of occasions seeking your assistance with the civil rights abuses in Caledonia associated with racial policing practices of the OPP, but you were, unfortunately, unable to assist us at that time.

As you undoubtedly know, award-winning author Christie Blatchford’s 2010 book, Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, And How The Law Failed All of Us, has completely vindicated allegations that the Ontario Provincial Police were following orders not to enforce the rule of law in Caledonia and were, indeed, conducting policing by race to the utter detriment of non-native citizens with no lawful authority.

You may not be aware, however, that a significant amount of the evidence and background for the book was provided by us, and that Mr. McHale and his wife received an acknowledgement in the book for their assistance to the author.

Blatchford’s February 28, 2011 article in Globe, ‘For sheer abuse of state power nothing touches Caledonia,’ [LINK] opens with some frank criticism of the CCLA’s deafening silence on Caledonia’s police abuses:

How fitting that the report of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association on the policing of the G20 should be released on the fifth anniversary of the native occupation in Caledonia, Ont.

The same organization now screaming for a full-scale public inquiry into alleged abuses – particularly, the troubling breach-of-the-peace arrest authority used over that June weekend – was and continues to be absolutely silent about similar and worse abuses that occurred in the small town just south of Hamilton, just a few klicks from the Six Nations reserve.

We have worked alone, on a full time volunteer basis, with no financial or public support from NGOs for nearly 5 years – exposing and opposing the terrible race-based policing that caused so much misery in Caledonia, and we would be grateful for your interest now that you have additional resources available of the type you were able to mobilize for the G20, a very worthwhile endeavour indeed.

Last week, the International Free Press Society and the Free Thinking Film Society announced they are co-sponsoring an Ottawa presentation at the Library & National Archives for us entitled, Caledonia: No More Nightmares. The final segment of our presentation will be the public release of our legislative recommendations for what we call ‘The Caledonia Act.’ We have already supplied these to two political parties at their invitation, and would be pleased to discuss any ideas and assistance you might have with respect to improving and implementing them. […]

Read the rest of this article and see the complete history of attempts to interest the CCLA in Caledonia:

• Caledonia Victims Project, March 08/11: Canadian Civil Liberties Association closes door on Caledonia civil rights abuses

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca