The Daily GRRR! - February 20th, 2015 - Waves Through Walls: Prison Radio

image by Peter Collins

Welcome, I am your host Dan Kellar and you are listening to The Daily GRRR! Waves Through Walls: Prison Radio, on 100.3fm, CKMS in Waterloo, Ontario. Soundfm.ca on the web, today is Friday February 20th, 2015.

We are broadcasting from the centre of the Haldimand Tract, the occupied Grand River Territory of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations).

The Daily GRRR! is a project of the Grand River Media Collective; and is supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada and CKMS.

The clip that kicked off the show is from Mumia Abu-Jamal with his piece entitled Frankenstein’s Monster . Check prisonradio.org for more of Mumia’s podcasts.

Today’s feature is from political prisoner Bryant Arroyo with an audio essay entitled Frackville: The Anonymous Fiefdom.

Now we will start with today’s headlines:

The Daily GRRR!
HEADLINES for February 20th, 2015 
1. Peter Collins Seeking Compassionate Release After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
2. 2015 US Political Prisoner Listing Released
3. 3 Male Toronto Cops Arrested For Raping A Female Colleague
4. Toronto Police Kill Man In The Street Who Had A Knife
5. SQ Officer Charged With Manslaughter For Killing Teen
6. Lawyers Want Bill Blair’s G20 Story
7. 9 Year Old Autistic Student Handcuffed At Ottawa School
8. New Neo-Nazi Party Looking For Foothold in Toronto

1. Peter Collins Seeking Compassionate Release After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
The support committee for Peter Collins, a progressive social critic and artist who has been jailed for 29 years following the killing of a cop in a failed bank robbery, is seeking compassionate release for the prisoner, following a terminal bladder-cancer diagnosis in January.

Collins, an outspoken critic of the prison industrial complex and supporter of prisoner rights and a myriad of other important issues outside of the confines of jail, was denied parole when he was first eligible due to his activism.

In response to the illness which will soon take Peter, his support committee writes:

“Despite this news, Peter continues to criticize the system and continues to fight. Along with his friend Giselle Dias, Peter will be creating a zine with some of his writings and artwork. We will be gathering his paperwork to ensure they we continue to fight after he is gone.

Under very difficult conditions, Peter has given of himself, without regard for his own safety or well-being, for decades now. He has worked to support our movements, and to try to make the world a better place. Now it is our turn.
There are two things that people can do, right now, to support Peter.

First, for those of you who know Peter, who have seen his work, heard him speak and have been changed because of it, it would be great if you could let him know. As Giselle Dias explains, “Prisoners live in a vacuum and often don’t get feedback on how their lives have changed us, altered our understanding of prisons, made us stronger advocates, made us better people and challenged us in how we live, who we love and how friendships can cross the barriers of prison walls.” So please consider sending a letter of a card to Peter, to help break through the bars:

Peter Collins
P.O. Box 1500
Bath, ON
K0H 1G0

Second, please consider taking the time to write a letter to support compassionate release for Peter. Peter’s situation is particularly complex since he is not a Canadian citizen, and would be deported to England upon his release.
Letters supporting compassionate release for Peter should be sent to:

Warden Ryan Beattie
Bath Prison
P.O Box 1500
Bath, Ontario
K0H 1G0

A sample letter is included in the following link: http://kersplebedeb.com/posts/compassionate-release-peter-collins/

for more info check the facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PeterCollinsSupportCommittee/

2. 2015 US Political Prisoner Listing Released
The New York City Anarchist Black Cross has released the 2015 “U.S. Political Prisoner and Prisoner of War Listing” which is edition 10.1 for those keeping count.

This 40 page booklet gives updated information on locations and situations of political prisoners and prisoners of war being held within the prison industrial complex. Additionally the booklet gives birthdays of the prisoners and information on how to responsibly engage in writing to political prisoners and prisoners of war.

In all 70 prisoners are listed in this booklet and is an incomplete list of the many others being unjustly held by state forces due to their political beliefs or for their actions against oppressive governments, industries, institutions, and corporations.

3. 3 Male Toronto Cops Arrested For Raping A Female Colleague
Three toronto police officers are facing sexual assault and gang rape charges for their roles in an attack on a female colleague in January. Constables Leslie Nyznik, 38, Joshua Cabero, 28, and Sameer Kara, 31, have all been released on bail and ordered not to drink or attend two downtown Toronto bars and a strip club.

All three officers have been suspended with pay and will be paid for the next few years as the trial winds its way through the courts. The officers will face an internal discipline board only after criminal proceedings have wrapped up.

At least one of the officers has been called an idiot in the past by the police chief and was present at a 2010 incident that a judge later called an “unlawful extrajudicial punishment that will shock the public.”

4.Toronto Police Kill Man In The Street Who Had A Knife
The Toronto police have killed a man after an “interaction” which left another man, a 60 year-old with a stab wound.

Few details have emerged regarding the killing, but local residents have been barred from the area as the “investigation” continues, with a TTC bus being brought in for shelter for those being blocked from returning home.

Reports say the man who was shot was holding a knife. The SIU has opened an investigation.

5. SQ Officer Charged With Manslaughter For Killing Teen
A SQ officer has been charged in relation to the January 2014 death of 17- year-old David Lacour following an investigation. Lacour was shot while police were investigating a stolen car in the small town of Ste-Adèl.

Officer Éric Deslauriers was arrested by Montreal police earlier this week and charged with killing Lacour “by intentionally discharging a firearm without taking into consideration his life or safety. The charge carries a maximum life sentence and a mandatory minimum four-year sentence upon conviction.

Police claim that Lacour was driving at the officer who fired at the vehicle in response.

6. Lawyers Want Bill Blair’s G20 Story
As the disciplinary proceedings continue for one of the top cops from the 2010 Toronto G20 police riot, lawyers are pushing to have Toronto police chief Bill Blair explain his actions and orders over the week.

The hearings are looking into the “Kettling” incidents that Mark Fenton ordered take place against protesters during the June 2010 G20 summit. However, the toronto star reports lawyer Sean Dewart saying “Supt. Fenton appears to be running a Nuremberg defence in saying that he was simply following orders, that appears to be where he appears to be going with this." Dewart, who made the request for Blair to be called before the hearing continued "We believe that the hearing officer should hear evidence from the people who supposedly gave the orders in question."

In addition to the disciplinary hearing, several lawsuits are pending against the police for their actions during the G20, and the evidence required to win those lawsuits is being protected through public officials being given immunity for their actions. Bill Blair needs to explain himself.

7. 9 Year Old Autistic Student Handcuffed At Ottawa School
An Ottawa police officer who happened to be in the next room when a 9 year-old autistic boy was acting out in the principal's office, decided to intervene in the situation by cuffing the kid with his hands behind his back.

While the parents of the boy are quite upset at how the school allowed the situation to unfold, the police note it was done to protect everyone. Kristen Mayne of Autism Ontario told the Ottawa Citizen: “It is important for first responders like the police to be specially trained to respond appropriately, respectfully and safely to the needs of a person on the spectrum.”

The boy, who is now trying to restrain his sister and parents with paper handcuffs told his dad that he is now scared of the police. As he should be.

8. New Neo-Nazi Party Looking For Foothold in Toronto
Stickers have been appearing on lamp posts in Toronto, placed by men in black with white and red armbands promoting the “new constitution party” of canada and seeking male recruits for their NCP Youth, the Sons of Freedom, the Legion of Disruption, and the Founding Elders. Claiming to be Christian Libertarians, the NCP webpage has a Swastika watermark behind the text, and want to root out “Marxism” that has apparently destroyed canada.

The media reach of the NCP is also growing as their leader, alleged sex offender James Sears hosts a weekly cable TV show and the NCP has teamed up with a propaganda paper “Your Ward News” put out in the Beeches Neighbourhood.

In response the group, Your Ward News Watch, has started to “help expose and shut down the racist, sexist, homophobic newspaper”. Other anti-fa organisers in Toronto have also taken notice of the NCP and have started organising community based responses to this growing neo-nazi threat.

While the NCP platform is filled with statements about freedom and environmental protection, it is veiled in xenophobia, anti-immigrant racism, and does not seem understand Indigenous Rights or self-determination.

Check this rabble.ca forum discussion for more on the organsing to confront the NCP and background info on the party and it’s misogynistic founder.

That's all for the headlines, now for some
Midway Musichere is Pussy Riot with the tune I Can’t Breath which is a call out to Eric Garner and against police brutality in the US and Russia.

And we are back, you just heard Pussy Riot with the tune I Can’t Breath
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXctA2BqF9A#t=40

You are listening to Waves Through Walls edition of The Daily GRRR! Today is February 20th, 2015, my name is Dan Kellar and we are now moving into the feature portion of our broadcast.

Today’s feature is from political prisoner Bryant Arroyo with an audio essay entitled Frackville: The Anonymous Fiefdom. This piece looks at escalating repression of political prisoners and any other prisoners who fight back against the prison industrial complex.

That was from political prisoner Bryant Arroyo with an audio essay entitled Frackville: The Anonymous Fiefdom. The piece was from PrisonRadio.org
http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/bryant-arroyo/frackville-anonymou...

This has been the The Daily GRRR! for February 20th, 2015. We are on weekdays from 9-10am on 100.3fm CKMS in Waterloo region, and http://soundfm.ca on the web. Check out all our past shows and other Grand River Media Collective work on our webpage http://grandrivermc.ca

The Daily GRRR! is supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada and CKMS.

Stay tuned in for more Grand River Radical Radio after we close the podcast.
Thanks for Listening.