The Daily GRRR! - January 30th, 2015 - Waves Through Walls
dailyGrrr-2015-01-30.mp3Welcome, 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 January 30th, 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 Mike Who? . Check prisonradio.org for more of Mumia’s podcasts.
Today’s feature is part of an interview with Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense on the recent announcement by the Ontario government to change rules governing the captive marine mammal industry in the province.
Now we will start with today’s headlines:
The Daily GRRR!
HEADLINES for January 30th, 2015
1. No Parole Prison Legislation To Be Introduced by Harper Government
2. Changes in Transgender Policy for Prisons
3. 2 Child residents of Kitchener Ordered Back to Violence Plagued Egypt
4. New Anti-Terror Legislation Drafted by Harper’s Conservatives
5. Project “Levitation” Has Canadian Spies Monitoring Downloads
6. Vancouver Cop Charged After Woman Alleges Assault and Confinement
7. Violent G20 Toronto Cop Wins Appeal to Avoid Jail
8. Sudbury Cop Charged With Assault
9. Denver Cops Kill 16 Year Old Woman For Driving
10. Lawsuit Filed After Cops Facilitate Rape of 17 Year Old Woman
11. Ontario Proposed Tough New Rules Over Captive Marine Mammals
1. No Parole Prison Legislation To Be Introduced by Harper Government
A new piece of legislation is in the works from the Harper government which would, for the first time in canada, introduce a penalty of life in prison without parole for certain first-degree murder convictions. A policy which has been widely condemned in the american legal context.
Currently first-degree murder brings a 25 year sentence before parole can be considered, however after a string of targeted killings of RCMP officers over the past year, the new legislation will seek to toss away the key for those convicted of killing police and jail guards, anyone who kills during a sexual assault, kidnapping or act of terrorism and for especially brutal murders.
The government of course, also holds control over what an act of terrorism is defined as.
Archie Kaiser, a specialist in criminal law at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law in Halifax told the globe and mail “It is so patently a sentence that reeks of vengeance that it’s hard to have a sensible political debate,”
Life without parole has been classified “the other death penalty,” and “death by incarceration” by anti-prison activists and the globe and mail points out that “In recent years, the website of Correctional Service Canada has described those serving life sentences as ‘the most likely to succeed on parole.’”
2. Changes in Transgender Policy for Prisons
An announcement from Ontario’s minister of community safety and correctional services, Tasir Naqvi will change how transgenered prionsers are treated in provincial jails. In a move that Trans activist Susan Gapka said “will set a precedent for other provinces to be guided by and to follow,” prisoners will now be assessed and housed based on their gender identity, not their anatomy.
Gapka added “It sets out a set of suggested practices and guidelines to recognize trans people for their lived identity; whereas, previously they had been decided based on appearances, which we know is not a good way to identify people.”
Studies have shown that transgender prisoners are at higher risk of experiencing violence and discrimination while in prison, and are often placed in isolation cells in a move guards say is to “protect” them. Isolation cells have been linked to their own violence - including comparisons with torture and high cases of instigating mental distress.
Trans activist Sophia banks wrote on vice.com “While I am grateful to see policy changes regarding how trans inmates will be treated in provincial prisons… Ultimately, this policy change fails to address the larger social issues facing trans people, such as systemic transphobia and transmisogyny, and how other forms or prejudice (such as racism) intersect with transphobia...Trans liberation requires a significant social shift in how trans people are viewed and treated by society. What needs to be focused on moving forward is changes that would see less trans people profiled and criminalized for trying to survive in a hostile society”
The government also announced that the changes would come with new training and education for guards and jail staff.
3. 2 Child residents of Kitchener Ordered Back to Violence Plagued Egypt
A judge has ordered canadian born Engy and Rawan Mekawi back to Egypt to live with their biodad despite testimony from their mother, Hend Essa, who asserts she was beaten and sexually abused by her former husband.
The children who have lived in Kitchener, Ontario for the past 2.5 years have been ordered back to violence plagued post-coup Egypt but will likely stay pending appeals which will last through the winter.
4.New Anti-Terror Legislation Drafted by Harper’s Conservatives
The canadian government wants to give the police greater powers to obtain peace-bonds and other arrest opportunities against residents who they fear may think of committing a terrorism offence.
Unnamed sources are saying state agents need the new powers “because you don't know what is going to do once they get off the plane." A government review also claims there is a lack of laws to crack down on people who encourage terrorism. The review also notes the need to share more information between government agencies on residents of canada.
5. Project “Levitation” Has Canadian Spies Monitoring Downloads
Analysis of the documents released by whistleblower Edward Snowden shows that Canada has spearheaded a program within white britania’s security complex, otherwise known as the 5 eyes, that monitors millions of internet users’ activities on a daily basis in an effort to determine security threats.
The intercept reporrts that,canada’s Communications Security Establishment created project “levitation” which “can monitor downloads in several countries across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America.”
Speaking about the project, Ron Deibert, director of University of Toronto-based Internet security think tank Citizen Lab, said “Every single thing that you do – in this case uploading/downloading files to these sites – that act is being archived, collected and analyzed.”
A classified presentation said the project gets 350 “interesting” hits a month, which is less than 0.0001% of total collected traffic.
David Christopher, a spokesman for Vancouver-based open Internet advocacy group OpenMedia.ca, noted “These revelations make clear that CSE engages in large-scale warrantless surveillance of our private online activities, despite repeated government assurances to the contrary.”
While a CSE spokesperson told the Intercept that “CSE does not direct its activities at Canadians or anyone in Canada” it would not get into the how it “protect the privacy of Canadians incidentally encountered in the course of these foreign intelligence operations.” With the cooperation agreements within the 5 eyes agencies, it is wholly possible that the CSE has one of the other members doing the surveillance on those within Canadian borders, skirting canadian laws.
6. Vancouver Cop Charged After Woman Alleges Assault and Confinement
A vancouver cop was arrested and charged earlier this week after a woman reported that he had assaulted and forcefully confined her.
The unnamed cop had been on the force for 10 years and is still working a desk-job for the force during the investigation, which the cops are calling a “domestic dispute situation”. This is yet another example of the danger cops pose to those around them, even those they are intimately involved with.
7. Violent G20 Toronto Cop Wins Appeal to Avoid Jail
The only cop being held responsible for his violent behaviour during the 2010 G20 protests in toronto has had his appeal granted by a Superior Court Justice and will not serve the 45-day jail sentence he was given for getting caught on film assaulting Adam Nobody.
Nobody was attacked by Andalib-Goortani and other officers who have not been charged, while he was in the designated protest zone around Queen’s Park in toronto on June 26th 2010. Andalib-Goortani had his 45 day jail sentence changed into a year of probation and 75 hours of community service but the judge is yet to release the reasons for his decision.
Disciplinary hearings within police ranks could see Andalib-Goortani lose his job, but that would be an unlikely outcome. The hearings into one of the officers overseeing the illegal kettling operations of the G20 police continues in toronto.
8. Sudbury Cop Charged With Assault
With 2 videos showing Sudbury police officer Chris Labreche tossing 20 year old Tanner Currie into a window within a holding area at the Sudbury police station, cops could not avoid charging Labreche with Assault.
The incident happened in the spring of 2014 after Currie was arrested for public intoxication and resisting arrest - charges which were later dropped.
While an internal investigation initially cleared officer Labreche, the release of videos from the incident seem to have spurred prosecutors to take action.
9. Denver Cops Kill 16 Year Old Woman For Driving
After jumping out in front of the car being driven by 16 year old Jessica Hernandez, a police officer with the Denver police shot her dead as he apparently feared for his safety. This is the 2 such incident in as many months in Denver and one of 4 in the past 7 months.
After shooting the youth, the cops dragged her out of the car, handcuffed her and searched her lifeless body as they tossed it from front to back on the frozen colorado street. The cop was taken to hospital for his alleged injuries and was later released from hospital with a tinsey tiny bruise on his leg and a lolli pop for his hurt feelings.
Vigils and protests have been ongoing since monday when the murder took place.
10. Lawsuit Filed After Cops Facilitate Rape of 17 Year Old Woman
The police in the small town of Tasiujaq in northern quebec have been sued after they facilitated the rape of a 17 year old woman they had arrested. The lawsuit asserts that the cops handcuffed the youth and put her in the back of a police SUV with another prisoner, an older man who had a history of sexual assault. He was not handcuffed.
While the cops where off collecting information about the incident, the man, Joe Kritik, pounced on the young woman and sexually assaulted her until he was interrupted once the cop happened to come back.
>The CBC reports that “the lawsuit, which names the officer involved as well as the local police service and the regional government, alleges "a serious lack of professionalism and gross negligence," on behalf of the Kativik regional police.”
11. Ontario Proposed Tough New Rules Over Captive Marine Mammals
With timing that caught many off-guard, the Ontario government has announced proposed changes to the captive marine mammal industry in the province after a 2 year consultation process and a lengthy report from a team of top veterinarians.
The 128 Page Rosen report suggests sweeping changes to rules governing how marine mammals, such as those held captive at the marineland complex in Niagara Falls, will need to be treated, including measures to ensure adequate tank size, proper social grouping, and healthy environmental conditions.
The government also suggested a ban on the sale or purchase of Orcas, a symbolic move which has uncertain consequences for Ontario’s lone captive Orca - Kiska at marineland.
Critics of the report say that following the new rules will make it hard to profit off of the exploitation of captive animals, while animal liberation activist Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense noted that vigilance is required as the zoo lobby will now try to waterdown or eliminate these proposals before they become law.
After the break we will be joined by Dylan Powell for reaction on this announcement and what it means for marineland.
Thats all for the headlines, now for some
Midway Musichere is Storm of Sedition with the tune Fire To The Prisons
And we are back, you just heard Storm of Sedition with the tune Fire To The Prisons
You are listening to Waves Through Walls edition of The Daily GRRR! Today is January 30th, 2015, my name is Dan Kellar and we are now moving into the feature portion of our broadcast.
Today’s feature is part of an interview with Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense on the recent announcement by the Ontario government to change rules governing the captive marine mammal industry in the province. The whole interview is available here.
That was part of an interview with Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense on the recent announcement by the Ontario government to change rules governing the captive marine mammal industry in the province. check http://marinelandanimaldefense.com/ for more on the struggle to shut down marineland and on social media check out marineland animal defense at- @marinelandAD” Click here for the whole Interview with Dylan.
This has been the The Daily GRRR! for January 30th, 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. We will continue with the interview from Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense
Thanks for Listening.
END OF SHOW