Toronto police swear off G20 kettling tactic

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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Exclusive: Toronto police swear off G20 kettling tactic

Toronto police will never again use the controversial crowd control technique known as kettling, which was employed for the first and last time in the city’s history during last year’s G20 summit. The decision was revealed to the Star in a police statement Tuesday, along with the information that two Toronto police superintendents were “responsible” for commanding and controlling G20 policing in the city outside the security fence.

On June 27, the final day of the G20 summit, some 300 protesters and bystanders were boxed in, or kettled, by riot police at Queen St. and Spadina Ave. for about four hours. Not long after the enclosure, rain began to fall in torrents as some stood shivering in summer dresses and tank tops.

“The crowd control technique implemented at Queen & Spadina on June 27 will not be used again by the Toronto Police Service,” spokeswoman Meaghan Gray said in the statement, a response to a list of G20-related questions sent by the Star.

Asked whether it’s fair to say police have decided it was wrong to kettle people at Queen and Spadina, Gray said, “No, I don’t think that was the answer I provided.”



Exclusive: Toronto police swear off G20 kettling tactic - thestar.com
 

DurkaDurka

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Mar 15, 2006
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I was about two minutes from being kettled my self, the tear gas expedited my departure from there pretty quick.
 

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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I was about two minutes from being kettled my self, the tear gas expedited my departure from there pretty quick.

"The T.O. Police - who believe that there is nothing with kettling - will never kettle again.

We thank you for your patience.

Please come again."
 

DurkaDurka

Internet Lawyer
Mar 15, 2006
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"The T.O. Police - who believe that there is nothing with kettling - will never kettle again.

We thank you for your patience.

Please come again."

Figuring that about 70% of the people they kettled did nothing wrong and were absolved by the courts or had no charges laid is probably a good indicator that the practice is seriously flawed. What bothers me is that both McGuinty and Blair will accept no blame for what occurred there, thankfully we can fire McGuinty in a couple months.

I guess using American tactics doesn't fly so well with Canadians?

I doubt there but be such an uproar if they had kettled the miscreants setting the city ablaze the day before when the cops did nothing, but they had to make up for that by kettling a dozen protesters or so and a couple hundred people who live in the area the next day
 

cranky

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Apr 17, 2011
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I am actually taken back that the word is kettling instead of kennelling.

A kettle is something that you boil water in, and a kennel is something that you use to contain or control a wild or unpredictable animal.
 

DurkaDurka

Internet Lawyer
Mar 15, 2006
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Kettle is very appropriate - so is "entrapment"....

The ones with mayhem on their minds were near G20 breaking things and setting cop cars alight

It's a shame their kettling didn't net them any of the thugs, they mostly arrested journalists and bystanders the next day.
 

karrie

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Jan 6, 2007
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I've never understood the people who go trooping into the middle of chaos like that, and then complain because they got caught in the middle of it.

It always amazes me how many people who 'had nothing to do with it, honest!!', get hit with tear gas, riot police, etc.
 

cranky

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The word kettle originates from Latin catillus, which in various
contexts is translated as bowl, deep dish, or funnel. A
kettle is probably the most ancient kind of metal cooking utensil.[

perhaps its the funnel aspect of a kettle that inspired this use of the word?


 

Cliffy

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Nov 19, 2008
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I've never understood the people who go trooping into the middle of chaos like that, and then complain because they got caught in the middle of it.

It always amazes me how many people who 'had nothing to do with it, honest!!', get hit with tear gas, riot police, etc.

We are a voyeuristic society (spectators) so it is natural that people would wander outside to see what is going on. The innocent never expect to be attacked, especially in Canada, we are so polite and reserved after all.
 

DurkaDurka

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Mar 15, 2006
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I've never understood the people who go trooping into the middle of chaos like that, and then complain because they got caught in the middle of it.

It always amazes me how many people who 'had nothing to do with it, honest!!', get hit with tear gas, riot police, etc.

Karrie, there was no chaos on Queen Street West until the cops decided they needed to make some arrests for their failures the previous day when they let the thugs destroy the city. Not too mention that Queen Street west is a major residential and shopping area, I suppose you think people living in the area should evacuate because of the G20 nonsense?

Also, look at the number of the charges dropped and it becomes clear very quick that these people were arrested for nothing.
 

TenPenny

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Jun 9, 2004
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That's a fun video to watch.

The lesson is, if there's a G8 summit in town, the best solution is either to barracade yourself inside your house, or leave town completely. Do not venture out, as you will be considered a criminal, and will be beaten and/or arrested.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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That's a fun video to watch.

The lesson is, if there's a G8 summit in town, the best solution is either to barracade yourself inside your house, or leave town completely. Do not venture out, as you will be considered a criminal, and will be beaten and/or arrested.

 

cranky

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Apr 17, 2011
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Wow, after seeing that, I think if I was faced with a situation like that, it would be wise to approach the police officers as early as possible and tell them ' I don't want to be here, please arrest me or let me go' and if they tried to push me into a tighter crowd, I would stop and drop until they arrest me.

It just isn't worth getting pressed into a crowd like that and risk getting clubbed by a police officer if the crowd gets too unruly.
 

karrie

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Jan 6, 2007
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Karrie, there was no chaos on Queen Street West until the cops decided they needed to make some arrests for their failures the previous day when they let the thugs destroy the city. Not too mention that Queen Street west is a major residential and shopping area, I suppose you think people living in the area should evacuate because of the G20 nonsense?

Also, look at the number of the charges dropped and it becomes clear very quick that these people were arrested for nothing.

While I get what you're saying, there was a good span there while the police were closing ranks, where a typical shopper wouldn't have blundered into the middle of it. It's not like they just *poof* appeared.

But you're right, it doesn't take into account all the people, like reporters, who HAVE to be there.
 

DurkaDurka

Internet Lawyer
Mar 15, 2006
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Wow, after seeing that, I think if I was faced with a situation like that, it would be wise to approach the police officers as early as possible and tell them ' I don't want to be here, please arrest me or let me go' and if they tried to push me into a tighter crowd, I would stop and drop until they arrest me.

It just isn't worth getting pressed into a crowd like that and risk getting clubbed by a police officer if the crowd gets too unruly.

It is not wise to approach the cops in that specific situation, they were arresting everyone, journalists, photographers included.
 

cranky

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Apr 17, 2011
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"Your honor, that crowd had the potential to be unruly and violent, it is not reasonable for a police officer to direct me to move closer to everyone.....that is the reason that I stopped and dropped and got arrested for passively resisting arrest"