Remorse, Shame, Atonement...
Vancouverites are pretty exercised over the black eye the Stanley Cup party in the city's downtown has given them internationally. Vancouver made the news just about everywhere. Because Canadians, you know, are polite and restrained and orderly. They do not engage in violent, abusive behaviour. Except, of course, if you've got a lot of young, entitled and angry-happy youth collected in a setting ready to party.
So 95% of Vancouver residents who responded to a poll, feel the rioters and looters should be prosecuted "to the full extent of the law", although they have their doubts they'll be successfully tracked down by the local authorities. Well, who can blame them? Just think of all that costly damage, not just to the city's reputation, but to the taxpayer, for clean-up and reconstruction. Someone's got to pay for it; as taxpayers, they don't really want to.
So it makes sense to expend plenty of energy, determination and whatever else it takes to finance the exercise, to bring as many of the malefactors as possible to justice. And justice could be represented, among other penalties, by having to actually foot the bill. You break it, you pay for it. Simple enough formula, and just as well.
The municipality and the province are ready enough to make excuses for the youth of the area. claiming that a hard core of criminals and anarchists started the mayhem, and the young people in attendance just kind of thought, well, isn't this neat, why don't we have some fun, too? Sort of like monkey-see-monkey-do.
"If you wait until we find you - and we will find you - we will arrest you in a public manner suitable to the public crimes you have committed", promised the city's police chief, Jim Chu. He insists on maintaining that "...among the mob were 'criminals, anarchists and thugs who came to town bent on destruction and mayhem' regardless of the outcome of the game."
Two men have been charged relating to a stabbing that took place during the riot. One can only hope that the thugs who engaged in beating and kicking a mature bystander who attempted to stop them from burning and looting will also be found and charged. Now that's truly thuggish, unforgivably brutal. Come to think of it, those who looked on and did nothing, should also be charged.
And while, as Jim Chu says, "most of the people that joined in the riot and that have now been charged represent a wider spectrum of young people, many of whom do not have criminal records", one can only hope that they will now be burdened with criminal records that will follow them through this formative period of their lives.
The grim faces of the Kotylak family tell an unfortunate story. A family of high achievers, obviously. Whose 17-year-old son, a star athlete with obviously everything going for him and bored to hell, decided to torch a $50,000 police car. His focus on that car took place at a time, it was explained, before the riot really began, so he was an initiator as well as a prime idiot.
The consequences of his stupidity are somewhat evident in his chastened manner and admission of responsibility. But the matter should not end there, and he should be prosecuted as there is no doubt he will be. And the replacement cost of that police vehicle should become his responsibility. And his parents should review with their son his value system and social obligations.
Not too late to express concern for public safety, along with that of their own.
So 95% of Vancouver residents who responded to a poll, feel the rioters and looters should be prosecuted "to the full extent of the law", although they have their doubts they'll be successfully tracked down by the local authorities. Well, who can blame them? Just think of all that costly damage, not just to the city's reputation, but to the taxpayer, for clean-up and reconstruction. Someone's got to pay for it; as taxpayers, they don't really want to.
So it makes sense to expend plenty of energy, determination and whatever else it takes to finance the exercise, to bring as many of the malefactors as possible to justice. And justice could be represented, among other penalties, by having to actually foot the bill. You break it, you pay for it. Simple enough formula, and just as well.
The municipality and the province are ready enough to make excuses for the youth of the area. claiming that a hard core of criminals and anarchists started the mayhem, and the young people in attendance just kind of thought, well, isn't this neat, why don't we have some fun, too? Sort of like monkey-see-monkey-do.
"If you wait until we find you - and we will find you - we will arrest you in a public manner suitable to the public crimes you have committed", promised the city's police chief, Jim Chu. He insists on maintaining that "...among the mob were 'criminals, anarchists and thugs who came to town bent on destruction and mayhem' regardless of the outcome of the game."
Two men have been charged relating to a stabbing that took place during the riot. One can only hope that the thugs who engaged in beating and kicking a mature bystander who attempted to stop them from burning and looting will also be found and charged. Now that's truly thuggish, unforgivably brutal. Come to think of it, those who looked on and did nothing, should also be charged.
And while, as Jim Chu says, "most of the people that joined in the riot and that have now been charged represent a wider spectrum of young people, many of whom do not have criminal records", one can only hope that they will now be burdened with criminal records that will follow them through this formative period of their lives.
The grim faces of the Kotylak family tell an unfortunate story. A family of high achievers, obviously. Whose 17-year-old son, a star athlete with obviously everything going for him and bored to hell, decided to torch a $50,000 police car. His focus on that car took place at a time, it was explained, before the riot really began, so he was an initiator as well as a prime idiot.
Nathan Kotylak, shown here with his parents Joie, left, and Greg, released a statement Sunday regarding his participation in the Game 7 hockey riot in Vancouver. Kotylak was photographed attempting to light a Vancouver police car on fire and Friday sought permission from the court to own up to his actions. Photograph by: Stuart Davis, PNG, Vancouver Sun; With Files From Matthew Robinson
The consequences of his stupidity are somewhat evident in his chastened manner and admission of responsibility. But the matter should not end there, and he should be prosecuted as there is no doubt he will be. And the replacement cost of that police vehicle should become his responsibility. And his parents should review with their son his value system and social obligations.
Not too late to express concern for public safety, along with that of their own.
posted by Pieface | 6:59 PM
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