- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,185
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
The memorial for Abdirahman Abdi at Somerset Square Park had a theme — “Standing Together.”
And together they stood Monday night in Hintonburg, more than 100 strong in the “cleansing rain,” in the words of First Nation Algonquin elder Barbara Dumont Hill.
“These are tears for Abdi,” said Hill, one of several voices heard on the occasion of the anniversary of Abdi’s death following a violent altercation with Ottawa police.
In conjunction with the Hintonburg Community Association and Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition organized the event to “provide a space for community healing and remembrance.”
Friends and neighbours, fellow Muslims, interfaith ministers and complete strangers gathered underneath paltry canopies ill-equipped for the evening’s downpour. The group was unfazed, calmly passing around paper towels to dry seats, however temporarily. There were no protest signs, no expressions of anger, but there was goodwill and an expression of hope for better relations among minorities, mentally challenged individuals and police.
“This just shows that people care,” said coalition co-chair Dahabo Ahmed Omer of the strong turnout, despite the weather. “We hope the community spends some time together healing and showing the Abdi family that they are amongst a community that loves them and will always stand by them.”
Earlier in the day, Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau spoke of a difficult and challenging year for all parties involved.
“We’ve been working very hard. . . . We’ve established an outreach liaison team that was out there and listening,” Bordeleau said. “We had a lot of meetings; I participated in several conversations where we listened to the community and their concerns.”
Omer was involved in many of those meetings with police.
“The one thing we did ask for was the diversity audit, which was granted,” Omer said. “That’s a positive step, but we’re very far from our goal for it to be a more transparent and equitable institution that serves everyone.”
The Abdi story is well known, except, of course, the parts we’re waiting for the courts to explain: The how and the why of Abdi’s death.
On July 24, 2016, Abdi, 37, a Somali-Canadian man with unspecified mental health issues, lost vital signs during a confrontation with Ottawa police. He was pronounced dead in hospital the following day.
After an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit, Ottawa police Const. Daniel Montsion was charged in March with manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.
To the frustration of Abdi’s family and support group, the trial won’t begin until February 2019, nearly three years after the incident. The Ontario Court of Justice has set aside 12 weeks for a judge-only trial, from Feb. 4 to May 3, 2019.
As one lawyer said Monday, depending on the outcome of that trial, an appeal could result and drag on for another year or two.
The Abdi case, which sparked protests and vigils across Canada, extends to about 23 months before trial, contrary to Supreme Court of Canada guidelines that provincial charges should reach trial within 18 months. The wheels of justice grind ever slowly.
Montsion has been suspended with pay since the time of the charges, March 6.
On the day of the incident, a glorious summer morning, Montsion and a fellow officer were responding to 911 calls concerning a man groping women at the Bridgehead coffee shop on Fairmont Avenue.
An Ontario court judge will decide what went on from the moment Abdi was approached by police on the steps of his Hintonburg apartment building, to the sight of his limp body on the ground. Videos taken by witnesses show police hovering over Abdi and, later, emergency responders working furiously to try to revive him.
No cause of death was released by the SIU.
Abdi’s family, represented by lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, is seeking financial damages for loss of care, guidance and companionship in a pending civil suit. At Somerset Square, Greenspon spoke with passion about the myriad duties of parenthood, adding, “We are not put on this earth to bury our children.”
Leiper quoted Martin Luther King’s dream of a “beloved community,” a peaceful place where “spirit and love can turn opposers into friends.”
When the speeches ended, the group filed en masse a few hundred feet across the park to 55 Hilda, rainwater now running in torrents on the street. There, Abdirahman’s younger brother, Abdiaziz, unveiled a plaque outside the family’s apartment building:
In loving memory of Abdirahman Abdi whose life was unjustly taken on these very steps on July 24, 2016. His death has caused an awakening. A united community and a strong call for justice has emerged.
“O you who believed, persistently stand out firmly for justice as witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, your parents or your relatives, be they rich or poor . . .
Quran An-Nisaa (The Woman) verse 135
Dhabi Ahmed Omer, left, co-chair of The Justice for Abdirahman Abdi Coalition, stands by a plaque marking the anniversary of the death of Abdirahman Abdi.
wscanlan@postmedia.com
查看原文...
And together they stood Monday night in Hintonburg, more than 100 strong in the “cleansing rain,” in the words of First Nation Algonquin elder Barbara Dumont Hill.
“These are tears for Abdi,” said Hill, one of several voices heard on the occasion of the anniversary of Abdi’s death following a violent altercation with Ottawa police.
In conjunction with the Hintonburg Community Association and Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition organized the event to “provide a space for community healing and remembrance.”
Friends and neighbours, fellow Muslims, interfaith ministers and complete strangers gathered underneath paltry canopies ill-equipped for the evening’s downpour. The group was unfazed, calmly passing around paper towels to dry seats, however temporarily. There were no protest signs, no expressions of anger, but there was goodwill and an expression of hope for better relations among minorities, mentally challenged individuals and police.
“This just shows that people care,” said coalition co-chair Dahabo Ahmed Omer of the strong turnout, despite the weather. “We hope the community spends some time together healing and showing the Abdi family that they are amongst a community that loves them and will always stand by them.”
Earlier in the day, Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau spoke of a difficult and challenging year for all parties involved.
“We’ve been working very hard. . . . We’ve established an outreach liaison team that was out there and listening,” Bordeleau said. “We had a lot of meetings; I participated in several conversations where we listened to the community and their concerns.”
Omer was involved in many of those meetings with police.
“The one thing we did ask for was the diversity audit, which was granted,” Omer said. “That’s a positive step, but we’re very far from our goal for it to be a more transparent and equitable institution that serves everyone.”
The Abdi story is well known, except, of course, the parts we’re waiting for the courts to explain: The how and the why of Abdi’s death.
On July 24, 2016, Abdi, 37, a Somali-Canadian man with unspecified mental health issues, lost vital signs during a confrontation with Ottawa police. He was pronounced dead in hospital the following day.
After an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit, Ottawa police Const. Daniel Montsion was charged in March with manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.
To the frustration of Abdi’s family and support group, the trial won’t begin until February 2019, nearly three years after the incident. The Ontario Court of Justice has set aside 12 weeks for a judge-only trial, from Feb. 4 to May 3, 2019.
As one lawyer said Monday, depending on the outcome of that trial, an appeal could result and drag on for another year or two.
The Abdi case, which sparked protests and vigils across Canada, extends to about 23 months before trial, contrary to Supreme Court of Canada guidelines that provincial charges should reach trial within 18 months. The wheels of justice grind ever slowly.
Montsion has been suspended with pay since the time of the charges, March 6.
On the day of the incident, a glorious summer morning, Montsion and a fellow officer were responding to 911 calls concerning a man groping women at the Bridgehead coffee shop on Fairmont Avenue.
An Ontario court judge will decide what went on from the moment Abdi was approached by police on the steps of his Hintonburg apartment building, to the sight of his limp body on the ground. Videos taken by witnesses show police hovering over Abdi and, later, emergency responders working furiously to try to revive him.
No cause of death was released by the SIU.
Abdi’s family, represented by lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, is seeking financial damages for loss of care, guidance and companionship in a pending civil suit. At Somerset Square, Greenspon spoke with passion about the myriad duties of parenthood, adding, “We are not put on this earth to bury our children.”
Leiper quoted Martin Luther King’s dream of a “beloved community,” a peaceful place where “spirit and love can turn opposers into friends.”
When the speeches ended, the group filed en masse a few hundred feet across the park to 55 Hilda, rainwater now running in torrents on the street. There, Abdirahman’s younger brother, Abdiaziz, unveiled a plaque outside the family’s apartment building:
In loving memory of Abdirahman Abdi whose life was unjustly taken on these very steps on July 24, 2016. His death has caused an awakening. A united community and a strong call for justice has emerged.
“O you who believed, persistently stand out firmly for justice as witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, your parents or your relatives, be they rich or poor . . .
Quran An-Nisaa (The Woman) verse 135
Dhabi Ahmed Omer, left, co-chair of The Justice for Abdirahman Abdi Coalition, stands by a plaque marking the anniversary of the death of Abdirahman Abdi.
wscanlan@postmedia.com
查看原文...
