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You Still Have Some Explainin' to Do, Toronto Police Brass!

The G20 report does not answer those questions that embarrass rank-and-file officers and still make the average citizen shake their heads. Torontonians of all walks of life deserve better -- Chief Blair should come clean.
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On the first anniversary of the G20 in Toronto, many groups are plaintively calling for the resignation of Chief Blair as a consequence of his responsibility for the glaring errors in policing that weekend.

I disagree -- Chief Blair, but for the G20, has done a terrific job as top cop -- he should stay and his feet should be put to the fire until he provides an explanation for a number of failings, not the least of which is why police stood by and watched thugs set fire to four police cars and watched as thugs smashed and grabbed from stores.

Blair should also provide an explanation as to why police kettled up to 400 citizens on Sunday night for four hours in the rain. A senior officer said that they did so because each of those 400 had to be interviewed by police -- that was untrue -- few were, in fact, interviewed.

The Toronto Police Service "After-Action Review" just released is little more than a bureaucratic recitation of timelines. It does not answer those questions that still make the average citizen shake their heads and embarrass rank-and-file officers because someone ordered them not to do their job and stop the violence in the streets on Saturday afternoon.

Yes,as the report concludes, at no time was security breached at any G20 Summit site. And yes, no critical injuries were sustained.

But this report glaringly goes through a time analysis of events on Saturday and Sunday, without any clue as to why certain decisions were taken,and very little information as to who was giving the orders!

Why the secrecy? People have a right to know why police stood by while their city burned!

This report is not accountability, it is a really poor snow job.

For example, on page 20 of the report is this paragraph: "At 4:01 p.m. a second police car was set on fire at King Street West and Bay Street." End of sentence.

No answer as to why?!

People need to know why this was allowed to happen, why police did nothing about it. One can be darn sure that should a police car be set afire today, the perpetrators would be in custody in seconds!

Torontonians of all walks of life deserve better -- Chief Blair should come clean.

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