Angry in the Great White North has a post about Jodie Wheatle, a young black man arrested in a Toronto mall crowded with families shopping. After unsuccessfully resisting arrest, officers discovered a loaded .45-calibre handgun in his possession. Not just loaded, but cocked and with a round in the chamber.
A justice of the peace looked over the multiple weapons charges, and put him back on the streets on $10,000 bail.
Three weeks later, police arrested him again. This time on suspicion of murder. A 25-year-old car salesman was shot in the head and the chest in his sales lot when Wheadle and his friends got angry over financing difficulties related to their car purchase.
Our Chief Justice just delivered a speech in which she said the judiciary whould do whatever they think is right “even in the face of clearly enacted laws or hostile public opinion”.
I don’t think she knows what “hostile” really means. Jodie Wheadle is a hostile man, and now a family must struggle with a violent murder just three weeks before Christmas. I guess that justice of the peace took Chief Justice McLachlin’s advice on doing whatever you think is right, and the public be damned.
Maybe if Canadians become more “hostile”, our judges would start taking us seriously.
I’ll vote CPC of course. But I’m reminded of what someone once wrote about politics. It goes something like this: Poli’ in Latin means ‘many’ and ‘tics’ in English means ‘bloodsucking creatures”. Sorta fits my thinking about politics. I wish we could get along without any of them. But of course that’s not possible.
Dead used car salesmen are the price we must pay for not having enough basketball courts for the little darlings.
It’s Mike Harris’s fault obviously!
About 40 years ago wasn’t TO known as “Toronto the Good” A well run and clean city, but inhabited mostly by boring and dour Presbyterians.
As the cigarette commercial, aimed at women, once said: You’ve come a long way baby!
That news has made me a very hostile Canadian right now and I am taking action… I am going to write a letter!
Now come have a laugh at
Duke’s Place It will calm you down. … then come back here to get your stomach back into after-burn mode.
This article is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. If third and fourth generation Canadians don’t wake up and kick this liberal government out of the country then the country of Canada that we all once new and loved will cease to exist. This country has not become the Eutopia that the Lieberals would have you believe instead it has become a wastebasket for the dregs of other societies, people that come here knowing that under our Charter of Rights they can demand that we accommodate them. Isn’t it about time that we required these people to offer proof that they are willing to change and to accept our way of life without asking us to accept them under our multicultural umbrella and change our societal structure in order to make them feel welcome. I’ve had enough, my hat’s off to Australia. If the Lieberals get another opportunity to form a government in this country I’ll be looking to emmigrate.
Here’s a suggestion: if the judge is going to let the criminal out on bail, then the judge should be his custodian; i.e. the criminal can move in with the judge. We’d then see how the judge likes having his/her home treated like a garbage dump and their kids molested and fed drugs and whatever other wonderful things these poor misunderstood dummies do.
I’ve also suggested the building of a jail on Han Island for these sorts of folks. It would go some way to asserting our sovereignty and the gaurds are free (clue: they are carnivorous and wear white coats).
Just a thought.
Antenor. My thinking exactly. Muticulturalism is a disaster. And the Liberals have made it even worse. Actually, Australia isn’t perfect either.
I recently received an email from a retired couple living in New Zealand. We traded some info about both countries and the political thinking of each. Wow, nice people but are they ever socialist in their views. And of course they hate GW.
As for moving, I love the Canadian Sheild, the North Country and the Pacific Northwest too much to just walk away. So I’m going to stay and fight for the Canada I love and that my uncles fought and died for in two world wars. I owe that to them.
As an aside, I support America but I would not want to live there either right now. Americans are losing individual rights faster than it takes to walk across the Mexican-American border and get a green card these days.
Hey JC
Don’t believe everything you here in the media about America. I am a Canadian who moved down here a few years ago(tired of the socialist Liberal crap).
Even with increased security, I still have far more freedoms and choice then I ever did in Canada.
God Bless America
Amen, John! I once thought of leaving, and may have to someday. But Damnit! I am going to give it a shot and do what I can to change this country back into a sensible one. I worry about the Charter, though, and how it has hamstrung us in our ability to do what is needed. And for those who think of it as some ‘sacred’ document: it’s not as if we didn’t have rights/protection under Common Law.
We need to re-work this….
People wonder why the cop on the street has tuned out on much of what is going on. Unfortunately this judge doesn’t have to justify her actions to an electorate as in the USA. Oh ya, sorry, I forgot we aren’t qualified to pass judgement.
Yes…I saw the AIGWN blog and the article in the press….
This kind of thing makes my blood boil.
In a just society we would have the right to demand the judge involved be removed from the bench!
Judges shouldn’t be surprised when one day the victim’s family violently takes it out on the judge and/or his/her family.
yet again the courts want to make us vigilanties,
Through a rock through someones window with a liberal sign this christmas and attach an article re this case
Missing Link. I almost moved down there after 9/11 as a show of support. But what I’m speaking of concerns individual rights and freedoms. I don’t like the way GW (and I support him) is fighting the War on Terrorism (a misnomer in my opinion.) They will eventually have to get down and dirty if they want to win this thing. Why not now? We know who the enemy is and where their leaders live. Just go and kill them for god’s sake.
Radical Islam is alive and well in your cities and ours. The enemy walks among us. I don’t like to see our rights and freedoms curtailed just because our leaders are so paranoid about “doing the right thing” and “political correctness” that they can’t pick out the right guys in a lineup. We know where most of these creeps come from. Why pick on an old lady standing in line to board a plane to see her grandchildren for Christmas? This whole idea of defending the homeland is a joke.
This also applies to Canada. But as usual, Canada is wishy-washy about that too.
Makes one nostalgic for the hang-man’s rope.
Just for information’s sake here are the discretionary provisions of the Criminal Code governing what a judge must consider when making a bail ruling:
515(10) For the purposes of this section, the detention of an accused in custody is justified only on one or more of the following grounds:
(a) where the detention is necessary to ensure his or her attendance in court in order to be dealt with according to law;
(b) where the detention is necessary for the protection or safety of the public, including any victim of or witness to the offence, having regard to all the circumstances including any substantial likelihood that the accused will, if released from custody, commit a criminal offence or interfere with the administration of justice; and
(c) on any other just cause being shown and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, where the detention is necessary in order to maintain confidence in the administration of justice, having regard to all the circumstances, including the apparent strength of the prosecution’s case, the gravity of the nature of the offence, the circumstances surrounding its commission and the potential for a lengthy term of imprisonment.
—————-
Subsection c is the most contentious for people that think bail is necessary. Personally, I find it is so wishy washy and gives far too much discretion to judges, which is how we get results such as in this case. Nevermind the fact that I’m sure the accused’s status as a basketball star was considered worthy! Sounds sick, but is highly likely.
“…has a post about Jodie Wheatle, a young black man arrested in a Toronto mall..”
What does it matter if he’s black? From the body of the story I was guessing you were taking issue with lenient judges (of which I am in complete agreement). If Mr. Wheatle was white would the judge still have been too lenient. If so, then your description of the man as black is completely irrelevent…Your use of the adjective adds nothing to your story, therefore, I wonder what your intentions were in using the language you did?
“What does it matter if he’s black?”
It’s funny, but I had that in and out and in and out a half-dozen times.
I left it in because it is relevant. If you’re in Toronto, it’s relevant. The summer of gun violence we’ve had here is almost entirely perpetrated by young black men, and almost always on other young black men (this case was an exception). When people discuss this issue, the code words come fast and furious.
Economically disadvantaged.
Culturally disconnected.
Dispirited urban sub-culture.
No one wants to say the obvious — they are all black! It is black gangs pulling guns on each other and on innocent bystanders (like the TTC driver severely wounded in a black-on-black shootout on a crowded bus a few weeks back).
So if the perpetrator of the crime had been a person of Danish descent, you can be certain I’d point that out too, if only because it would have been so unusual. As it is, saying he was black allows readers, especially those in Toronto, to quickly categorize this murder along with all the others, committed by listless fatherless lunkheads who care for nothing about their lives or ours or yours.
That is the pattern. There is the correlation (but not the causality). Is it disturbing? Yes. Is it uncomfortable? Definitely. Will I try to hide the truth? No.
But if you feel like it, just ignore the word. And if you are walking the streets of Toronto, in the Malvern area or Jane-Finch, and a gang of bl**k youths is loitering on the corner blocking your way and eyeing you, you can decide whether crossing to the other side to continue your walk is a prudent move.
If you do, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. You can continue to pretend to be colour-blind.
This kind of nonsense, along with the HUGE number of agressive homeless, trash, and people openly using drugs is why this Amerikun will never go back to Toronto, even though I love the city – and Kathy Shaidle owes me some Steamwhistles…..
Canada is slowly but surely burying itself. Soon the only question left will be whether or not anyone bothers to erect a monument……
(Not-so-subtle-hint: the provinces west of Ontario should declare themselves a free nation, tell Ottowa and Montreal to go play with each other, and seek UN recognition as a protectorate for endangered cultures [Inuit, et al]. And keep all that hard-earned local revenue for themselves, instead of letting the clowns in the east scream that “it’s ours, it’s ours – gimme!!!”)
Angry. Totally agree with your reasoning in your lost comment. I have walked down some of those streets, and some similar ones in Vancouver. Scares the hell out of me. And I don’t scare easily. The problem in Vancouver usually involves immigrants, often illegal, from several Middle East and East countries.
If a person uses a gun in a crime then they need to be sent back to where they came from, right after they serve hard time here. It’s too bad we don’t see that plank in any of the party platforms isn’t it?
I don’t care what colour a person is. I have friends of many colours. I didn’t even think about colour growing up. But times were different then in many ways, at least in Souris and Calgary.
Joey W. As for your last point about the provinces west of Ontario, we’ll see after the election. Stay tuned. If it proves necessary then it will begin in Alberta. Once the fire is lit it will be difficult to extinguish. Right now it’s smouldering.
CITY TV here in Toronto (left of the CBC, if you can believe it) had a special program on the escalating violence. I wasn�t going to watch but it�s hard to turn away from these train wrecks.
The audience was sprinkled with self-appointed black community leaders, black �youts� who themselves were hardly representative, CITY TV activists, er reporters, and some politicians.
The mic was passed around for everyone to offer the cause and solution to the problems.
One white lady said it�s all related to the fact that the kids grow up in a one-parent home. There was much head nodding.
An angry white dude said the kids themselves should take the blame. Man they got the mic away from him quickly, but before they could do so there was much head nodding.
Over the phone a guidance councillor recounted how she was viciously assaulted by students, and that there should be a strong police presence at school, and there was much head nodding.
Amazingly, a black community leader immediately said that cops in the schools were the problem, and much head nodding ensued.
Then an angry young black girl � may have been Muslim �cause she had a head cover; hard to tell if it was fashion or something else � laid the blame squarely at the curriculum. �Who built the pyramids?� she asked. �Who brought the Europeans out of the dark ages?� and answered that it was the Muzzies before anyone else could get in a word.
She continued on like some angry young NDPer, hitting all the requisite clich�s, and afterward there was much head nodding.
She laid the blame at the foot of Mike Harris (for once, Bush was a stretch). Ontario Conservative leader John Tory was in the audience and the first words out of his mouth were �mistakes were made.� He then went on to grovel for support in the next election.
The best came from a CITY TV reporter. She said that those kids who got pulled out of school by the cops for sexually assaulting that girl felt that the whole thing was an act of racism. And hang it all, if they feel it�s racism, then by golly it�s racism.
And to no one�s surprise there was much head nodding.
Just to clarify my comments above, 17 black guys were recently pulled out of a Toronto area high school on multiple charges of sexual assault on a teenage girl, some of which was caught on the school�s surveillance cameras. They and their mothers thought their arrests were racially motivated.
Mississauga Matt. Funny.
Thank you for your reply Angry (I do enjoy your blog as well).
I am not denying that Jamaican gangs are a huge problem here in Toronto. I do not have a problem with police targeting those gangs just as I do not have a problem with them doing it to Tamil gangs as well.
The point I was making is that your language was sloppy and dangerous. On your rebuttal, you are sloppy again. It is fine to say that Jamaican gangs are a huge problem. It is fine to say that there is a horrific family problem in some communities in Toronto. I would agree with you. However, when you use language like
“…a young black man arrested in Toronto…
“…No one wants to say the obvious — they are all black!” (no they are not)
“…So if the perpetrator of the crime had been a person of Danish descent, you can be certain I’d point that out too…” (no you wouldn’t, because there is not a Danish violence problem in Toronto).
“…committed by listless fatherless lunkheads who care for nothing …” (you are guessing that he is fatherless…you are drawing a conclusion from a preconceived notion…I will admit that ALL people make these generalities in their minds, to express them in a careless way is unacceptable. Unless you believe that all Jamaicans are fatherless gangbangers it is reckless.
I understand your frustration and I understand where you are coming from and what you want to accomplish. All that I am saying is that you cannot throw the baby out with the bath. There are a lot of hard working and just West Indians who deserve a lot better.
Well Missi Matt (sorry, I usually mangle that city’s spelin’) and John C., you folks have certainly hit the nail on the head. It may be one of the oldest tricks in the book but the race card never fails to intimidate. Houston Comical have a three parter this week on those poor “undocumented immigrants” that have a tough time having to worry about the immigration Nazis and all. Although the word illegal does show up occasionally, you get the feeling we should open our arms and let everyone in. Of course that would include that Central American drug gang and a whole list of other scum of the earth.
As a Canuck living and working here, I have to jump through hoops every year just to stay, others spend a lot of time and money doing it legally and yet there is that (vocal) group that insist that to question a person’s residency status is discriminating.
That being said, I’d still rather walk downtown Houston than Toronto.
BTW, Was Wheatle’s gun registered? I didn’t think so.
The problem with using the race card now days is that it really doesn’t mean much anymore. The term has become so twisted and bent that it is now used as a means to justify any type of social malfeasance committed by our immigrant population.
The facts are that some immigrants, no matter what there colour, are not integrating into Canadian society. These malcontents do not respect the law, people�s property or even human life.
Are these actions the result of �racism?�, not a chance. These punks are just bad seed, by any countries standards.
As for TO, I was once there during Caribana with my brother, minding our own business when we were set upon by a large group of black young men shouting “crackers”. We about to receive a (probably fatal) beating when a cop car showed up – lucky us!
Trapper, you ignore stuff like us at your own peril. There isn’t a gun problem in TO – it’s a black problem.
Just like in Vancouver – every weekend several nightclub or restaurant shootings occur and nine times out of 10 (if not more), it’s Indians (Sikhs). The rest are done by Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabs or Hell’s Angels.
Again it’s primarily a MULTICULT problem, not the guns per se and certainly not the Americans, much as the Liberano$ want us to believe.
The problem is separating the good from the bad. It will not be solved by separating one race from another, because it is clear that there are good and bad people in every race (however you define race).
In other words, I don’t care if you’re green, I reserve the basic biological operation of self defence. If our contract with the state fails, people will defend themselves. And it won’t be a pretty sight.
“Trapper, you ignore stuff like us at your own peril”
Once again people are jumping to conclusions when they shouldn’t. If you calm down and re-read my post you will see that I agree there is a Jamaican gang problem, I agree that there are huge family stability problems in Toronto’s West Indian community, I agree there are drugs, I agreee there are guns, I agree in tougher sentences, I agree we need tougher judges…
I also agree that…
conservatives are not racists, that conservatives are not a bunch of slack-jawed yokels, I agree that conservatives are not mean spirtited, I agree that conservatives are not selfish, I agree that conservatives are fresh and new and not old and stale…
The stereotyping can go both ways and I hate it both ways. The spirit of the original post was that the judge should not have given the man bail because he was obviously violent, had commited a gun crime (I agree) and that he was black (that’s the kicker). The judge should have known that a black with a hand gun is more likely to be trouble than a white with a hand gun. The point is the man should have been held regardless of the colour of his skin.
While I agree with the sense of much of what has been said in reaction to the Chief Justice and her asserted right to create law — there are indeed linkages between leftist elites, multiculturalism, and lenient judges — we need to find ways of harnessing and using this anger. My fear is that blogs allow steam to blow off, after which — very little. The Tories may (may) win the election, but the leftist elite will still be there. The power of a government — even with a majority — is limited by the courts, the bureaucracy and the media. I can’t say I have a solution, but this country’s problem is less with its parties than with its elite.
Mark F. Proudman
mfp@canadianreview.ca
As northbaytrapper said: the point is the man should have been held regardless of the colour of his skin.
Quebec court rejects leave to appeal conditions on Homolka’s freedom
MONTREAL (CP) – Ontario schoolgirl killer Karla Homolka can still go where she wants and meet with anyone she pleases>>>>>>> via cnews
“meet with anyone she pleases” $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Well, apart from the illegality of his having the gun at all, and the murder (both of which indicate he’s a goblin), “cocked-and-locked” is a perfectly correct and common way to carry a 1911, worthy of no additional comment.
Did the courts give Wheadle his gun back when they let him out on bail? Or did he just acquire another one? (I don’t know what a large calibre handgun costs on the street these days, but it has to be at least a thousand bucks, ( if not more)- so how does a student with no job manage to buy TWO of them?
The judge who let this creep out on bail, should be held responsible for this death, (I mean, the family whose breadwinner got killed, should sue him, personally.)
northbaytrapper. Time to drop it. We’re all coming at this from the same place. I still agree with what Angry said in his original post and his followup comment. I also agree with much of what you say. But I think you’re nitpicking when you find fault with what he writes.
The guy was black. He wasn’t yellow, red, green or white. He was black. Stop trying to read everyone’s mind. I don’t know what Angry’s training is, but we don’t all have a journalism degree for god’s sake. We don’t all parse our words to pass a final exam. We’re stating our opinion. To disagree once is good. To harp about it gets tiresome.
I had originally bookmarked your site because I thought I’d find it useful. I’ve just deleted your bookmark.
What a waste or time.
Ok, point taken, trapper, and you are correct.
EPW
Immigrant children, raised on welfare, in single parent families, from a culture known for violence and use of handguns.
Of all the cultures we could invite into Canada, the Libs threw the doors wide open to Jamaica. Thanks a bunch.
This is not a race problem. This is a screwed-up cultural import that didn’t have to be happen. We absolutely have the right to choose who can come here, in what numbers, and under what conditions.
But no, it doesn’t matter if you bring problems into our country, as long as you promise to vote Lib for the rest of your life.
But no, it doesn’t matter if you bring problems into our country, as long as you promise to vote Lib for the rest of your life.
Actually, Shaken, they prefer that you bring problems to the country. The more problems, the better. Because, no problem-o means no job-o for people in the welfare industry, the crime industry, the health industry, etc.
Exactly. That’s how the elitists operate: create problems and benefit from them on the backs of honest citizens. While we meritocratists try to benefit by solving problems.
Eventually one of them will make the mistake of actually saying “Let them Eat Cake”, at which point all hell will break loose and lots of innocent people will get hurt. Elitist bastards.
As northbaytrapper said: the point is the man should have been held regardless of the colour of his skin.
And then they would have been screaming racism, just like they did with the kids from the school.As soon as any color(except white) is seen to be held accountable for their actions, the racism word comes out. It is PCness. Pure and simple bullshit.There is no reason to defend it. When it is thrown around like it is, it loses all sting. In this case, the use of the word “black” is completely and totally justified. It is , of course, not only a black problem, as it impacts everybody, BUT it is blacks committing these crimes. To admit and say the obvious, and then back down when challenged on it, is the sure sign of a coward.Well done for sticking to your guns, Angry. The truth hurts. And the more people it hurts into reality, the better!
Annie “Got-Yer-Guns” McLellan is firing blanks & missing the NRA.>>>>
Liberals’ McLellan attacks NRA’s intervention
Canadian Press
TORONTO � Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan is condemning what she calls the intervention of the American National Rifle Association in the federal election campaign.
“The NRA and their U.S.-style, big-money gun lobby efforts are not welcome here,” McLellan said Monday.
McLellan is unhappy with a speech last weekend by an association director to the annual meeting of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. The Canadian association says on its Website that it asked the NRA for political organizing tips during an election.
But McLellan said “Young people are dying on the streets of Toronto as a result of gun violence.”
And NRA “efforts to foist a U.S.-style gun agenda on Canadians are inappropriate, especially given that this is the week when we remember the murder of 14 young women at the Ecole Polytechnique 16 years ago.”
McLellan says there is a place for responsible gun ownership in Canada.
“What I reject are the values of groups like the NRA u groups that would attempt to undo the laws we have . . . to protect Canadians when it comes to firearms,” she said.
“The Conservatives need to think long and hard about the ramifications of their hard-line position on relaxing gun laws in Canada,” she added. >>>
via google search
ctv.ca
Please…make the Screech go away….she drives me crazy with all that screeeeeching.
Oh this is beyond absurd. Mr. Harper did not invite the NRA. Young people are dieing on the streets of Toronto because nobody is stopping the people who are killing them. Why can’t Toronto take responsibility for itself?
The Liberals are evil; McLellan knows no shame.
Not sure if this on-topic or not, but time to connect some dots.
We have a day-care issue, Chief Justice comments and another Gang? shooting in TO.
Seemingly unrelated, however, per PM we are “knowledgable” or we are not. The Ottawa-centric gov’t can best decide how to raise our kids, our Sup. Court can best decide what laws are appropriate, our Justice system can best decide who can and can’t walk the streets.
PMPM, had it right on one count, the differences ARE stark. WE decide how our lives should be lived, or the Politburo er Liberal Party er the gov’t decides for you.
PS: I agree with Trapper that colour is irrelevant, here in Cgy it is Vietnamese gangs ( and there is no way, or should, describe them as yellow?. Just call it gang-related.
Regarding a gub’mint-run childcare system, I like what Duke called it:
The Kid Registry
John:
I don’t mean to offend or bore. I’ve made my posts and others have made their’s. I would say at the end of the day we all understand where each other is coming from. I respect your opinion and those of all who post whether they agree or disagree. That is healthy dialogue and that is the backbone of any society. I think if you look at the majority of things that we have both said you’ll see that we are in agreement.
The point of contention, was that I feared that Angry’s words as written, suggested that the judge should have taken the man’s colour into consideration when appropriating bail (it should have been denied outright and that, I believe, we are in agreement on). My actions were merely an opening for Angry to explain exactly what he meant and in so doing dispel any misconceptions one might have as to his position on the issue. It is not rude nor crass to ask someone to explain what they have written in a public forum. I respect you for challenging what I wrote.
/shake
Ken. “PS: I agree with Trapper that colour is irrelevant, here in Cgy it is Vietnamese gangs ( and there is no way, or should, describe them as yellow?. Just call it gang-related.”
So, are you saying then that we should call Islamic fundamentalist terrorists simply terrorists? I don’t think so. There are all kinds of terrorists. Irish terrorists weren’t bombing people in North America or Europe. So they were very different from Islamic fundamentalist terrorists who are murdering and torturing people in almost every country in the world. And this black murder, as well as other street gangs, are terrorists as well. Let’s call them what they are.
Sure, this creep Angry mentioned is probably in a gang, and probably mostly for protection. But it pays to identify them. A black murderer is, well, a black murderer. They’re not white or yellow.
I’m part Canadian Indian and I have no problem with calling an Indian murderer an Indian murderer or native murderer. That’s what they are and it often identifies a different aspect of the crime and a different problem for society.
There’s nothing wrong with calling them what they are. This political correctness is going way too far. I agree with Angry.
apologies for the double post…
On the subject of the teens that gang-terrorized/bullied/raped/harassed that young girl and their parents subsequent cries of racism…that is below contempt. It trivializes everyone who goes through the experience, and ironically is racist in itself (the presupposition that the white police are targetting their black sons). Everyone I have talked to (I live and work in the Toronto area) ridicules the parents so the argument is not washing here. It is the same as Lapierre calling the Bloc Nazi-esque.
Again we are in agreement.
What’s the obvious thing that murderers of various colours share? They’re murderers. Race is relevant to the identity of the murderer. Murder is not relevant to the identity of a race. It’s a subtle point often misunderstood, and that’s why so many people make a dishonest a living off of taking advantage of the misunderstanding. They’re colloquially known as race-baiters.
How’s that then? I think I’m agreeing with all of you, if I’m not mistaken.
northbaytrapper. Thanks for the comeback. Gee, that, right there, tells you how old I am.That’s an expression from the old bulletin board and CB radio days. Today we use the Internet and cell phones. Oh well.
I agree that we are coming from the same place. But I just didn’t think it was such a big deal to call that bastard what he was. He killed a father. That’s the bid deal here, not the colour of his skin, or if someone notices what that colour is.
And no, it isn’t rude or crass to ask someone to explain what they have written in a public forum. I just think that Angry was saying what I would have said, that he was a black murderer. That is what he was, or is. I’m sure it wasn’t intended to be racist.
Me, I’m as no-colour as a person can get. But if I see a gang member on the street commit a crime, and I report them to the police, you can bet I’ll tell them the colour of his skin. If they’re white I’ll try to determine what I think their nationality was. In Vancouver this is a big issue and it needs to be said up front. This is not to say there are no white gang members or murderers. Of course there are. Most biker gangs are white and people know this. The problem in TO seems to be mostly a black gang problem. These street gangs are racist themselves. In Vancouver they are mostly Asian. In one area they are East Indian. In another they are Chinese. In another they may be Arab.
So, call them what they are. But I didn’t think Angry’s comment was that important actually. And I still don’t. It’s just what it is.
BTW, I’ve bookmarked your site again. 🙂