{"id":332,"date":"2011-09-19T06:46:14","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T13:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.argee.net\/wordpress\/?p=332"},"modified":"2012-06-01T16:31:08","modified_gmt":"2012-06-01T23:31:08","slug":"snap-ka-pow-fat-lip-but-fat-chance-punch-leads-to-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332","title":{"rendered":"Snap. Ka-pow! Fat lip, but fat chance punch leads to charges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 51px; height: 21px; overflow: hidden;\"><div class=\"fb-like\" data-href=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\" data-send=\"false\" data-width=\"51\" data-show-faces=\"false\"><\/div><\/span><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"none\" data-url=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\" data-text=\"Snap. Ka-pow! Fat lip, but fat chance punch leads to charges\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_digg\" href=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthrawnrickle.com%2F%3Fp%3D332&amp;title=Snap.+Ka-pow%21+Fat+lip%2C+but+fat+chance+punch+leads+to+charges\" class=\"mr_social_sharing_popup_link\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/buttons\/digg.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Digg This\" title=\"Digg This\"\/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_reddit\" href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthrawnrickle.com%2F%3Fp%3D332\" class=\"mr_social_sharing_popup_link\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/buttons\/reddit.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Submit to reddit\" title=\"Submit to reddit\"\/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\" data-text=\"Snap. Ka-pow! Fat lip, but fat chance punch leads to charges\" data-desc=\"This article was written on August 3, 2011, by David Menzies, a Toronto Sun freelance writer What constitutes a physical assault in Toronto these days? This would appear to be straightforward. If, for example, one individual punches another, surely that\u2019s assault. Especially if the punch in\" data-image=\"\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><blockquote class=\"webkit-indent-blockquote\" style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\">\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 10px; \"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \"><i>This article was written on August 3, 2011, by David Menzies, a Toronto Sun freelance writer<\/i><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">What constitutes<br \/>\na physical assault in Toronto these days?<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">This would appear<br \/>\nto be straightforward. If, for example, one individual punches another, surely<br \/>\nthat\u2019s assault. Especially if the punch in question was witnessed. And<br \/>\nphotographed.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">But as I learned<br \/>\nfirsthand on Sunday, a fist in the face doesn\u2019t necessarily constitute assault<br \/>\nin our increasingly culturally sensitive Toronto.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">The details: I<br \/>\nwas at Yonge-Dundas Square with my nine-year-old son. We ate pizza. We drank<br \/>\nbubble tea. And I used my new Canon camera to take photos of this neon shrine.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Suddenly, a woman<br \/>\nwearing a hijab ran toward me.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">She was part of a<br \/>\ngroup that included two women wearing full face-covering burkas. She was<br \/>\nscreaming: \u201cWe are Muslim! You do not take pictures of us!\u201d (Odd.! can\u2019t find<br \/>\nthe \u201cno photos\u201d rule in the Qur\u2019an.)<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">I informed the<br \/>\nlady I was in a public square in a democracy. I can actually take pictures of<br \/>\nwhomever I please.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">And then: Ka-pow!<br \/>\nHer fist collided with thy face. Worse, she almost knocked my new camera from<br \/>\nmy hands.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">My son and I were<br \/>\nthen surrounded by a mob of about 20 people, many of whom were speaking Arabic.<br \/>\nOne kept demanding I surrender my camera to him.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">It was surreal.<br \/>\nWas I in Toronto &#8211; or Riyadh?<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">I spotted a group<br \/>\nof bicycle-mounted police officers. I burst through the mob with my son and<br \/>\nmade a beeline towards them. I told a Toronto Police officer what had happened<br \/>\nand I wanted to press assault charges.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Better yet, a man<br \/>\nand a woman came forward as eyewitnesses.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">The 50-something<br \/>\ncouple, originally from Syria, told the police they had observed the entire<br \/>\naffair and my allegations were true. The couple said they understood Arabic and<br \/>\nknew what the mob was saying.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \"><u>Spidey senses<\/u><o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Alas, my Spidey<br \/>\nsenses started to tingle when I overheard the questions being asked of the<br \/>\nwitnesses. \u201cWas it a closed-fist punch or an open-hand? Was it the front or the<br \/>\nback of the hand?\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Huh? Physical<br \/>\ncontact had been made. Why did severity matter?<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">After the officer<br \/>\ntook my statement, he went over to the offending woman. Another constable was<br \/>\ninexplicably miffed I was (legally) taking photos in the first place. The<br \/>\nirony: Just above our heads a Toronto Police Service sphere was videotaping the<br \/>\nactivities.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">The officer<br \/>\ninterrogated the woman. She was still hysterical. Good. The constable would<br \/>\nencounter firsthand what I had been forced to deal with earlier.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">The cop walked<br \/>\nback to me. No charges would be laid, he said, because he believed the woman\u2019s<br \/>\nstory &#8211; namely, she was merely trying to knock the camera out of my hands.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Got that?<br \/>\nApparently, attempted property damage is OK. If a face gets in the way of a<br \/>\nwould-be vandalizing fist&#8230; hey, accidents happen.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">The Syrian<br \/>\neyewitnesses were speechless. I continued to plead my case.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Toronto Police<br \/>\ncruisers are emblazoned with the slogan, \u201cTo serve and protect\u201d But<br \/>\nincreasingly, the unofficial slogan seems closer to, \u201cF.I.D.O.\u201d (\u201cForget It;<br \/>\nDrive On.\u201d)<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">The fact we have<br \/>\nIslamists living amongst us who despise western values isn\u2019t news. But surely<br \/>\nyou can\u2019t just sock someone in the mouth.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">Well, apparently<br \/>\nyou can &#8211; as long as the intent of the aggressor was merely to inflict property<br \/>\ndamage.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" face=\"Verdana\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \">World\u2019s<br \/>\nupside-down. Just thought you should know.<o:p><\/o:p><\/font><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoPlainText\">\n<div style=\"\" align=\"right\"><font class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 12px; \" face=\"Verdana\">&#8211; Menzies Is a<br \/>\nToronto<\/font><\/div>\n<div style=\"\" align=\"right\">freelance writer<\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 51px; height: 21px; overflow: hidden;\"><div class=\"fb-like\" data-href=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\" data-send=\"false\" data-width=\"51\" data-show-faces=\"false\"><\/div><\/span><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"none\" data-url=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\" data-text=\"Snap. Ka-pow! Fat lip, but fat chance punch leads to charges\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_digg\" href=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthrawnrickle.com%2F%3Fp%3D332&amp;title=Snap.+Ka-pow%21+Fat+lip%2C+but+fat+chance+punch+leads+to+charges\" class=\"mr_social_sharing_popup_link\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/buttons\/digg.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Digg This\" title=\"Digg This\"\/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_reddit\" href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthrawnrickle.com%2F%3Fp%3D332\" class=\"mr_social_sharing_popup_link\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/buttons\/reddit.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Submit to reddit\" title=\"Submit to reddit\"\/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/?p=332\" data-text=\"Snap. Ka-pow! Fat lip, but fat chance punch leads to charges\" data-desc=\"This article was written on August 3, 2011, by David Menzies, a Toronto Sun freelance writer What constitutes a physical assault in Toronto these days? This would appear to be straightforward. If, for example, one individual punches another, surely that\u2019s assault. Especially if the punch in\" data-image=\"\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><p>What constitutes a physical assault in Toronto these days?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,14,16],"tags":[269,271,266,273,268,272,270,265,267],"class_list":["post-332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-events","category-politics","category-terrorism","tag-burkas","tag-closed-fist-punch","tag-david-menzies","tag-f-i-d-o","tag-hijab","tag-open-hand","tag-quraean","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-sun"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":463,"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions\/463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrawnrickle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}