Rozpoczete religijne dyskryminacje przez torontonska policje atakiem na Kosciol G13 stwarzaja niebezpieczny precedens w Kanadzie. Miejmy nadzieje, ze nie przyniesie to jakiegos kanadyjskiego Timothy McVeigh, ktory wlasnie po powrocie z Iraku zobaczyl, ze jego wlasny kraj nie szanuje wolnosci religijnej swoich wlasnych obywateli niszczac kosciol w Waco i zostal niechlubnym amerykanskim terrorysta.
W miedzyczasie obejrzalem CTV. Bylo i o marihuanie. Uniwersytet York pozwolil profesorowi kryminalogii panu Brian MacLean palic marihuane na kampusie w celu ulzenia bolow reomatycznych. Widio clip do obejrzenia: "Chris Eby on a York professor allowed to smoke pot" - http://toronto.ctv.ca/.
What's up, G13?
Nice to see graffiti-hating cops getting behind the Richmond Street laneway revitalization project. Coppers have spent enough time telling us how "evil" graffiti is. Sadly, there's no change in attitude when it comes to other from-the-street issues. Officers in some police divisions are still taking their cue from Harper's reefer madness crowd in Ottawa. Last week, 55 Division hot-heads, claiming they were responding to complaints from residents, laid 205 pot-related charges against 23 people, most of them members of the pot-smoking G13 church on Queen East, including a medical marijuana licence holder. The bust supposedly follows a month-long investigation. Like, why did they need a month? Must have missed the huge sign outside ("upfront", NOW, November 2-8 2006).
The stoning of Jesus
Marijuana as religious sacrament, or just another drug dealer?
Joe Warmington
The Church of Hope or the Church of Dope? Either way - thanks to a big drug bust - the congregation of the Mission of God, Beach's Assembly of the Church of the Universe had to go yesterday without their daily "religious sacrament."
The question is how long will they have to go without thier marijuana store which, police allege, was using ingenious sales methods? Some 2,000 "church goers" and Toronto police are watching closely. "It wouldn't surprise me if he opens up again," said drug squad Det. Scott Matthews. "He is making too much money."
He's talking about "Rev." Peter Styrsky, 48, a Toronto mayoral candidate who was charged Wednesday with trafficking and conspiracy to traffic.
As of last night the father of four was still incarcerated in the raid, which also resulted in 200 charges and 23 people being booked. Police did their jobs well but Styrsky's followers are rooting for him already. "Peter is a great guy and they should leave him alone," said one "congregation member" named Brother Bill.
A member since June, Steve Vickers said, "I think it's sad because this church is here to help people and give them hope. We have our religious beliefs and should be able to practice them how we see fit." None of this fools Det. Matthews, who says as far as he is concerned the Queen St. E. location was nothing more than a place to buy marijuana. "I never saw any Bibles, hymn books or an altar," he joked. "It's a just a facade. This is no more a church than is my garage."
The arrest was a form of vindication for Tom Nolan, who with his wife, Sonia, operated the Habanos on the Beach cigar shop for years on the same location, where I would actually routinely hang out for coffee and cigars.
"Peter was my landlord and everything was fine but then he opened up a head shop called G-13 in the back," said Tom. "He never mentioned anything about being a minister at that time and soon after there were teenagers on bikes coming and going all the time and we smelled marijuana."
Suspicious, he contacted Toronto Police. "Our cigar shop was our dream and we were operating a law-abiding business," he said. "Just like that I suddenly was losing my more conservative customers because they did not want to be around this kind of thing."
Habanos on the Beach closed in September 2005 and Styrsky subsequently moved his operation from downstairs to what used to be Nolan's space.
When Nolan later saw the sign indicating it was now a "church" he was appalled. "I knew what he was up to. To use that to sell this stuff, I find it offensive to all religions and people of faith." It seemed to work. Slick, smart and brazen was this operation. "It was a pretty neat little set up," said Matthews. "Traffic was nonstop."
It worked like this. You paid $25 for a lifetime membership and once accepted you simply asked for the daily sacrament. From there, an allotment of marijuana was allegedly sold. "He has more than 2,000 members," said Matthews.
In fact dozens of people showed up there yesterday. Vickers, 19, was one of them - ready with his special, laminated church membership card.
Big bust
In the investigation undercover officers got themselves one of those club cards, too. Meet Brother Harry and Sister Nancy. The church membership had no idea they were in fact just acting as stoners. In real life Brother Harry is Det. Const. Jeff Moyer and Sister Nancy is Det. Const. Traci Leahy. "There was a lot of talk about the pot," said Moyer of the conversation that was going on in the basement, backyard and backroom.
But in their investigation, they said, they found there was money being made. More than $200,000 in street value narcotics was seized and $6,397.56 in cash. As top crime reporter Rob Lamberti reported yesterday, 200 grams of hashish, 151 marijuana plants and 4.5 kilos of dried marijuana were also found.
Sgt. Debbie Abbott of Toronto Police's proceeds of crime division has already been contracted - as has the Children's Aid Society since four children were living above the store. "There are pesticides and moulds in there and you can get really sick," said Matthews. "There was also an extraction lab on the main floor which is a fire hazard."
It's not every day you see a city councillor trying to close down a church but that's exactly what deputy mayor Sandra Bussin will try to do. She's upset about the allegations that minors were involved and have been charged. "I want this place shut down because it is not appropriate," she said. "I don't think it's fit for this neighbourhood."
Sandra Bussin is not a member of the Beach chapter of the Church of the Universe but it's probably safe to say she is on a crusade (TORONTO SUN, Friday, October 27, 2006).
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