READERS FEAR THE WORST WHEN COPS CROSS THE LINE

If I understand correctly, many Sun readers believe that the police
brutality in Stanley Park was warranted because the victims were also drug
dealers.

What happens when the police start beating jaywalkers? Speeders? Cyclists
who don't wear helmets? Maybe a little midnight ride to Stanley Park is
just what society needs to get rid of people who litter, shoplift or run
yellow lights.

Drug dealers might be the literal whipping boys today, but who can
guarantee that it stops with them? If a paddy wagon full of SkyTrain
cheats, HOV lane cheats or people who park illegally had been assaulted by
police officers, would people be cheering? Letting the police get away with
brutality because people dislike the victims is the first step toward
allowing the same treatment of all citizens. Watch out for a police officer
before you cross the street against a red light because you could find
yourself up close and personal with a billy club or a steel-toed boot.

Deb Thomas

Vancouver