PUT IT WHERE IT BELONGS

Two weeks ago, the Citizen ran an editorial entitled It's Outright
Criminal.

The editorial regarded six Vancouver policemen who were charged after
beating three alleged drug dealers in Stanley Park last year. Since
that editorial, the Citizen has received numerous letters and email in
response to that publication.

It's crystal clear when reading those letters and emails - readers are
unmistakably divided in their opinions. One camp firmly believes the
victims deserved a beating - that the six officers were merely meting
out justice in their own way and are serving to protect innocent
victims by teaching "scum" that there is a price to pay for their
alleged criminal activities.

The other camp views the incident and subsequent judicial slaps on the
hand as a travesty of justice - that corruption abounds and average
citizens convicted of lesser crimes garner far stiffer sentences.

There is no middle-road whatsoever - even people on the street have
polarized views on what should have happened to those six officers.
The Citizen stands by its editorial, but believes that such strong
reaction is an indication of a deeper problem which should be addressed.

That problem is the inability, or unwillingness of our judicial system
to adequately and fairly deal with the convicted in a way which
addresses society's concerns.

It's obvious that the Stanley Park Six felt frustrated enough to
become judge, jury and executioner. That much is clear.

Does that mean vigilante justice is acceptable?

Is there a different law for the "dregs" of our society?

Each person has to answer those questions for himself, or herself.
Whatever your answer, let's not quibble about whether those officers
were justified in their actions, or not. Instead, let's work towards
effecting change in our legal system.

The real problem lies with a judicial system that is overwhelmed with
cases and yet must deal with an ever-shrinking budget.

All one has to do is look at the closure of Castlegar
courthouse.

Until just a few years ago, the courthouse was open several days a
week. Cases were seen in a fairly timely manner. Now, it's open only a
day or two a week.

Those who have had to access our legal system know that is not now the
case.

If one wants justice, they have to wait until there are court dates
available. Quite often this is in another city, such as Trail or Nelson.

RCMP and police work hard to bring people to justice. And so, it's
understandable their frustration when justice is not served.

Instead of blaming any one person, or group of people, why not take
government to task for its myopic vision when it comes to protective
services (and other things, but that's for other editorials)?

Let's lay blame squarely where it belongs.