Blimey, I was worried there about civilians arguing with cops, but then I realised this was North of the Border.
It amazes me how many people ask police for legal advice, without suspecting that the police may well simply make the laws out to be whatever they prefer. My experience has been that most police aren’t much more likely to know statutory details than the average person - but more often assume that they know. Police departments more often enforce order based upon what they’d “like to see”.
If/when a cop tells you that something is legally required or forbidden, it might help to politely ask them what statute, code, ordinance, etc they are working from so that you can read it yourself later for verification. And people requiring this information encourages cops to actually know something about their job, which can only help.
A polite, non-violent argument with a police officer ending with no arrest, citation or detainment. Citizen files a complaint with the police department and they are investigating it. Welcome to Canada, eh? And her real last name is Mohamed too!
If this happened in the US she’d be on her way to Gitmo by now.
In the 70’s that is how most pornos started, add the “bang shackalacka bang shackalacka” music and you’re all there.
That cop needs training. Women have been allowed to go shirtless in Canada since 1991. Not a lot of women do – it still makes the news if there’s a topless protest – but it’s perfectly legal.
It’s ridiculous this even needs to be argued.
Uh huh. A lot of pornos have shirtless men in them too, but it doesn’t get mentioned every damn time a man takes his shirt off in public.
I’m not sure why a city clerk in Vancouver is being quoted on the legality of toplessness for women in Waterloo. Not only is it something like 4000km away, it’s also a completely different province with completely different laws (incidentally, it’s been legal in Ontario for women to go topless since 1991 (thanks, Gwen Jacob!)).
Good point, I had never noticed the disparity.
Thanks for that. I couldn’t remember if the final decision affected the law federally or provincially. Certainly since the original complaint against Gwen Jacobs was in Guelph and this latest incident happened in K-W, the law – and the need for local fact-checking – should apply.
Canadian People’s Problems
I was in a coffee shop in Victoria, British Columbia when I observed a couple of white cops on foot patrol who stopped a dark skinned citizen for riding their bike on the sidewalk. They apparently had a friendly conversation and everyone was all smiles as the perpetrator was allowed to walk away with a warning.
It really is a different country.
I’m not going to say there’s no racism, because it’s there if you look for it. But the problems seem to be a far cry from what ails Canada’s southern neighbour.
The officer asked her whether she had lights on her bike.
Well, if he’d been more observant, he would have noticed that her high beams were on.
i’llshowmyselfout…
Yeah, this was an issue when I was university. Are people’s memories that short?
Sounds more like self-promotion more than actually fighting for rights somehow…
What is your point here? Were their motives for conducting themselves in a completely legal way not pure enough? Is that why the cop stopped them?
What I’m reading is:
- They chose not to wear shirts in public
- ???
- You think there’s something to dislike about them
The officer probably apologized for taking up her time, as well.
I promoted myself to CEO - and all I had to do was make a big scene of ripping my shirt off!
Although the funny thing about rights is, when you have them, you shouldn’t need to fight for them anymore…
Well, that statement contributes nothing to the conversation.
Since when are those things mutually exclusive?
Since when can someone fight for rights and not be in the public eye?
Since when was being shy and retreating something that people who are fighting for rights needed to be?
Since when is self-promotion something to avoid in general?
You can do better.
What I’m reading is;
- You missed the fact that she’s a singer.
