Wally Oppal and the Picktons of the world

Wally Oppal made an absurdly hypocritical plea for another pay cheque in the paper today. As the Missing Women’s Red Herring Inquiry reconvenes, Wally Oppal made an appeal to continue with the inquiry so all the other Picktons in the world don't win. Somehow proceeding with the highly censored "Panel Discussion" will in some way prevent another serial killer in some other part of the world from getting away with committing murder. Does he really not understand how insanely hypocritical that statement is?

Most of the victims on the Pickton farm were drug addicted sex trade workers. As soon as one of the lawyers starts to talk how the Hells Angels were linked to the Pickton farm and how the Hells Angels control the drug trade in the DTES, Wally Oppal shut him down and wouldn’t let him talk about that. Despite the fact that was highly relevant.

At that point Wally Oppal folded the inquiry into a panel discussion so the real issues could not be discussed. After that, the only lawyer representing aboriginal people who hadn't already boycotted the farce publicly withdrew claiming the inquiry had lost all credibility. Oppal is the one that folded the inquiry into a panel discussion so the real issues couldn't be discussed. For him to pretend he cares about justice is offensive.

If a drug dealer who sells drugs for the Hells angels in the DTES pushes a woman out of a window for a drug debt, that is highly relevant to the future well being of woman on the DTES. Ashley Machiskinic wasn’t the only one.

Wally Oppal obviously has no regard whatsoever for preventing this kind of atrocity from happening again. It appears he only wants to appease the public and collect a pay cheque at the expense of the most exploited in East Vancouver.

If he was sincerely concerned about preventing this kind of atrocity form repeating itself, he would explore the most important question which should be the heart of the mandate for the missing women inquiry. That question is found in the directions the judge gave to the jury in Robert Pickton’s conviction.

Before the jury left for deliberations, the judge told them that they could convict Robert Pickton of murder even if he had accomplices and wasn’t the only one involved. In fact, the judge even went so far as to say the jury could convict Robert Pickton even if he wasn’t the primary person involved in the murders. He told the jury they could convict Willy even if he was just a willing precipitant. I.E. disposed of the bodies someone else murdered. The defense lawyer was understandably flabbergasted. The whole trial was based on the premise that Robert Pickton was a serial killer and was the only one involved. Then all of a sudden right before the jury breaks for deliberations the judge completely changed the mandate.

I’m not saying Robert Pickton should have won his appeal nor an I saying I disagree with the instructions the judge gave to the jury. I am saying the instructions the judge gave to the jury were very important and should form the mandate for the missing woman inquiry. It is highly likely Robert Pickton wasn’t the only person involved in all those murders. Who else was involved? That is the primary objective of any responsible citizen who has a genuine concern that this atrocity not be repeated.