One arrest in downtown shelter sex assaults

A man has been arrested for one of the six sexual assaults reported at a Downtown Eastside cold weather shelter, say police.

Women’s groups on the Downtown Eastside are horrified by reports that six women have been sexually assaulted while taking refuge in an overnight shelter.

MacDougall said women are terrified to make first-person reports to police, although two of the sexual assault complaints were made by victims, another by paramedics called to help a viciously violated woman, and one by church staff.

I'm shocked and confused. Why aren't these reports taken seriously and how on earth can that happen in a crowded shelter? Do they meet them at the shelter and drag them outside or are they sexually assaulted in a crowed room? Are we talking about grabbing an ass or are we talking about rape? Raping someone in a crowded room and no one helps stop it is absolutely mind boggling.

Jane Doe from Pickton's farm

This is strange. Police task force just released a sketch in attempt to identify a Jane Doe from Pickton's farm. I'm not sure why they waited this long to release the sketch and I wonder how many others like her they have found.

Likewise the Coroner just released remains of Pickton victims to their families. Like that wasn't a bizarre delay. I guess I'm just naive. So when will all the evidence in the trial become part of the public domain?

Christy Clark takes Liberal leadership

So Christy Clark is in. She was the only candidate that had a hope in hell of saving the doomed liberals. Kevin Falkner was a Campbell Clone. Unfortunately, I'm afraid a fresh new face won't change the entire party that embraced Campbell's brazen defiance of the public interest.

Industrial Hemp

I don't have much more to say but I do have something to say about Industrial Hemp. Industrial hemp is different than pot. Industrial Hemp used to be a large crop in North America. Hemp paper is totally sustainable and was very common in Europe.



When we look at how we are still clear cutting forests and still not selectively harvesting them that act is criminal. As is the fact that we let the commercial pulp and paper industry crush the hemp industry just like we let the oil companies kill the electric car. That is a crime.

Hemp paper should be legal. That is one law we can change right now. We can argue about the legalization of marijuana until the cows come home. Hemp paper is something sustainable that we can support right now.

The same with hemp rope. The big oil companies rather we use rope made from petroleum products because they are rich and greedy. Hemp rope was and is a better product. Legalizing industrial hemp is something we can do right now without legalizing marijuana, crack or meth. It would be good for our economy and our environment.

Why even Ron Paul thinks we should legalize Industrial Hemp. Mind you Ron Paul also thinks we should legalize all drugs which is rather absurd. Don't forget, he wasn't elected. The legalization of marijuana in California failed. The Marijuana party in Canada will never form a majority government. So let's talk about compromise.

The Green party has embraced a marijuana party affiliate and adopted the platform of legalizing all drugs. Guess what. They didn't get elected either. Legalizing all drugs in socially irresponsible. As it stands the Green party won't draw a line in the sand between pot and crack or meth. The lobbyists want it all. If they drew a line in the sand and said they don't support the legalization of crack or crystal meth, I could support them. Right now I can't.

Let's go for the decriminalization of pot, not legalization and let's go for the legalization of Industrial hemp. That is a goal within reach.

What kind of society do we want to live in?

Wednesday is Pink Shirt stand up to bullies day. Although pink just isn't my colour, I completely support the message. I don't want to live in a society that allows bullies to thrive. On the same note, I don't want to live in the other extreme and end up like Texas where someone can do real time in prison for possession of a couple of joints. I know I am naive and idealistic, but I aspire to finding a balance between the extremes.

Cutting someones hand off for theft or capital punishment for a drug offense is in my opinion extreme. Yet so is house arrest for trafficking cocaine for the Hells Angels. Both extremes are wrong.

I do believe rehabilitation should be a factor in incarceration. Not the primary factor because public safety is but it should be a factor nonetheless. Christianity is all about second chances. Starting over and learning from our mistakes. In fact Christ talked about visiting those in prison and ranked it right up with visiting the sick, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.

Many people have volunteered their time on Prison Alternatives committees trying to find a better way than just locking people up in cages. Yet it's clear that our noble ideal of rehabilitation has gone to the other extreme where violent crime has no real consequence. This needs to change but we don't need to change it to the other extreme.

All of us rather spend tax dollars on schools and hospitals than on more prisons. However, I don't want to live in a society that's run by organized crime. That is not the kind of society I want to leave for my children. That's not the kind of society our forefathers fought in the trenches to protect.

I get a lot of slack for expressing my opinion in a blog. Sometimes I cross the line and say things that are pretty rude and I suppose I deserve it. I'm just fed up with the consistent lies and denial that are no longer believable.

I'm fed up with politicians who put themselves above the needs of the people who elected them. I'm fed up with criminals who think they can bully everyone forever. It's all about the golden rule - treating others the way you want to be treated. Don't sell crack to kids. Don't sell date rape drug to anyone and don't cry like a baby in court when you are caught selling date rape drug. That is absurd.

And just for the record, I don't sell pot and I haven't smoked a blunt in 25 years. I would rather live in a society where people smoke pot than in a society where people smoke crack or meth. It's like night and day. They're two different worlds. And I don't want to live in a police state where police are beating civilians without cause or locking them away in jail for smoking a joint. Is it really that hard to understand?

Suspect arrested in Laura Szendrei's murder

This case is heartbreaking. I find it disturbing for two reasons. First the obvious. Why would a 15 year old girl be beaten to death in broad daylight? Why would anyone do that not to mention another 17 year old kid.

We have all heard about sexual deviants who rape and murder. Yet that wasn't the case. Why would he do that? I search for a motive. I certainly can't understand the reasoning behind the stabbing of Chuck Cadman's son because someone didn't like his hat.

Or the swarming of Micheal Levy where a group of youth gave him the boots then took an axe to the back of his head. Bizarre. Senseless. Brutal. Yet this wasn't Surrey, this was Delta. Delta is a really nice neighbourhood that has no doubt been scarred by this tragic event.



The other thing I find disturbing is her father's boasting of his criminal association. On at least two separate occasions we saw photos of him posing with his daughter and some of his daughter's friends in Hells Angels support gear. I find that very disturbing. I find it very disturbing that he invited members of that criminal organization to attend his daughter's funeral in gang colours. The tragedy continues.

Yes we have the freedom of association but the criminal activities of the Hells Angels are no longer being kept secret. Andre Watteel, the former president of the Niagara Hells Angels was just found guilty of cocaine trafficking. He was arrested along with five members of the Hamilton chapter. This after pretty much all of the Niagara chapter went down for selling cocaine and date rape drug.

The judge noted Watteel and his wife were organizers of a Christmas toy drive and had performed other charitable works in their community. These good works were taken into consideration, Takach said, but they were outweighed by the harm done by drugs such as cocaine.

“Cocaine is an insidious poison that has destroyed innumerable lives. Even before one ounce reaches the street, it is indubitably soaked with the blood of others."

Now I am in absolutely no way saying that this young girl deserved to die because her father associated with a criminal organization. That is absurd and offensive. As is the concept that she was targeted because of her father's criminal associations. As much as I oppose the Hells Angels selling crack and murdering people, the very thought of harming one of their children because of their crimes is absolutely deranged. I was even upset when they killed Juel Stanton and he certainly wasn't innocent of all wrong doing.

Once again, what on earth could the motive be for her murder? Was it a crazed former boyfriend who said if he can't have her no one can? That indeed would be tragic. Yet if they all knew about her father's associations, would a crazed kid really risk it? It's all very sad and very misguided.

Some claim that since an arrest has been made we owe the father an apology. Well with or without an arrest I am deeply sorry for his tragic loss. Yet I'm not sorry for expressing my concerns about his bragging about his criminal associations in front of his daughter and her friends. I just think that is inappropriate.

I'm certainly not comfortable with participating in a take back the night rally until her father helps us all take back the night by laying aside his criminal associations. I certainly have no faith in criminals becoming the judge and jury for public crime simply because that criminal organization has a long history of lies and denial shrouding internal betrayal.

I will however say that Laura's father is a lucky man. He is lucky because he has such a wonderful family not because he has friends who belong to a criminal organization. Life does not end at death. As the mother said they indeed will always be a family of four and no one can take that from them. May we all find peace amidst these horrible events.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone is talking about the outfit her father was wearing at the recent press conference. Hiway Choppers seemed innocent enough. Except for the fact that someone pointed out Hiway Choppers is owned by John Bryce president of the East Vancouver chapter of the Hells Angels. It would appear her father still hasn't grown up and that's a shame.

Andre Watteel

A former president of the Niagara chapter of the Hells Angels was sentenced on Tuesday to 4 ½ years in prison for trafficking in cocaine and possessing the proceeds of crime.

Andre Watteel, 58, of Cambridge, pleaded guilty in September to selling just under one kilogram of high-grade cocaine to an agent of the police during 28 separate transactions between March 3 and Sept. 28, 2009.

The convicted biker was ordered to return the $60,000 that police provided to the undercover agent to buy the cocaine. Watteel also forfeited a PT Cruiser automobile he had driven during some of the coke deals.

Watteel was arrested with five Hamilton members of the Hells Angels and one from Nanticoke. The only man yet to be tried is John Cane of Hamilton whose case is set for Feb. 28.

The judge noted Watteel and his wife were organizers of a Christmas toy drive and had performed other charitable works in their community. These good works were taken into consideration, Takach said, but they were outweighed by the harm done by drugs such as cocaine.

“Cocaine is an insidious poison that has destroyed innumerable lives. Even before one ounce reaches the street, it is indubitably soaked with the blood of others."

Civil Forfeiture

Two stories about civil forfeiture made the news recently. In my opinion one is good, the other is bad. A while ago the police seized the Hells Angels clubhouse in Nanaimo under the civil forfeiture act - proceeds of crime. That I think was a good thing. The Hells Angels recently lost their second attempt to block that forfeiture, which is good.

The other case involved the police seizing the home where a grow op operated out of. Personally I think that over steps and sets a bad precedent. As I've said before, there's a big difference between a grow op and a crack house or a meth lab. Seizing the property of every grow op oversteps just like it does when they seize your car for driving after having two drinks with dinner. Letting criminals sell and smoke crack in public but seizing someone';s car for two drinks or their house for having a few pot plants is disproportionate.

Now I'm not saying I think the police should only seize Hells Angels grow ops and not anyone else's. I'm saying I don't think the government should be seizing grow ops. Once again, in a democratic society, the public elect the politicians who make the rules and tax dollars pay the police's salaries who enforce the rules. Surely the public should then be involved in the creation and enforcement of those rules. If it is a democratic society that is.

In 2005 police raided a grow-operation in a Kelowna house that East End Hells Angels member Joseph Skreptak owned, but had rented out. Skreptak was not in the house when the raid occurred, but his truck -- with a Hells Angels sticker on it -- was parked there and another Hells Angels sticker was on the front door of the home.

Although Skreptak owned the house he claimed he had nothing to do with the grow op in the home because he rented it out to someone else. Which simply is not believable because his car was parked out front and the grow had a Hells Angels sticker on it broadcasting to the world not to fuck with it because it was owned by the Hells Angels.

In this case, even though it involved a Hells Angel, I don't think they should seize the home for two reasons. First it oversteps and second, it won't hurt the Hells angels because they're just put the risk of loss on to a contractor.

It will however, increase the tax base and be a cash cow for the government which in my opinion is wrong. Especially if they want to use that money to build a million more prisons to incarcerate everyone for the possession of pot.

The problem isn't pot. The problem is meth and crack. The problem is trading the BC Bud for cocaine in the states and bringing it back to be sold here as crack. That is the problem that needs to be addressed.

It's like the new law about seizing your car for speeding. 40 km over the limit is fine for giving a speeding ticket but too soon to seize someone's car. I know we all laughed when the two Hells Angels were caught speeding through traffic on the pink princess and had their bikes seized under the new legislation. Excessive speeding and reckless driving is grounds for seizing a vehicle not 40 K.

The ideal is finding a balance between the extremes which never seems to happen. Addressing organized crime is a good thing. Becoming a police state is not.

Abandoned grow-op in Salmon Arm

Like this isn't suspicious. November 28 2010 it was reported that Four men linked to the Kelowna Hells Angels were caught speeding through Salmon Arm with a cache load of weapons, bear spray, balaclavas, bullet proof vest and a cell phone jammer.

Joseph Bruce Skreptak was the Hells Angel in the car with three associates including Cory Montemurro. So where were they going and what were they planning to do? Many speculated that they were on their way to do a grow rip. That's why they had the cell phone jammers. More like another grow op takeover.

Well on January 14 2011, Salmon Arm RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence on the Trans Canada Highway near Blind Bay and found a fully operational grow op. The hydroponic lights were on but nobody was home.

"The home and shop were outfitted as a large marijuana grow operation, with the capacity of producing 3000 plants. No one was home at the time of police attendance and it appears that this grow operation had been abandoned," says Salmon Arm RCMP Staff Sergeant Kevin Keane.

Keane says although the equipment was still running, approximately 2000 smaller plants were found in various stages of decay.

"There's plants just dying. Nobody was tending it. It looks like someone just got up and left," says Keane. He says he has never seen something like this before and can't explain why someone would leave thousands of plants to decay.

Wow, you'd think they might have thought the Hells Angels were on to them and were going to take them over so they left town. Go figure.

Ryan Chiappie IS...

So what is Ryan Chiappie? Jay Hall's best friend, Leader of the Independent Soldiers in PG, or just another MMA fighter? One thing's for sure, those aren't cauliflower ears, they're freakin elephant ears.