Take, for example, the case of the Toronto storekeeper David Chen. The crack addict who stole from him was sentenced to 90 days, but as soon as he was to testify for the Crown against Chen, his sentence was dropped to 30 days.
Is Chen that dangerous to the status quo that he must be crushed along with our collective sense of dignity and self-respect?
Is he so reprehensible that we must side with life-long career criminals like Anthony Bennett, whose rap sheet spans 30 years and over 43 convictions, is to be paraded as a hero against the villain storeowner tired of dealing with theft?
Apparently, according to the written arguments of the Crown counsel in this case.
“Citizens no longer have a legal duty to apprehend felons pursuant to ‘hue and cry.’ Instead, we rely on and expect the police to fulfil their statutory duty to enforce the law and frown upon citizens pursuing ‘vigilante’ justice.”
Really.
Where were the police the day Chen had to deal with a thief again? Where were they the time before that? Or the time before that?
Right… nowhere in sight.
I guess David Chen is a danger, not to society, but to the protection racket that’s failing to do its job.
Which is why Chen arrested and detained the thief in the first place.
Ontario’s Attorney General’s office ought to be ashamed of themselves for prosecuting David Chen. They should drop the charges immediately and apologize to him, refunding his out-of-pocket legal expenses as they do.
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