HawthorneVillager.com

I was out with friends last night at the Ivy Arms and witnessed an overall disturbing event.

A patron disagreed with his bill after being cut off. He was getting very frustrated as he could not communicate with the Manager (Julia) as he is deaf. This is not a big person. I put him at 5'6" maybe 170 lbs.According to the Manager he attempted to take a swing at her but I did not see that. Security at the Ivy intervened and the patron ended up on the ground with a minor abrasion to his cheek. Police were called by bar staff.

Meanwhile patrons and Ivy security got him back on his feet and the patron started making his way home. When the police arrived Initially 2 cruisers, then 3 then a fourth arrived.

Four, yes FOUR officers took him down hard. How hard? Halton EMS were called and had to treat him on the sidewalk for head injuries.

Aside from the complete overkill for this incident, there is no reason why he had to be taken down. He was calm and easy to deal with when people patiently worked with him and took into consideration the communication challenge.

His behaviour was wrong but he did not need to be beaten into submission on to a sidewalk on Main Street. These officers need to be disciplined or at least be forced to take further training. This type of police brutality is unacceptable especially against the more vulnerable population (Not just being deaf I believe there may be some mental health issues impacting this individual as well).

I tried to gather witnesses to the entire event to launch a formal complaint on the event.. Hopefully they will work together to tell the story. AAn off-duty Toronto cop even thought the 4 cop takedown was overkill.

Pathetic!

If he sustained the laceration during the fall with security wouldn't that have caused his injuries. What further injuries did he sustained by the police? Where was the brutality? You describe that four officers took him down. Were the officers small? Were they woman? If initially they called 2 officers there and then two more arrived wouldn't that suggest that more help was needed with an intoxicated mentally Ill person.

Seems there is probably a bit more to the story. Guy takes a swing at manager and fights with security....I'm thinking he isn't going quietly with the police.

He was drunk and aggressive. The fact that he is deaf has absolutely no bearing on his actions and everyone's subsequent reactions nor should it entitle him to special treatment. If the cops threw punches or used their billy bats after throwing him to the ground, I'd agree that it was overkill and brutality. If they wrestled him into submission by throwing him to the ground in order to arrest him and he was hurt in the process, that's what they're trained to do.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Actually, it does. If the police treated him as non-compliant after yelling instructions at him (stop, turn around, put your hands behind your back, etc.), then being unable to hear any of those instructions would likely escalate the situation quickly. It sounds like he was not aggressive by the time the police arrived, so it may have been different if he could communicate with them.

I wasn't there, I didn't see it, but I could imagine how being deaf could compound an already bad situation.

He was drunk. He was aggressive. He had to be thrown out of a bar. We're not talking about a little lamb here.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

That's like losers who are asked to step out of a car by police and refuse to comply. A nice shot with a taser changes their mind quickly. That's not police brutality. You are asked to do something by someone who has authority and you refuse to comply...you deserve everything you get.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

No, it's not. The difference here is choice. They CHOOSE to refuse to comply. If you're deaf and someone approaches you from behind and yells "stop, or I'll shoot", you're likely going to get shot.

It could be that the police were made aware that the guy was deaf, and made an effort to get in front of him to try to communicate. Or not. I don't know, which is why I'm not saying the police did anything wrong.

The situation was poorly handled by the bar staff especially their security. The individual completely calmed down when patrons (including myself) got involved and took the time to actually communicate with the individual. Unfortunately none of us knew sign language but with patience people can communicate. This lessened his frustrations and he was apologetic and cooperative.

Police are supposed to be trained professionals and that includes communication techniques.

I do not excuse his bad behaviour that led to the incident but I also can not just casually ignore 4 cops tackling a guy onto the sidewalk. (yes one cop was female) The police were told he was deaf before they approached the individual.

As mentioned a small abrasion on his cheek would not require a full forehead/scalp dressing nor explain the amount of blood on the sidewalk.

Also please note I am more often than not pro-police. I work closely with cops at all levels (local Provincial and Federal) and am a former first responder. This was clearly abuse ("street justice") from my perspective but do admit to not knowing what transpired between the initial 2 cops that led to it requiring 4 cops to take down this little guy.

The guy last nite was drunk and aggressive. He had to be cut off. Maybe everyone is a bit sensitive because the guy also happens to be deaf. My cousin is deaf from birth...he'd never put himself in a situation where he would come in harm's way because of his disability.

I don't see brutality anywhere in the story by the OP. That's a harsh accusation. We're talking Halton Region police. Not the LAPD.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

What a fantasy land you live in.

It would never be necessary for 4 trained police officers to manhandle someone to the ground to place handcuffs on them.

Grow a brain.

What??? It would never be necessary? You have to be kidding.

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Lol first one I could think of but you can find many more.

http://youtu.be/gqoVo7Z4WrM

Those officers need to go back to school. Trying to grab at a naked guy as if he has clothes to grab on to, yikes.