Dear editor,
In response to the letter in Feb. 4 Record, “RCMP conduct unacceptable”, I would like to know where has common sense gone to?
The issue was a person was breaking a law. He was not wearing a helmet, and he would not give his name and common sense tells anyone there was likely more to the story than what was shown on the video.
The adults were behaving very badly and certainly sending the wrong message to the person the officer had restrained. The woman was not simply talking, but yelling and threatening and using profanity as well as poking her finger in the officer’s face. The other adults were not any better, with their yelling and language that was escalating the situation and had the officer not stayed calm and shown restraint it all could have turned out so much worse. The person the officer had restrained was screaming loudly and kicking wildly and I know from personal experience that if he was being choked as was indicated, he would not be able to yell and use foul language and kick like he was.
The fact that he turned out to be 14 is not an excuse. My son at 14 was 6’2” tall and powerful as a horse.
My father at 14 had been working the mines for over a year and powerful as a horse.
The message given to the young person for his bad choices and behaviour is it is okay to break the law, be rude, as long as you are 14. Bad choices have consequences and no amount of excuses using age, sex or race can ever excuse it. I applaud the officer for remaining calm, and not using more force. Their job is so difficult and made more so by people that think they are above the law.
The wrong message certainly was given to that person who was breaking the law.
E. Harper
Courtenay