slimpi66y

Fantino, police chief of Toronto, was fired yesterday,

a lot of people Fantino had ties to were upset, his gang of police thugs and politicians, understandably.

in his six-year reign at the post, here are the things that had happened, make your own judgement about this corrupted, greedy thug...

1) Fantino is the one guy who criminalized being black in the city of Toronto,

2) under his post of police chief, the murder rate of toronto rose so much now it's comparable to the major US cities,

3) the attorney general has charged 16 cops for criminal activities since Fantino's took the job

skier

I'm curious as to the point of this post. Seems to be just hate mongering, which is no better than your accusations of julian fantino's actions.

As for the circumstancial evidence, the information you've shown me seems to indicate to me that fantino has a high chance of being a bigot. Your second and third points could be attributed to a number of factors, fantino only being one of many.

__________________
"Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

highthief

First off, as to point number 2 - you are as wrong as a person can be. Show the numbers. Right, you can't. T.O.s murder rate is not significantly changed from its historical norms. So your cred is shot to start with.

Edited to include this link: http://www.guncontrol.ca/Content/Sta...02003FINAL.PDF

Now, I think Fantino was a decent chief, and I don't think he is racist, nor is the force anymore or less racist than the rest of society. But Fantino has ZERO political skill. He tends to say what is on his mind and pisses people off, especially it seems, new mayor David Miller.

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

breastboy

I like Fantino -- i think he's a straight shooter (no pun intended)...he doesn't bow before his political masters

highthief

I heard Spider Jones on the radio today. Black man, grew up during the civil rights movement in (Detroit I think), was a self-admitted "thug, gangster, and punk" whose brother and cousins were gunned down by gang violence and he believes Fanitino was a good chief and a fair and honest man. At least one person of the black community figured Fantino was on the right track.

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

losthellhound

I agree with the above.. Fantino was doing a fine job. He needs to learn to work more with the police services board.. but thats a part of playing the part, being political..

He's a good cop though

__________________
"Life is possible only with illusions. And so, the question for the science of mental health must become an absolutely new and revolutionary one, yet one that reflects the essence of the human condition: On what level of illusion does one live?"
-- Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

Daval

I will also lend my support to Julian Fantino. He was a fantastic chief and a straight shooter.

I do not think he was racist at all and I think he went to great efforts to work with the black community in Toronto. I think the bigger issue was the so-called black community leaders in Toronto who tend to throw out the race card at a drop of a hat. I also think a lot of the problems in the black community is their refusal to work with and cooperate with the police in bringing a lot of these gang members and killers to justice.

__________________
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Charlatan

Another opinion on why Fantio is out... I tend to agree with his assesment of the situation...


LINK

Jun. 30, 2004. 01:00 AM

Why Julian Fantino had to go


KYLE GRAYSON

Don't cry for Chief Julian Fantino. Above all else, he was a political opportunist who fell victim to his own managerial and ideological imperatives.

Reflecting neo-conservatism's own punitive bias towards the vulnerable, Fantino's approach to policing was underscored by a myopic interpretation of how to control crime that rested on the contentious assumptions espoused by right-wing American authors of law and order agendas.

Thus, rather than seeking to address social factors that would prevent criminal activity such as fixing the city's tattered social safety net or revitalizing community programs for youth,

Fantino stressed increasing the reactionary capability of the Toronto Police Services by hiring more police officers and procuring expensive equipment.

In pushing for more resources, Fantino never let the facts get in the way of this questionable agenda. With a steady stream of Statistics Canada studies indicating that all forms of crime, including violent crime, have reached historic lows in Canada ? and in Toronto ? he never missed an opportunity to warn that crime was remorselessly rising and threatening to run amok.

Unfortunately, he was very successful in harnessing our fears.

For example, hiring additional police officers was catapulted into a municipal election issue.

And even with a more measured city council, Fantino was able to secure a $50 million increase in funding this year that leaves 58 per cent of all discretionary spending for the City of Toronto earmarked for the police ? an amount larger than the combined totals devoted to community programming, the environment, transit, and public health.

Moreover, while Fantino was a master of hyperbole when it came to crime statistics and the identification of "problem" communities (remember his open letter to Jean Chrétien that claimed raves were "threatening the very fabric of Canadian life"?), he was also quick to downplay any suggestions that the TPS was a source of community insecurity in Toronto.

Thus, even with an overwhelming abundance of data that clearly demonstrated the presence of racial profiling by Toronto police officers, Fantino chose to deny these practices occur and has instead argued that it is a non-issue raised by "those who are intent on causing trouble."

Despite corruption that has been revealed throughout various divisions of the TPS and the highest levels of the Toronto Police Association, Fantino, with each successive scandal, has continued to maintain that the problems are isolated.

His unwillingness to initiate the kind of far- reaching organizational investigation by an independent authority that is needed to regain the public's faith in this key institution demonstrates a total failure in leadership and an aversion to processes of accountability.

Thus, Fantino adopted a divisive managerial strategy that called into question the loyalty of anyone who disagreed with his perception of the virtual infallibility of policing in Toronto and expended energy on denying that fundamental problems existed rather than robustly addressing them.

As such, Fantino's lack of leadership and disciplinary control over the Toronto Police Service has left us with a policing organization that erased many of the ethical boundaries that are supposed to guide the law enforcement profession in a liberal democracy.

He never strongly commented on the inappropriateness of the police association's telemarketing drive for financial donations, a tactic that, even in intending no malice, was perceived by many as dangerously close to strong-arming citizens.

Moreover, our police force should conduct itself publicly in a manner that does not show any allegiance or support for a particular political party or candidate.

By maintaining public political neutrality, our security forces ensure that their inherent coercive powers ? perceived and otherwise ? do not influence or impinge upon the electoral freedoms of any citizen.

The political endorsements made by our police force under Fantino's watch undermined this key element of the democratic process and should have been immediately addressed by the chief.

Instead, Fantino reinforced this dangerous practice by publicly aligning himself with all levels of the Canadian right and utilizing their political rhetoric and power to push his policing agenda.

With the ouster of the provincial Tories and the return of a progressive city council, Fantino's own public self-identification with the political forces of the right was certainly a detriment.

However, the situation was one that Fantino played a central role in orchestrating: He played politics, misread the environment by not taking a contract extension when it was initially offered, gambled with his future, and lost.

Fantino's politicization of the chief of police's office and his own inability to adequately address the vital challenges facing the TPS undermined his credibility, making the decision to remove him both prudential and inevitable.

Far from being the victim of a leftist conspiracy, Fantino has no one to blame for his demise but himself.

Kyle Grayson is a Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Consortium on Human Security Centre for International and Security Studies at York University.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

highthief

While I sort of agree that Fantino to some extent authored his own demise, that little essay was more than a little biased.

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

Charlatan

Why would you say that? I don't neccessarily disagree with you I just want you to expand on your comment...

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

highthief

Basically the way this guy starts out with these lines, especially 2nd through 4th paragraphs.

Firstly, it is not the chief of police's job to "address social factors". It is his job to police the community. Period. Why this writer thinks this chief has a greater responsibility than all the chiefs before him to do this I don't know.

Secondly, his stressing of "neo-conservatism" and "right wing tactics" - I don't see Fantino in that way at all. While he was in some opposition to the left leaning mayor David Miller, his "tactics" are very similar to police chiefs across the nation and continent. Why the writer attempts to impose such a political slant on the issue I don't know. He appears to have a bit of an axe to grind.

Personally, I just think Fantino is very bad at playing politics - he says what is on his mind and gets tripped up as a result. He's better than Boothby was, as most cops will tell you.


"Don't cry for Chief Julian Fantino. Above all else, he was a political opportunist who fell victim to his own managerial and ideological imperatives.

Reflecting neo-conservatism's own punitive bias towards the vulnerable, Fantino's approach to policing was underscored by a myopic interpretation of how to control crime that rested on the contentious assumptions espoused by right-wing American authors of law and order agendas.

Thus, rather than seeking to address social factors that would prevent criminal activity such as fixing the city's tattered social safety net or revitalizing community programs for youth,

Fantino stressed increasing the reactionary capability of the Toronto Police Services by hiring more police officers and procuring expensive equipment."

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

james t kirk

1. Fantino doesn't even live in Toronto for pete's sake. (He lives up in Woodbridge in a sprawling suburban home.)

2. Under Fantino, the police budget has increased by 33% in five years. No other city business unit can make the same claim. Fantino drags his feet at any mention of cost control in fact. He wants helicopters, but wants the cash for them to come from additional police funding, not from his original budget. (So the boys can ride around at night in the whirly-bird and make lots of noise and shine lights all over the damn place.)

3. Fantino tends to utilize the media to advance his own agenda (read empire) For example the way he kept giving speeches to the media during the mayoral race in favour of John Tory and Tory's plan to hire 300 more (un-needed) cops. (Bigger Empire.)

4. The Toronto Police are a beast out of control and Fantino is unable to reign them in. Mind you, he did call in the RCMP to investigate ongoing corruption problems.

5. Fantino has a reputation of NOT working well with other city Managers.

Fantino was an OK chief, but not a great one. I won't loose any sleep cause he's gone.

If he wants, he can run in the next mayoral election and get defeated, or the provincial election for MPP in Woodbridge (he might win that.)