Niagara at Large is reportingthat during the G20 Summit, a "Thorold, Ontario amputee [had] his artificial leg ripped off by police and [was] slammed in [a] makeshift cell":
"As [his daughter] Sarah began pleading with them to give her father a little time and space to get up because he is an amputee, they began kicking and hitting him. One of the police officers used his knee to press Pruyn’s head down so hard on the ground, said Pruyne...that his head was still hurting a week later. Accusing him of resisting arrest, they pulled his walking sticks away from him, tied his hands behind his back and ripped off his prosthetic leg. Then they told him to get up and hop, and when he said he couldn’t, they dragged him across the pavement, tearing skin off his elbows , with his hands still tied behind his back. His glasses were knocked off as they continued to accuse him of resisting arrest and of being a “spitter,” something he said he did not do. They took him to a warehouse and locked him in a steel-mesh cage where his nightmare continued for another 27 hours."
At some point prior to this alleged incident, I captured some footage of what appears to be the victim, Mr. John Pruyn, questioning the police presence, saying, "We're supposed to be able to stay here [in Queen's Park]. Why are they doing this?" Mr. Pruyn had caught my attention because here was this elderly(ish) man being told to move by police, and he had the courage to stand up to them and question their authority. Watch the two short clips on the WebofDem YouTube channel.
- [Update]: In addition to Rabble.ca's coverage, some corporate news outlets are picking up on Pruyn's story:
- National Post: 'Amputee alleges G20 police ripped off his prosthetic leg' and 'G20 police 'yanked' off prosthetic leg: amputee,' which includes this photo of Pruyn being manhandled by two cops (notice at bottom right: what appears to be the top portion of Pruyn's prosthesis, presumably in the cops left hand. Question: if the National Post captured the police hauling away a man while holding his obviously detached prosthetic leg, why are they only now reporting it? [Update, July 8, 2010: via Twitter, @nationalpost responds: "we did run the photo on the day it happened but did not know the story at the time"; also recall that two Post photographers were detained].
- Toronto Sun: 'Who will stand up for amputee?'
- In other disturbing post-G20 news, "Social justice activist Jaggi Singh surrendered to Toronto police early Tuesday morning to comply with a warrant following June’s G20 protests..."I helped people find housing and get transportation to come to a demonstration. That’s my conspiracy,” he said. “But give the police enough money and resources and they’ll transform protesters and organizers into criminals.’’ [via The Star - Also see: No One is Illegal's 'statement of support and solidarity' for Jaggi]
- Also see, 'G20 Protests: Fighting Back Against the Police State' (via The Bullet)