VANCOUVER — Vancouver police staff sergeant Mark Horsley wanted to make at least one bust. Very much. It would have made his year, taking down one of the creeps responsible for assaulting and robbing disabled Vancouverites.
Working with other VPD members, peer support workers and rehabilitation specialists, Horsley hatched a cunning scheme. He borrowed a $16,000 electric-powered wheelchair, grew some facial hair and wheeled into the DTES, undercover.
The objective: pretend to be disabled and brain-injured from a motorcycle accident that never really happened. Play the “easy mark.” Bait criminals by flashing cash and valuables, such as cellphones and cameras. When they pounce, collar them. Make them pay.
“My boss tied a pork chop around my neck and threw me into a shark tank,” Horsley recalled Thursday at VPD headquarters.
The operation didn’t go quite as planned.
In five days of undercover work from his wheelchair, with loot hanging from a fanny pack for all to see and perhaps snatch, and after more than 300 “contacts” with people, Horsley made not a single arrest. People wanted to give him things, instead.
Passers-by insisted on dropping coins into his lap. “I did not panhandle,” he said. Two men bought him pizza. Others just stopped and chatted, passed the time, exchanged pleasantries. All anyone took was his photograph.
Once, a guy came along and crouched over Horsley. He reached in, as if making for the fanny pack. Horsley tensed. Here it was, at last: Heinous crime in progress, bust coming up. The man’s fingers touched the fanny pack. Then the prospective perp zippered it shut. He asked Horsley to please be more careful with his things, for goodness sake.I think its awesome that the cops were unable to bust a single crook with this trick. Because, face it, not being able to catch a crook because the crooks won't do certain crimes is, good news.
Several more times, Horsley was approached and told to take care. By known criminals, even. This demonstrated there really is “honour” among certain thieves, he said. Robbing the disabled is “below their ethical standards,” he concluded. “The community will not stand for this.”Good on ya Canada!
Peer of the realm of Great Briton, Lord Weidenfeld is on a mission. He claims he has a debt to repay and he is expending a portion of his personal fortune and influence to do just that.
Lord Weidenfeld is a Jew. He came to England as a boy, by the grace and good will of Christians who were helping Jews escape the Nazi's. Lord Weidenfeld made the most of his new life and rose in business eventually earning inclusion into the heights of British Society.
Jewish peer who fled Nazis is rescuing Christians fleeing Isis to repay 'debt'
Lord Weidenfeld says he has “a debt to repay” to Christians fleeing Isis, because the Quakers and the Plymouth Brethren fed and clothed him and helped him to reach Britain in 1938.
The publisher is spearheading Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund, which last week supported the flight of 150 Syrian Christians to Poland on a privately chartered plane to allow them to seek refuge, making them the first beneficiaries of the resettlement project.
The 95-year-old told The Times: “I had a debt to repay. It applies to so many young people who were on the Kinderstransports. It was Quakers and other Christian denominations who brought those children to England.
“It was very high-minded operation and we Jews should also be thankful and do something for the endangered Christians.”
The fund aims to offer 12-18 months of paid support to the refugees.What a great story. Somebody is doing something for the Christians in the middle east. The program is not without its distractors, however.
But the project has run into criticism for its exclusion of Muslims who have also been forced from their homes by Isis, for fear of murder, enslavement or torture.I realize that ISIS does bad stuff to Muslims that don't join with them. But come on all ready! There isn't much (if any) help for Christians escaping ISIS. Jews fleeing from ISIS have the ability to escape to Israel.
The USA won't take Christian refugees fleeing from Islamic persecution in the middle east. Seriously we won't and don't. All the talk about sanctuary cities, its only for Muslims. Here's the real kicker: if ISIS is winning in on area, we import members of Hamas. If Hamas is winning in a different area, we import members of ISIS. The one group we don't help is the Christians that both of them want to kill.
The Christian populations of both countries have fallen precipitously in the past decade, however, and Lord Weidenfeld defended the project’s narrow focus.
He said: “I can’t save the world, but there is a very specific possibility on the Christian side. Let others do what they like for the Muslims.”That's right Lord Weidenfeld, there is a chance. Thank you for taking it. Perhaps, for such a time as this you were spared as a boy. May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, keep you, bless you and repay you for what you are doing, and give you success.
Nice examples for GFF, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe Vancouver article rang a few alarm bells, however.
1. Obviously, there was a reason for the sting operation in the first place:
"There have been 28 violent offences on wheelchair-using folk in the city since January 2014, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Two-thirds of those crimes occurred in the drug-infested Downtown Eastside (DTES). One of the victims was sexually assaulted; six others required medical attention."
So, not all those Vancouverites were as deserving of those accolades, after all.
2. Were the criminals really honourable?:
"Several more times, Horsley was approached and told to take care. By known criminals, even. This demonstrated there really is “honour” among certain thieves, he said. Robbing the disabled is “below their ethical standards,” he concluded. “The community will not stand for this.”
A. Obviously, this isn't quite true, or those unfortunate victims in the first quote wouldn't have been victims.
B. What are the chances that the "known criminals" already made him for a cop somehow, and word spread around not to touch him?
I understand what the main sentiment behind the article was supposed to be -- I just don't think it necessarily holds up to the real world. There are bad people everywhere, including Vancouver.
I saw the reason they were doing the sting in the first place. I agree there are evil Canadians.
DeleteI gotta say there are a lot of places in the USA that I don't think it would have worked out this way. I agree with the other point that was made about even if they didn't catch anyone that criminals knowing that they are doing this kind of "sting" operation is a good thing because they will have to take it into consideration in the future.
Admittedly criminals in a bad neighborhood would know who the crippled kid up the street was and would be able to rob him anytime they wanted.
I was gonna say this; What are the chances that the "known criminals" already made him for a cop somehow, and word spread around not to touch him?
ReplyDelete-Bill
Made him as a cop? Very possible, and it was probably the chair that gave him away. If he had really been a true target, he probably would not have had that fancy of a chair.
ReplyDeleteI really loved that second story, but in this day and age, I wish it had not been published because now it is going to be even harder for this Samaritan to do his great deed of rescuing Christians. I have such mixed feelings about this story. I understand, but at the same time if it will help rescue more Christians, I could accept secrecy.
If Bush was still president, I do not think there would have been a problem with admitting or even doing some rescue of Christians ourselves.
But Obama, being the muslim that he is, hates Christians and will not raise a finger to help. The fact that there are 5 international American prisoners who are not muslim, but a combo of military and Christian proves that fact to me. Rotting in prison and he won't lift a bony finger to save them. Even Pelosi defended Obama on this today.