I don’t know where I was, but I missed the day we in the GTA decided to give control of our city to gun-wielding thugs. I missed the day we stepped back, allowing the gangs to infiltrate our neighbourhoods, destroying everything in their path. I definitely missed the day our judicial system decided those committing such crimes don’t need actual punishments; I would have remembered that.

Thursday at Osgoode station, a young man opened fire at another man, hitting him in the abdomen and right thigh. By late afternoon, it was already old news; another day, another shooting. Have shootings become so commonplace in Toronto that we barely notice?

On the contrary, we are being held hostage by these people – utterly powerless, in our own city, to defend ourselves. People are quick to blame the police, but the police are not the problem. The problem resides in our revolving-door legal system, which is quick to forgive and forget, allowing these people back on our streets within hours of arrest, or after serving terms too short for their crimes.

It is time for the GTA residents to demand more from The Powers That Be; demand protection from thugs and gang-bangers, and demand changes to our legal system to reflect our society. A society does not exist in a vacuum, and neither should our laws.

Without a doubt it is time to do away with our Youth Criminal Justice Act, as it does nothing but create a safe haven for youths to run amok in our streets, with lax punishments and (often) publication bans on their side. If a 14- or 15-year-old decides to get involved in a gang, and use a gun to hurt or kill someone, their picture should be splashed across every newspaper we have. Everyone should know who they are and what they’ve done, and their punishment should be severe enough to ensure it doesn’t happen again. To all the bleeding hearts out there who beg for mercy for these youths: By this age, you know what you are doing and you know the difference between right and wrong. Make the wrong choice and suffer the consequences. If teenagers risked spending actual time behind bars for their crimes, they might think twice.

To the adult offenders out there (how many of you were youth offenders, I wonder?!): it is time for actual, serious jail terms. People who bring guns to our streets and put bullets in our citizens should not have a chance to do it again quickly. People charged with gun-related crimes should not receive bail, since as we’ve seen, being out on bail does not prevent further criminal activity.

To the adult offenders who are here from other countries: you have squandered a great opportunity and don’t deserve another. Don’t let the door hit you on the butt on the way back home, and don’t bother asking to come back. You are a waste of space in this country; space that could be taken up by a law-abiding newcomer with something great to contribute.

It’s time for us to take back our city, and demand action from our elected officials. Stop coddling these violent offenders, and start effecting change. Enough is enough.

A mother of a 14 year old boy admitted that she helped her son build a weapon cache. She bought her son a rifle with a laser scope and gunpowder but it is unclear whether or not she knew that her son was going to plan a Columbine type school shooting. The boy used the gunpowder to make grenades.

One count of child endangerment was the charge that Michele Cossey, 46 faced on Tuesday. The mother apparently supplied her son with all of these weapons because he was being bullied at school. The seventh grader was bullied over his weight and eventually was taken out of public school and had to be home schooled.

The argument that the boy’s lawyer put up for him was that violent internet sites fueled his revenge fantasies. The prosecutors said that the boy, Dillion, began to idolize the Columbine shooters and wanted to perform a similar shooting at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. The defense attorney claims that purchasing the weapons was a way to increase the boy’s self esteem. Somehow, the defense attorney, speculated, these attempts to increase Dillion’s self esteem were misinterpreted by the boy. How does buying weapons increase a child’s self esteem? How about a healthy food plan and exercise program so that the boy could feel better about himself and be healthier overall? How do weapons help self esteem?

Michelle Cossey is going to undergo a much need psychiatric evaluation before she is sentenced. She can get 31/2 to 7 years but she could also get probation of less than a year. While it is unclear whether or not this woman knew about her son’s plan to shoot a school, it seems obvious that she was the one that provided the means to the end. Surely she needs to face some type of charges for giving her son weapons.

Dillion Cossey will go into a juvenile detention center and could remain there until he is 21. The judge saw Michelle Cossey as fostering a “me-and—mom-against-the-world” attitude. This is obviously not a healthy way to raise your child. Especially when you have supplied him with an arsenal of weapons. These weapons include BB guns, a rifle, swords, knives and homemade grenades. What exactly would a kid be planning to do with these weapons besides use them at some point?

A friend that visited Dillion learned of the attack plan and alerted police. While police are not sure that there was definitely going to be a school attack, the fact that Dillion had an arsenal was enough to warrant investigation. After all of the school shootings that have taken place in the last few years, there is little room to take something like an arsenal lightly.

Michelle Cossey misses her son, her attorney says and wants to be reunited with him. However, it seems that she has a long way to go before she should be allowed to mother this child again. Clearly she has some issues that need to be worked out.

It seems that the lesson is not being learned. Taser guns can and do kill people. So why do Canadian police forces from coast to coast continue to use the darn things? Another man has died after being Tasered.

Ontario Provincial Police were called out on a disturbance call in Norfolk County, Ontario. Jeffery Mark Marreel was allegedly combative and needed to be subdued and a Taser was used on him. Marreel was taken into custody where he collapsed. He was pronounced dead at Norfolk General Hospital.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced recently that they would restrict Taser use because of the rash of deaths that have resulted from their usage. A few months ago a Polish immigrant died after being Tasered in a British Columbia airport. The thing about Taser use is that it is usually done on people that are unarmed. So that begs that question, are Tasers used as a quick fix on people that do not pose much of a threat. Could these people that are Tasered be subdued without the Taser guns?

The usage of Taser guns is relatively new in Canada. The Royal Mounted Police started using Tasers in 1999. They were implemented as non lethal devices that could be used to subdue violent people. A temporary stunning of the individual is supposed to cause some pain but because it allegedly last only a few seconds, Tasers were believed to be safe. However, Amnesty International claims that 280 people have died in the U.S and 20 people have died in Canada from Taser guns.

Taser guns are marketed as non lethal devices that cause a short term jolt that shocks the recipient. These stun guns are made in Arizona by Taser International and are conductive energy devices. They have lived up to their name for the most part but it seems like a large percentage of the individuals they have Tasers used on them die.

Even though Tasers are supposed to be safe, there is a possibility that they are not safe in certain situations. Maybe the victims that die from them have medical issues that make them unable to receive a Taser jolt without dying. It seems to me that anytime the human body is given a jolt there is a chance that it will shut down.

There is some reason to believe that those that have heart conditions, have abused drugs or have other issues that might weaken their heart, may die from Tasers. Of course, when police go to a potential crime scene they don’t have a bio of the suspect. They can’t know if the person is a drug user or has a heart problem. That is why I don’t understand how Taser guns ca be used and be considered safe for police work.

Excited Delirium is the state in which the individual is in a highly agitated state. Their heart is pounding very fast and the jolt from the Taser either stops or speeds up their heart to the point of death.

A stampede resulted from a police raid at a nightclub in Mexico City. Some of those trampled were as young as 13. Now the mayor of Mexico City is saying that there were many errors made and has suspended some of the police officers.

Three of the twelve people that were trampled were police officers. Young children were apparently at the club in a rather high number. At least one 13 year old girl, 16 year old girl, 14 year old boy and three 18 year old boys were among those that were trampled to death. The report that underage patrons were there was obviously true.

Police blocked the one emergency exit leaving only the main entrance as a way out. The customers panicked and tried to break windows and pour out of the club. 39 people were arrested with the club owner being one of them. He is being accused of inciting the stampede and not having enough emergency exits available. The owner allegedly announced the raid on a microphone, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Over 500 people were in the club at the time of the raid.

The police are said to have used tear gas in the raid but the Joel Ortega, the secretary of public security denies that claim. However, the mayor of Mexico City admits that there were serious errors made when police went in to raid the club.

Who allows 13 year olds into a club? Who was this person that owned the club? How as the club allowed to remain open with one emergency exit? That seems like some type of building code violation. Not to mention, even though there were 500 people in the club, there were more waiting to be admitted. I get the feeling that this was not the first night that the club was open. I am curious about how long the club has been in operation and why it had not been closed down before?

As a patron of this club, I wonder exactly what runs through your mind when you hear there is a raid. Obvious panic occurred in the crowd which probably was full of alcohol and possibly other drugs. If there are a couple of children dead, I assume that there were probably several young children in attendance. Meaning that many of the patrons realized that they would be facing some type of charges for being in the club. Perhaps that is why they scurried the way that they did.

Would it have been more productive for the police to wait right outside of the emergency exit than block it? Who knows. I guess that I can see some fault on the policemen’s part but really, at the end of the day they were doing their job. The bulk of the fault has got to lie with the club owner and the people that were in the club. Really, if you know that you are in the wrong, you might as well just stand there and wait to be arrested. Some small crime has been committed, yes but it is not worth you dying for. Pay your dues for the mistakes you have made instead of running. I feel bad for those that were trampled but I think that as everyday citizens, we need to responsible for our actions.

Mexico is fighting to combat drug trafficking along the border but to this point, they seem to be losing. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico is home to the Juarez drug cartel. Violence is gripping the border towns of Mexico and Texas with a rash of drug trafficking and killings. Police officers have been victims of the fighting along the border several times this year, leaving over a dozen officers dead this year.

The two latest officers were husband and wife. Gabriel Padilla Perez and Claudia Tovar Carreon were murdered in the entrance of their home in Ciudad Juarez. The officers have two small children that will never see their parents alive again.

Illegal drug trafficking has been around for centuries. The need to use drugs to escape reality has long been a part of many people’s lives. Life can be challenging and the need to remove your mind from it is a wish that many people have. The fact that there are some drugs that are illegal makes trafficking profitable and encourages individuals that don’t or can not get jobs to start selling drugs. Mexico has turned into a place of great warring recently. Cops are being murdered and civilians are not safe. A pregnant woman perished in a gun fight recently citizens on both sides of the border are afraid.

There has been much debate about he Texas Mexican border as of late. Slipping through the border between Mexico and Texas is dangerous but thousands of people are able to do it every year. This includes drug cartels. Stepping up border security will not help if the cartels have better weapons and good strategies. Mexico is working to stop drugs from being sold and transported through border towns but the war is starting to be too much for police officers. Many officers are seeking political asylum in the U.S. because they fear for their lives so much. What can be done to stop this terrible surge in drug trafficking?

When the police ca not protect and serve the citizens of their community things fall apart. Tourism and commerce began to shut down. Seeing as border towns are in part dependent on tourism, the more violence there is, the less visitors there will be. These drug cartels are destroying their own communities with their murders and drug trafficking.

What type of people deal drugs? Ruthless, money hungry, ready to kill people. Unfortunately, the only way that the Mexican police will be able to combat the drug problem is to become more like the drug cartel members they are hunting. They must be suspicious of everyone and shoot first or lose their lives. This is not the way that I generally think that police work should be done but in this case, it seems like it is necessary. Drugs ruin the lives of those that take them and sell them. This is a battle that the police must win in order to keep the town viable. One needs only to look at cites that have been overrun with drugs to see how terrible things can really get.