Human rights issues at Windsor campus pub
Jamie Harkins
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: News
The students' union is also supporting the group in its quest for answers.
According to Zach Cranny, vice-president of university affairs for the students' union, the union would like an investigation to be conducted by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
He said that this is the first incident of this magnitude to occur at the campus pub and he encouraged students affected to file complaints against police.
"We feel that there needs to be a full public inquiry," said Cranny. "There was far too much police violence used that night. We're fully behind the group on campus, SAABR, and are doing all we can to help facilitate their future actions."
Bright Kyereme, a third-year communications and political science student at Windsor, said he is working with the students' union to file a human rights complaint after he was allegedly beaten by several officers when he stepped in to help a friend that night.
"There were four or five of them all at once on me," Kyereme said, describing how he was kneed in the face. He said that he was still beaten even though he was not resisting.
Originally Kyereme was told that he would be charged with assaulting a police officer, then just disturbing the peace, Kyereme did not end up being charged with anything. He still spent the night in jail.
Kyereme also said that when he asked for a complaint form upon being released, police allegedly laughed at him. He has decided to file a complaint with the human rights tribunal, instead.
Nadine Fearon, a first-year drama and communications student who was also at the pub that night, said that no grvr5one knows why the police showed up at all considering no fights took place - just a shouting match between two girls, which was handled by the pub's bouncers.
The Windsor Police Service did not return phone and e-mail messages.
According to Zach Cranny, vice-president of university affairs for the students' union, the union would like an investigation to be conducted by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
He said that this is the first incident of this magnitude to occur at the campus pub and he encouraged students affected to file complaints against police.
"We feel that there needs to be a full public inquiry," said Cranny. "There was far too much police violence used that night. We're fully behind the group on campus, SAABR, and are doing all we can to help facilitate their future actions."
Bright Kyereme, a third-year communications and political science student at Windsor, said he is working with the students' union to file a human rights complaint after he was allegedly beaten by several officers when he stepped in to help a friend that night.
"There were four or five of them all at once on me," Kyereme said, describing how he was kneed in the face. He said that he was still beaten even though he was not resisting.
Originally Kyereme was told that he would be charged with assaulting a police officer, then just disturbing the peace, Kyereme did not end up being charged with anything. He still spent the night in jail.
Kyereme also said that when he asked for a complaint form upon being released, police allegedly laughed at him. He has decided to file a complaint with the human rights tribunal, instead.
Nadine Fearon, a first-year drama and communications student who was also at the pub that night, said that no grvr5one knows why the police showed up at all considering no fights took place - just a shouting match between two girls, which was handled by the pub's bouncers.
The Windsor Police Service did not return phone and e-mail messages.
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