One major concern about the Abdirahman Abdi case is that Ottawa Police
Services has had a history of obstructing justice. Such a concern
specifically relates to a case in which the Ottawa Police intimidated
witnesses who were seeking to testify in behalf of a victim. Could
history repeat itself?
On 12 June 2015, Raymond had met his Mom,
Dezrin, at the Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Resource Centre. He had been
forcibly separated from his Mom by Police in late April 2015 after
Raymond had witnessed abuse taking place by his father against his Mom.
His father, Horace, then had him illegally evicted by the Ottawa Police
Services to prevent Raymond from seeking to shelter his Mom from ongoing
abuse and neglect by his father. By the time Raymond saw his Mom again
thanks to a legal demand letter from a lawyer, his Mom had lost the
ability to talk, write and walk having suffered unfettered abuse at the
hands of the father. Raymond was shocked and uncontrollably cried for
days afterward for days at what his Mom now looked liked. It was
apparent that Ottawa Police Detective Isabelle Coady had shamefully and
gratuitously lied that his Mom “was being looked after”.
Ms
Alison Timmons who is a social services worker who is from the Nepean,
Rideau and Osgoode Resource Centre told Raymond that she and her
colleague were willing to help Raymond by testifying in court that the
father had been blocking their ability to provide vitally needed
assistance. Such testimony would also uncover the fact that Ottawa
Police Detective Isabelle Coady who coordinated the Elder Abuse Unit,
was negligent in safeguarding Dezrin from ongoing elder spousal abuse.
Raymond
told this information to Detective Robert Griffin on 12 June 2015.
Raymond thought that Detective Griffin was a responsible representative
of the Ottawa Police Services.
Detective Griffin told Raymond
that he would “visit” Ms Allison Timmons and her staff on Monday, 15
June 2015. But, as it turns out, Detective Robert Griffin was not the
“honest cop” that Raymond thought. It was apparent that Detective Robert
Griffin's “visit” consisted of making “unspecific threats” against Ms
Timmons and her staff that made her retract her previous offer by her
and her staff member to testify in court in support of Raymond.
Detective
Griffin also apparently directed the social service workers at the
Nepean, Osgoode and Rideau Community Resource Centre not to provide
their community space any longer to enable Raymond to meet his sick and
elderly Mom and further directed this Centre to cease and desist all
contact with Raymond. The Centre complied with Detective Griffin's
“request” by sending a letter to Raymond dated 15 June 2015 that he was
not to contact them ever against.
Raymond's lawyer who had sent
the Legal Demand was shocked at this turn of events that he had said he
never before experienced, and especially so with a social services
agency.
It became apparent that Detective Griffin and his fellow
“dirty cops: who he apparently works with was “hired” by Raymond's
father to seek out and intimidate any witness that could testify of
seeing abuse. The work of Detective Griffin did not stop at intimidating
social service workers and neighbours.
Detective Griffin came to
Raymonds residence in broad daylight. While Raymond was just about to
enter his residence with his groceries he heard a loud screeching noise
behind him. When Raymond quickly turned around he saw a brown-peach
coloured car quickly accelerating to fence Raymond's car in the driveway
like a scene from a movie.
Detective Griffin then proceeded to
make wild threats in broad daylight under the watchful eye of
neighbours. One neighbour shouted in support, “Do you need any help
Raymond”.
This is when Detective Griffin began threatening
Raymond that if did not discontinue informing relatives of his father’s
abuse against his Mom and related matters, Raymond would be charged by
him with “criminal harassment.” Raymond proceeded to tell Detective
Griffin that such threats were a violation of his free speech pursuant
to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Having been
rebuffed, Detective Griffin began making more threats that included
banging down his door late at nigh in plain clothes for 30 minutes
alleging that he wanted to give him a key, as he shouted though the door
a variety of harassing utterances. Raymond recalled that the experience
reminded him of one of those movies featuring ordinary citizens fleeing
from “dirty cops”. His threats were also accompanied by harassing text
messages, phone calls and email.
When Raymond had called the
Ottawa Police to complain, Ottawa Police refused to investigate ad
referred the matter to basically a “Human Resources” operative with no
substantive accountability. And mass media organizations which included
CTV Ottawa, the Ottawa Sun, the Ottawa Citizen and CBC had shown no
interest in providing any investigative coverage.
Police abuses
in Ottawa occurs in an organizational context in which there's a lack of
accountability and where the media only takes interest after ordinary
citizens can take video that goes viral
Are witnesses in the
Abdirahman Abdi also vulnerable to witness intimidation? If so, they may
have no institution to turn to in order to seek relief and especially
the police itself that covers up each others atrocities.
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