“I’m trapped in my own police state,” say ex-political prisoner & dissident Brad Love, raided by cops with blank search warrant
“I am trapped in my own police state and it’s called Fort McMurray, Alberta,” exclaims Brad Love, an outspoken dissident and former political prisoner, after a police raid on his Fort Mac residence on March 23
The police came with a blank warrant — no mention of what they were looking for. They left with three bags of property but left Mr. Love with no receipt for the goods stolen.
Mr. Love lives with three other room mates. He was in the shower when seven burly cops used a ram to hammer open an unlocked door and storm in with rifles and guns drawn. “They’ve been watching too much television,” says the unarmed writer and dissident.
The next day in traffic court, Mr. Love spoke to a legal aid lawyer in another matter. The lawyer said: “The police can pretty much do what they want. You could hire a lawyer and apply to the court for reasons for the warrant and a list of what was taken.”
Mr. Love has searing contempt for lawyers in Fort Mac. “Half the lawyers in town are afraid of me and won’t talk to me. They are afraid of the police. I need a headhunter lawyer. This is a small town and the cops, the courts and the lawyers are in a comfy, cozy relationship,” he adds.
Anyone else would be able to march down to the police station and inquire about the blank warrant and ask for a list of the goods stolen However, Mr. Love is in the final year of a three-year probation order, imposed on him, not in North Korea but in Ontario. He is forbidden to communicate his views to any political, press, police or religious organization.. Thus, strictly speaking, he is not allowed to even speak to the police. And justice is not just blind, it is brainless and literal as well, in Mr. Love’s case.
Political Prisoner Brad Love at work in the oilpatch
He wonders whether the incident was cop payback for a confrontation the day before. He and a friend were driving in town. They noticed a car pulled over and being ticketed by the RCMP. Mr. Love who was in the passenger seat called out, “Go get him, di Pasquale.” Moments later two RCMP cruisers chased after Mr. Love’s vehicle. He was ordered out of the car, but said: “I am not the driver. I don’t have to get out.” The police searched the car, without a warrant and then issued Mr. Love, who was not the driver, a $600 ticket for “stunting”.
“Stunting”, in Alberta, is defined as:
“115 (2) A person shall not do any of the following:
(e) perform or engage in any stunt or other activity that is likely to distract, startle or interfere with users of the highway;
(f) drive a vehicle so as to perform or engage in any stunt or other activity on a highway that is likely to distract, startle or interfere with other users of the highway;
The policeman in question wasn’t even driving or using the road at the time of the incident. Mr. Love described officer di Pasquale as “a head hunter. There is bad blood between us.”