Can you please cover this issue with honesty and intelligence? Every other newspaper in Halifax has presented a very censored and simplified view.
The protest that took place on Friday was NOT about a few sentimental people trying to save some trees. This is what has been published in local media.
We are demanding that our tax dollars be spent with logic and long term planning. Two million dollars to widen two blocks of road is monumentally illogical.
Halifax is a peninsula, and therefore consists of a finite amount of space. Accordingly, a finite amount of vehicles can be accommodated on its roads. You can increase the flow onto the peninsula as much as you want, but you are then adding to traffic congestion and bottlenecks on the peninsula. Bottlenecks are simply being moved from place to place. This is not long term planning.
I am a taxpayer and a pedestrian. I want a better transit system. I want bike lanes. I do not want more cars on the peninsula, I want air that is of a quality that I can breathe.
I am concerned about the excess force that I saw on behalf of the police officers arresting protesters on July 4. What I saw was unarmed 20 year old men, whom, once they were already subdued; were subjected to some extra bashing of their heads on the ground, against a tree....If an unarmed 20 year old man is underneath 2 police officers with his hands behind his back; it is not necessary to "subdue" him any further. At this point another officer pulled out his nightstick to join the fray. Scary. I would like these officers to be held accountable for their excessive force. This aspect of yesterday's proceedings has been omitted from the published news stories, although every news camera in Halifax filmed every second of it.
If you are standing on the street witnessing police injure citizens, who do you call? You can't call the police on the police. It was a scary feeling. Taxpayers pay police salaries. The job of the police is NOT to be the cronies of city council serving their own interests with OUR money.
Please let this issue be your cover spread. For more information there is a Facebook Group called "The Chebucto Road widening project is an embarrassment". As I'm sure you are already aware of, you could also contact the Chebucto Neighborhood Association. Many people took pictures of the police hurting the protesters, perhaps you can print these. Please cover this for the people.
By Tara Smith
