An injustice in the Canadian Judicial and Media Infrastructure
WHO IS ANTHONY WONG?
He’s a young black Canadian of Jamaican descent, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for participating in the beating and shooting of a neighborhood resident Damian Burnaby. Anthony Wong then 20 years of age, ended up spending three years of the sentence before being acquitted by the Supreme Court Judge, Justice Harry LaForme, as he concluded “there was not enough evidence on which a properly instructed jury could convict the accused.” The men that were involved with the murder, Benjamin Allen, Tyrone Crooks, and Gebre Barnes are currently serving their sentences for the murder. All of these men including Anthony live on Finch Ave. E and Victoria Park, an impoverished area known as Chester Lea. Blvd, which had two homicides in 2005.
Second degree Murder was not the only charge that Anthony was charged with. He was also charged with threatening a police officer, possession of a firearm, possession of cocaine, and Obstruct justice on the belief that Anthony Wong was not his real name. A witness named Nancy Young who was known as a prostitute in the area, claimed to have seen him at the scene at the time of the murder. It was Young’s claim that sent Anthony to jail in the first place. This is where things started to unfold. Young later came forth and admitted to being fed Anthony’s name by the police, and was actually not at the scene at the time of the murder. Anthony had said the cocaine that he was charged with was actually in the car of the police, and that a proposition to be an informant for them was made to him. Threatening a police officer was a last minute charge brought on by Detective Sean McGrath, which during the trial had astonished Justice LaForme by how detailed McGrath was able to recall a conversation between him (Mcgrath) and Anthony. What also proved the charge to be inadequate was the fact that McGrath claimed that Anthony had a gun in the courtroom. It seemed that there was a plot to send Anthony to jail.
Anthony now 24, is a tall, almost frail due to the conditioning of not eating properly for three years. “All I ate was bread and water. I’m taking pills now to stimulate my appetite.” According to Anthony’s doctor he’s 10 pounds underweight. Mainly Anthony is a dedicated father who has registered his business name Jah Bless Enterprises after his son. Within this enterprise, he would like to put out a movie, write a book, open a clothing line and a music production company. During the case, he made a T-shirt “Free My Daddy Judge” that Jah Bless wore everyday during the trial. He also thanks the acquittal to his strong Christian faith, as church played a prominent role throughout his life. Anthony’s most memorable moments were building a relationship with Celebrity boxer Ruben “Hurricane” Carter, who spent 27 years in prison for being falsely accused for the murder of three men. Rueben had given Anthony a scholarship to attend a private school as well as provided him with a lawyer Haig DeRusha who is currently working with Anthony in filing a 200 Million dollar lawsuit against the Toronto Police Board. “I was in jail for killing a man I have never seen in my life. They stripped searched me, searched my body parts and found no drugs. When I was in jail they hand cuffed my wrists and my ankles so tightly that they bled, I still have the scars. The guards beat me all the time. Even when I get out of jail, the police see me on the street and they still Harass me. I was on my way to school and I had my son and my son’s mother was in the car with me. The police pulled the car over and held guns on me, they claimed that they thought I had a weapon. The police have said they know I’m a drug dealer and I’m not gonna win the lawsuit against them.”
Everything that has happened has nothing to do with being guilty by association, or having a background in crime. It’s for nothing other than being a young black man, who lives in area where if you walk down the street, you are automatically looked upon as a criminal by the constant patrolling police in the area. He has brought his story to many venues including Carters former not for profit organization Association in Defense of the Wrongfully Convicted. No one seems to want to acknowledge his case and the importance of hearing this young man’s voice at a time like this. If you speak with Anthony, you would see that he has many aspirations to make change. He wants to improve the quality of living in the neighborhood which has a gated up park named Chester Lea Olive Gardens and a sign pinned to a government housing complex which is considered a community center. He can’t do that if he is not being taken seriously, and especially if his story is not being listened to because he is a “visible minority”. If we were take pay attention to his story, this would bring forth other ones similar to his, and a coalition to bring change, as men like Anthony would rather take their experiences to enforce good rather than let their anger fester. “I can’t even get help in my own country. The only person that helped me was an American.” A reaction like this is detrimental to the progression of the black community in Canada, hence why the crime rates and violence in Toronto is on the rise. Instead of pointing fingers on the other side, we need to look within our own vicinity and it’s already almost too late.
I am not going to even both with you, your one of the reasons why the black community get pushed aside anyway. You should be ashamed of yourself....Your an embarassement.
This is not a joke to me, I have posted this on many other forums, I have also posted this on my blog and an alternate version of the story on a website in which i frequently write on called epinions.com. I have been very generous in replying and checking replies to the post to find that the people that have read it are very un-greatful and are the same ones that keep people like Anthony in the dark. So I will not be replying to anymore of the people that choose to talk ****.
I have nothing to prove to anyone, those in Toronto have most likely even read my work when they pick up hip hop magazines, or if they have tuned into www.hiphopcanada.com, which is the equivalent to www.allhiphop.com. This is on these forums because it is too controversial to be put into publications at the moment considering what Toronto has been through within the last year.
As a journalist, not everyone will agree with my views but for the people that have posted replies like the ones that you have to the article, then maybe you are not ready or choose not to pay attention to what is really going on in society.
My objective was to create awareness, not make friends
talkin shiit? im just questioning you, something that many journalists such as yourself do... and im asking for a cliff notes version of your essay there...
and its only 12:30 pm, whose going to sleep? good afternoon would be more appropriate... and i still want to be your friend...
canada ehhhh?
fluck outta here with all this hippety-hoo-plah
ps. you female? if so post some pics and if i like them ill read your silly rambling.
Good day!
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lemonade was a popular drink and it still is!
It was interesting chatting with my fans (yes my fans) and maybe one day we will all talk again, for all of you that read this I am not talking about you, I am talking about my fans that are trying to get a rise out of me with their frivoulous posts. Haters only motivate me more....
go hug some trees, go protest wilsons leather and proctor and gamble, go drive your hybrid car, and eat sprout tofu burgers, and go have unprotected anal sex with magic johnson...
on the smartness scale: me>>>battlechild>>>corcky>>>me neighbors dog>>>a cinderblock>>>you
are you one of those french speaking maple leaf cheesedikks?
and i think you have some gender issues, first your a chick, then your a guy, then you dont have a penis... are you a hermy?
GOOD DAY MY LADY!
__________________
lemonade was a popular drink and it still is!
It was interesting chatting with my fans (yes my fans) and maybe one day we will all talk again, for all of you that read this I am not talking about you, I am talking about my fans that are trying to get a rise out of me with their frivoulous posts. Haters only motivate me more....
Until then
Take care,
@ this reverse psychology nonsense... your fans????
come on man, i almost spit out my water...
im glad i got a rise out of you, stupid.
i was convinced that the internet isn't real, maybe it is (where else would your "fanbase" be?)
fans........ hahahhahahhahahahahahahahahhahaah
yea, you take care also, guy...
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lemonade was a popular drink and it still is!
my objective is an always will be to cause controversy, so I did, you're just a mouse part of my experiment....you still read the article, and that's all I care about,
you are and forever will be a subject of the media...so keep reading, you did me a great favor......I am proud of you....
Take Care, and remember Hollywood is made of Canadians, all your favorite sex symbols are Canadians, your favorite actors, music producers, cloting designers, We're up there right after the Freemason. Do you know who they are?
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An injustice in the Canadian Judicial and Media Infrastructure
